Cinnamon Roasted Apples! This is an easy and healthy recipe for baked cinnamon apples made in the oven with a touch of brown sugar. Eat them for dessert, add them to your breakfast, or just straight from the pan!
Here we are at the official start of autumn, and I'm ready to hit the comfort food hard. I thought we could dip our toe into the flavours of fall with this incredibly easy recipe for Cinnamon Roasted Apples.
What's the deal with these baked cinnamon apples? Well folks, they're easy and delicious, two things you really can't argue with. They take just a few minutes of prep work, a short stint in the oven, and what you're left with at the end tastes like the inside of an apple pie, which I'm sure we can all agree is the best part.
Once you've got yourself a batch of roasted apples, you can do so many delicious things with them. For example:
- Add as a topping for your oatmeal
- Layer them into a fall-themed chia pudding parfait
- Use them as the base of Fruit on The Bottom Yogurt Cups
- Spoon warm roasted apples over a bowl of vanilla ice cream
- Mix them into muffins
What goes into Cinnamon Roasted Apples?
- It starts with apples! --> Go for a crisp, fresh apple that holds its shape well when baked, like Jonagold or Granny Smith.
- Cinnamon --> Yes, this is an essential ingredient for baked cinnamon apples.
- Butter! --> Yes sir. The butter helps create a touch of that syrupy-ness you'd expect on the inside of an apple pie.
- Brown sugar --> We're doing it! The sugar helps to draw out the sweetness in the apples.
- Sea salt --> Just a pinch to balance things out.
How do you make roasted apples?
Suuuuuuper easy, friends.
Step 1: You're going to want to peel and chop your apples. There's lots of great nutrients in apple peel so I'm normally loathe to take it away, but for uniform baking I really do recommend it here. But your roasted apples are your business, so if you want to keep the skins on then be my guest.
Step 2: line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and scatter the apples about. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over top and give the apples a good toss to ensure they're well coated. Then, scatter those butter cubes around and chuck the whole tray into the oven.
Step 3: Bake for 10-ish minutes, give the apples a good stir, and then bake for another 5-10 minutes. The goal is apples that are soft and golden, but not at all mushy.
Pro tips / recipe notes:
- What are the best kind of apples to use for this recipe? Choose something that's got a nice tart flavour and that holds its shape while baking. Granny Smith or Jonagold are good options.
- Can I reduce the sugar in this recipe? If you want to. But there's only a tiny bit in there to begin with, so I don't really recommend it.
- Can I replace the sugar with something else? Totally. You could use an equivalent amount of maple syrup instead.
- Can I mix up the spices? Definitely! Cardamom, allspice, ginger and nutmeg all go great with apples - but a little goes a long way, so tread carefully.
- Can I make this recipe vegan? If you use a vegan butter substitute or a plant-based oil instead of the butter then it's vegan all the way.
Hey Nutrition Lady, tell me about apples!
Does an Apple a day really keep the doctor away? Well, they’re definitely good for your heart! Apples boast well-documented cardiovascular benefits. These benefits are associated with the water-soluble fiber (pectin) content, and the polyphenol mixture in most apples. Both total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol are decreased through regular intake of apples.
Another health benefit of apple consumption is blood sugar regulation. This occurs in a number of ways, including reduction of glucose absorption, slowing down of carbohydrate digestion, stimulating the pancreas to produce more insulin, and stimulating insulin receptors so that more sugar flows out of our bloodstream and into our cells.
Apples also appear to have anti-cancer benefits when it comes to breast, colon, and lung cancer. Apples are a good source of fiber (both soluble in the form of pectin, and insoluble), and vitamin C. The nutrients in apples are concentrated in the skin, so buy organic, give them a good wash, and keep the skin on whenever possible.
Other delicious apple recipes you might enjoy:
Whole Wheat Muffins with Cinnamon Roasted Apples
Maple Apple Granola
Unsweetened Applesauce
Instant Pot Apple Butter
Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
Cinnamon Roasted Apples
Ingredients
- 8 cups peeled and cored apples in about a 1 inch / 2.5cm dice
- 2 tablespoon light brown Muscovado sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoon cold butter cut into little cubes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, tinfoil, or a silpat.
- In a large bowl, toss together apple chunks with the cinnamon, brown sugar, and sea salt until the apples are well coated. Scrape the contents of the bowl onto the prepared baking sheet so the apple bits are in a single layer.
- Scatter the butter cubes around the tray.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the apples from the oven, stir, and replace to make for another 5-10 minutes, until the apples are soft and golden but not mushy.
- Enjoy warm, cold, or at room temperature!
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
- What are the best kind of apples to use for this recipe? Choose something that's got a nice tart flavour and that holds its shape while baking. Granny Smith or Jonagold are good options.
- Can I reduce the sugar in this recipe? If you want to. But there's only a tiny bit in there to begin with, so I don't really recommend it.
- Can I replace the sugar with something else? Totally. You could use an equivalent amount of maple syrup instead.
- Can I mix up the spices? Definitely! Cardamom, allspice, ginger and nutmeg all go great with apples - but a little goes a long way, so tread carefully.
- Can I make this recipe vegan? If you use a vegan butter substitute or a plant-based oil instead of the butter then it's vegan all the way.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published October 4, 2012. It was retested, rephotographed, and updated on September 18, 2018. Last updated September 22, 2020.
Christine
Quick and super delicious. The seven year old kept asking for more!
ABY
How many apples makes 8cups?
Katie Trant
Depends how big the apples are!
ABY
Okay then, approximately how many pounds does 8 cups make?
Katie Trant
Ok, so I just diced up 5 medium apples (690 grams - I weighed them too!) and that yielded approx 6 cups of diced apples in a similar size dice to what's pictured in this recipe. So I'd guess that 6 large apples / 2 pounds would yield 8 cups diced at this size. Hope this helps! I chose cups as the measurement in this recipe because there's so much variation in apple size and size of dice, and the yield of chopped apple will also vary depending on how accurate you are with coring them apples.
Roos
This brings me all the good autumn vibes, many thanks! I played around with it and had it almost every day for a week now as: one chopped apple, cinnamon, handful of oats, handful of walnuts and some cranberries, baked on the stove in a frying pan in a good tablespoon of olive oil. Then put in a bowl with some fat Yoghurt. Takes 5 minutes max and makes breakfast taste like apple pie with whipped cream, but without the sugar crash. Many thanks!
Wendy
When do you add the 1/2 tsp sea salt?
Katie Trant
It gets sprinkled together with the cinnamon and brown sugar. Updating the recipe now, thanks!
Wendy
Thank you. I took a guess and sprinkled it on top at the end. They turned ok and I’ll use your updated recipe next time. The house smelled amazing while the apples were baking.
sheenam | thetwincookingproject.net
Oh my!! This looks so great! I am a big fan of cinnamon apples and this recipe is just perfect.
Sustainable Cooks - Sarah
These are so delicious and comforting! We freeze them so that they're always on hand when we get a hankering for a snack.
Katie Trant
Freezing them is a great idea! Healthy dessert on hand any time you want!
Oh My Veggies (@ohmyveggies)
Ooh, these look so good! I'd totally love them on a big fluffy Belgian waffle!
themuffinmyth
Great idea! If only I had a waffle iron...
kellie@foodtoglow
We so think alike! Not only did I do a fruity thing last post (with baklava 'crumble') but your recipe from last year - the pumpkin and black bean taquitos - has loud echoes (or maybe I'm doing the echoing!) of what I have just posted. So glad to have met you at FBC and had a chance to have a few good chats. Good luck with your studies and work. Stockholm is lucky to have you, Katie. Great blog, super recipes and screen-licking good images.
themuffinmyth
It was great to meet you too, Kelli! Your baklava crumble looks awesome, I bet it would be a great topping for these roasted apples. Yum!
EverydayMaven
I am dying to see the muffin recipe - sounds awesome!
themuffinmyth
It's really good! Will post soon!
Heather
enroute to where my apple tree lives . If I get to it before the bear will try this recipe
themuffinmyth
Get there quick! And look out for bears...
Jacqueline @How to be a Gourmand
What a perfect breakfast treat Katie - Beautiful pairing!
themuffinmyth
Perfect for breakfast, dessert, snacks. So simple and delish!
Kathryn
Roasting apples like this is such a clever way to prepare them. I love the idea of having a bowl on hand to stir into my yoghurt in the morning. And I'm definitely looking forward to that muffin recipe!
themuffinmyth
They're really good with yoghurt (or iced cream!)