37 Autumnal Apple Recipes From Salads and Glazes to Pie
Put those picked apples to good use in pies, cake, fritters, salads, and even main courses for dinner.
Granny Smith, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Gala, Golden Delicious — there are so many varieties of apples we can't wait to get our hands on each fall. Part of the magic of apple season is getting to pick your own at the orchard, bringing home basketfuls of fresh, crisp fruit. Even if you pick your apples out at the farmers market or grocery store, take home enough to bake and cook with all season. Among our favorite apple recipes, try a non-traditional cumin and jaggery-glazed apple pie, a kielbasa-apple strata, and smoked duck breasts with apple-brandy caramel. We have every sweet and savory category covered. All you have to do is go out and get your favorite types of apples.
Fennel and Apple Salad with Hazelnuts
Tucked in among the tender lettuce leaves, fragrant fennel, sweet-tart Granny Smith apple, and toasty hazelnuts add a refreshing crunch to this fall salad.
Spiced Brown-Butter Apples
Molly Stevens' butter-roasted apples are seasoned with Chinese five-spice. The clove, cinnamon, star anise, fennel, and Szechuan pepper in the blend add warmth and complexity.
Cider-Glazed Chicken Breasts with Apple-Kohlrabi Slaw
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Bathed in a schmaltzy pan sauce made from chicken jus and apple cider, this simple chicken dinner is perfect for a weeknight at home. The accompanying slaw, made with mildly sweet and slightly peppery kohlrabi, white turnips, and a mix of sweet-tart raw apples, offers a crunchy contrast to the rich, tender chicken.
Cardamom-Spiced Apple Fritters
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
These apple fritters have crunchy edges that give way to a soft, apple-studded interior that hits somewhere between a cake doughnut and a muffin. The fruit is nicely complemented by the cinnamon and cardamom in the batter.
Baked Bourbon-Apple Butter
There's no better way to spend a chilly fall weekend afternoon than by making this nearly effortless apple butter. A bounty of sweet apples bake down into a rich, spreadable treat that's infused with the warming notes of cinnamon, ginger, and bourbon.
Miso Caramel-Apple Danish
With filling options more numerous than their flaky layers, Danish have legions of fans across the globe. This upgrade on the classic cream cheese filling stars a sweet and savory tango of buttery miso-enriched caramel brushed over wafer-thin slices of apple.
Kielbasa, Apple, and Onion Strata with Mornay Sauce
In this hearty egg and bread casserole, smoky kielbasa, sweet apples, and nutty cheese combine to create a truly unforgettable breakfast dish that's just right for a weekend. Serve it on its own, or go the extra mile and make a luscious cheese sauce to drizzle on top. And don't forget the extra touches of honey and salt — they highlight the flavor of the apples and cheese.
Smoked Duck Breasts with Apple-Brandy Caramel
In this recipe from 2017 F&W Best New Chef Angie Mar, the duck fat caramel will be perfectly thick and sweet by the time the apples are tender, providing a rich sauce that pairs perfectly with smoky duck breast.
Caramelized Apple Bread With Candied Ginger and Almond
This treat might remind you of a tarte Tatin, since it's also topped with gorgeously caramelized apples. But the similarities end there. Instead of cake, the base is a buttery yeasted bread with a creamy almond-paste filling tucked inside. Even better, the apples sizzle in caramel before they're arranged in a baking pan that's been sprinkled with crystallized ginger, ensuring gently spiced flavor in every bite.
Apple Cider Aperol Spritz
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Liberty Fennell
Make homemade apple cider to pair with Aperol in this autumnal spritz.
Apple-Rum Spice Cake
A tender chiffon cake pairs well with the light and billowy frosting, seasoned with spicy-fresh ginger juice. Warm spices and a shot of rum add a kick to the apple compote that makes this a centerpiece dessert for the adult table.
Apple Cheddar Rye Pie
Nutty rye flour and sharp cheddar cheese enrich buttery pie crust in this sweet-and-savory twist on classic apple pie. Tapioca starch thickens the filling, while keeping it clear and glossy.
Roasted Merguez Sausage with Apples and Onions
Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples hold their shape well during roasting, and their pleasant sweetness balances the intensely spiced merguez sausage in this 40-minute sheet pan dinner.
Apple Flambé Pie
Apple cider joins forces with fresh and dried apples in this stovetop apple pie filling. The pie is topped with flaming apple brandy just before serving.
Marinated Apple and Cheddar Sandwich
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Wonderfully sweet and punchy apple slices are layered with creamy, rich cheddar and peppery arugula on butter-slathered slices of bread for an extra-flavorful and deeply satisfying fall sandwich.
Apple-Ham Quiche
Thin apple and ham slices are rolled together and set in a tender, herby custard sprinkled with sharp white cheddar. For a quicker weeknight dinner, use a frozen 9-inch deep-dish pie shell, blind-baked according to package instructions.
Babette Friedman's Apple Cake
Le Coucou chef Daniel Rose stirs apples into the batter of this pound cake–like dessert and then tops it with more of the Calvados-spiked fruit. We could eat this cake pretty much each and every day of the fall and be extremely happy, and we think you would be, too.
Apple Cake with Cranberries
For his moist and buttery upside-down cake, Justin Chapple layers apples with cranberries and brown sugar, then tops them with a fantastic sour cream batter. We love this cake because it's super quick (it takes just 20 active minutes) and it's delicious.
Apple-Caramel Sundaes
For an easy dessert, F&W Culinary Director at Large Justin Chapple takes apples, chops them up, and mixes them into a buttery brown sugar caramel that's perfect for an autumnal ice cream sundae.
Anise Pork with Figs and Apples
The sweet licorice flavor of anise or fennel seeds adds depth to this pork dish. For the sauce, look for dried figs that are soft and moist. If they seem dry, soften them in hot water before cutting.
Farro with Vinegar-Glazed Sweet Potato and Apples
This easy weeknight dinner dish practically screams fall. Roasting sweet potatoes and apples with a little sherry vinegar and tossing them with farro, dried cherries, and roasted cashews makes for a hearty cool-weather dish that you'll want to keep making all season long.
Curried Carrot and Apple Soup
Warm yourself on a cool fall day with this bright, velvety soup. It has a wonderful balance of sweetness, spice, and tang. The secret ingredient: gingersnap cookies. Plus, it only takes an hour from start to finish, which makes it perfect for a weeknight.
Beet and Apple Salad
For the salad at his restaurant, chef George Mendes uses fresh horseradish and Gegenbauer cider vinegar, a rare Austrian import. But this home version calls for jarred horseradish and supermarket apple-cider vinegar. It makes for a bright, refreshing salad with an extra punch.
Celery, Fennel, and Apple Salad with Pecorino and Walnuts
"In the winter, I love to have a bright-tasting salad," says designer and blogger Athena Calderone about this side dish. Honeycrisps are her favorite apples, for their sweet-tart flavor and crisp, juicy texture, but you can use the variety you like best.
Butternut Squash with Fennel and Apple
Fennel and apple round out this easy oven-roasted butternut squash dish to create a festive medley of fall flavors. We suggest Gala apples, but any mild, sweet variety will do.
Apple Dumplings
We like pretty much any kind of dumpling, and that definitely includes these apple dumplings. In this dish, apples baked in flaky pastry with cinnamon sugar are irresistible. They're even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. To save preparation time, we use frozen puff pastry sheets.
Apple and Pear Galette with Walnut Streusel
This free-form galette is so much less fussy to make than a traditional apple pie. It has great fall flavor and texture from apples, pears, and the crunchy streusel on top. Using unpeeled apples and pears saves time too, which is an added bonus.
Braised Chicken with Apples and Calvados
Chef Matthew Accarrino uses apples, apple cider, and the apple brandy Calvados to add layers of flavor to his braised chicken. If that wasn't enough apple for you, he uses two Granny Smith apples, too. We love this fall chicken dish that's perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
Gluten-Free Apple-Spice Muffins
Even if you aren't gluten-free, you'll still enjoy these fall muffins. Applesauce is a wonderful "secret ingredient" for gluten-free baked goods. You can use store-bought sauce or make your own by pureeing chopped apples with a little bit of water and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice.
Rustic Apple-Rye Bread
Cracked rye berries soaked in buttermilk, raisins, a dash of cinnamon, and cubes of heirloom apples that release their juices into the crumb while baking all make this loaf extra special. To be successful with this bread, you need to have a healthy sourdough starter. Make sure you're using quality products — splurge on good organic buttermilk and raisins, cinnamon (preferably Sri Lankan), and some fine heirloom apples.
Apple Crostata with Brown Butter Streusel
This free-form apple tart is filled with tart apples, topped with streusel, baked until golden brown, and served with vanilla ice cream and maple syrup.
Stuffed Pork Tenderloins with Bacon and Apple-Riesling Sauce
Chef Debra Whiting mixes fresh goat cheese with apple, sausage, and greens, then stuffs it inside a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin.
Apple Pie à la Mode Ice Cream Sandwiches
Top Chef winner Kristen Kish designed this dessert to honor both of her grandmothers, one known for her apple pie and the other for her snickerdoodles. Kish folds spiced apple pie filling into vanilla ice cream, then forms sandwiches with chewy snickerdoodle cookies.
Apple Bread Pudding
Gail Simmons rescues a failed Top Chef Restaurant Wars recipe by sautéing the apples in brandy and butter, then soaking both the fruit and brioche in lots of vanilla custard before baking.
Pan-Seared Sausages with Apples
At Farm Bloomington, chef Daniel Orr sells a number of Midwestern sausages, including bratwurst from Fiedler Family Farms in Rome, Indiana. But sweet Italian sausages will work in this recipe, too. Be sure to use cooking apples that will hold their shape, like Granny Smiths, Winesaps, or Rome Beauties.
Cumin and Jaggery-Glazed Apple Pie
Of course, we're going to hit you with an apple pie recipe, but not the classic one you might think. Cookbook author and chef Asha Gomez's striking apple pie gets a glossy finish from melted jaggery, a deep amber sugar, and piquant cumin seeds. Save any extra glaze for a last-minute drizzle before serving.
Brussels Sprout Slaw with Ginger Gold Apple
During her tenure at Graft Wine + Cider Bar in the Finger Lakes, chef Christina McKeough used local apples in everything from salads to pie to the tangy mostarda slathered on her smoked Gouda grilled cheese sandwiches. She loves to use a tart-sweet Ginger Gold in this brussels sprout slaw for its crisp texture. We love it, too.
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