Healthy Cinnamon Apples are an easy and delicious fall treat. Eat them as dessert, as a healthy snack or even as a side dish with dinner!
I kid you not when I tell you there’s nothing I like about fall more than cinnamon and apples.
Yeah yeah. Pumpkin, I know.
But cinnamon plus apples? There’s just something so special about this combination.
Problem is, I’m not always a huge fan of drowning my fruit in sugar… If it’s for a party? Sure. I believe in treats 20% of the time (although these apples are so delicious, you could even serve them at a party and nobody would even ask!).
When I harvest a million pounds of apples from grandma’s garden and resolve to making cinnamon apples every single day? Well… Not so much.
Which is where these Healthy Cinnamon Apples come into play!
This is my new favorite way to make apples, and I have REALLY been making these every day the past couple of weeks.
- they come together in 15 minutes, from slicing to serving
- made with all-natural, healthy ingredients and not a teaspoon of processed sugar
- my kids eat bucketloads!!
Last year, my oldest wouldn’t touch a cooked apple if I paid her for it. But now she eats bowl after bowl of these healthy cinnamon apples… Someone tell me how kids make sense ??
My best tips to make these sweet apples easy and foolproof:
Don’t slice too thinly
I usually cut each regular-sized apple into 8 wedges. If you cut them smaller, they will disintegrate and fall apart.
Even if you do it to speed up the cooking – don’t. Smaller slices are just too delicate and break up too easily.
Don’t stir too much
Tossing the apples from time to time is perfectly fine and necessary, but don’t stir all the time.
Same with above: The apples will get mushy and break up.
About the thickener:
So, about the thickener… You could absolutely leave it out and just simmer the apples without a lid until enough liquid has evaporated.
But, I do actually like binding the liquid to make a sauce that coats the apples like amazing caramel.
So, what are your options? I tried it several ways:
- with alternative thickeners (glucomannan, psyllium, to name a few)
- with organic cornstarch
- with arrowroot
And here’s the truth: All work EXACTLY the same (just the amounts you need differ slightly).
I have no issues with using organic non-GMO cornstarch, because let’s face it… Usually a recipe calls for such a small amount, it’s just not worth stressing over to me. It’s also readily available and not expensive.
But if you want to avoid cornstarch at all cost, you can simply use arrowroot or glucomannan (or psyllium, but it’s a little grittier) and it will not affect the recipe’s outcome at all.
P.S: Feel free to make a slurry with water before adding the starch, I’m usually too lazy and a few lumps don’t bother me.
Can you freeze this recipe?
Yep, you can! I have a few batches in my freezer right now.
- wait until the apples have cooled down to room temperature
- pack in a container that’s suitable for freezing and label with the name and use-by date (keep up to 3 months)
- make sure the apples are piping hot all the way through after defrosting and reheating
How do you serve cinnamon apples?
We love them as a snack or dessert (maybe with a little organic vanilla ice cream? ?), but here are a few more ways to eat these:
- as a healthy waffle topping!
- as a side dish – along with mashed sweet potatoes! (Hint: It’s what your Thanksgiving and/or Christmas dinner needs!)
- as a quick cheat’s apple crisp – just top with a healthy homemade granola and serve hot!
Grab the printable recipe here:
Healthy Cinnamon Apples
Ingredients
- 4 pounds apples cored and sliced (not too thin, or they will break up! - I like to cut each apple into 8 wedges)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1/4 cup sugar-free sweetener OR honey
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 teaspoons arrowroot OR organic cornstarch OR 1 teaspoon glucomannan (optional, see note!!)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Place the apples and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss until butter has melted and is coating the apples.
- Mix apple juice, sweetener, cinnamon, allspice and salt and pour over the apples. Toss. Cover with a lid and simmer on medium-low heat for around 5 minutes.
- Uncover and toss. Either simmer until thickened, or add arrowroot/cornstarch/glucomannan and toss quickly.
- Stir in apple cider vinegar and serve hot.
Jen says
I made this with a couple of mods – didn’t use apple juice, just water and also left out the allspice (I only had whole and didn’t feel like grinding). I added a bit of cardamom and ground cloves with the cinnamon and a sprinkle of salt. Pretty tasty… not too sweet and I can get more servings than the recipe suggests to make make it more macro friendly for me (I hope I can, at least).
Nora says
Glad to hear the apples turned out well for you, Jen!
Kathy says
What kind of apples work the best?
Nora says
I prefer apples that hold their shape. Gala or Honeycrisp are two popular ones that work well.