Made with just three ingredients, these simple Sauteed Apples pair perfectly with oatmeal, pancakes, and yogurt, as well as savory mains like pork and chicken. We also love to make them ahead for snacking on their own!
Sauteed Apples
Whenever we have apples lingering in our fridge, I turn them into these delicious sauteed apples. They are soft, yet not falling apart, and they are pleasantly sweet and cinnamon-y without any added sugar. They’re great on their own and served with all sorts of foods.
And they are much more interesting and special than eating a plain apple after you’ve had your fill a few days in a row! These are easy for toddlers and older babies to chew, so no worries about the risk of choking that comes with raw apples. In fact, these are one of our favorite finger foods for babies.
These apples are cooked in a little butter or other neutral oil, so they are made with minimal ingredients. I’ve made them with both butter and coconut oil, and we love them both ways.
You can serve these warm or cold, according to your preference.
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Ingredients You Need
All you need to make this easy side dish or snack is apples, butter or neutral oil, and cinnamon. They are totally sweet enough without adding any extra sugar!
Which apples are best in this recipe?
You can use any type of apple you have or like, though tart cooking apples (like Granny Smith or Pink Lady) soften nicely without falling apart too quickly. These cooked apples are also a little easier to digest than raw apples, which might be helpful to know if your kiddo (or you) have issues with whole apples.
TIP: Any apple will work in this recipe, but if you use an apple that’s softer fresh (like Gala), they will cook a little faster. Just keep an eye on the timing if you go with an apple that’s not traditionally used for cooking a pie.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the simple process involved in making these easy apples. Scroll down to the full recipe at the bottom of this post for all of the info.
- Warm the butter or oil in a skillet.
- Chop the apples and add to the skillet.
- Stir to coat and cook until soft when poked with a fork.
- Stir in the cinnamon and serve warm. (Or store and serve cold.)
TIP: This recipe scales up and down well, so simply adjust the amount of ingredients as needed.
How long do these last in the fridge?
If stored in an airtight container, you can keep these apples in the fridge for 3-5 days. Serve them slightly warmed or cold, depending on your preference.
What are these Sauteed Apples good with?
For sweet options, try these over plain yogurt, oatmeal, or as a topping for pancakes. For savory, they’re a nice dinner side with chicken, roasted pork, or other roasted meats. They also work well as a simple snack with crackers and cheese or even just a cup of milk.
Best Tips for Success
- Use butter or coconut oil, according to your preference.
- Use any type of apple you prefer, though harder cooking apples work well here.
- If you use apples that are softer when eaten fresh (like Gala), they may cook a little faster.
- Double the recipe, if desired.
- Serve warm or cold, plain or over yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, chicken, pork, or another favorite meal.
- Portion out into snack containers to have grab-and-go snack options ready and waiting in the fridge.
- You may also like Sliced Baked Apples, Stewed Peaches, Favorite Early Finger Foods, and Apple Puree.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear if you make this recipe, so please leave a comment below with your feedback!
Simple Sauteed Apples with Cinnamon
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (or coconut oil)
- 2-3 medium apples (cored and chopped; about 2 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Warm the butter or oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- When melted, add the apples. Stir to coat and cook for 10 minutes or until soft when poked with a fork.
- Stir in the cinnamon and serve warm.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve cold or warmed slightly.
- Use butter or coconut oil, according to your preference.
- Use any type of apple you prefer, though harder cooking apples work well here.
- If you use apples that are softer when eaten fresh (like Gala), they may cook a little faster.
- Double the recipe if desired to make more.
- Serve warm or cold, plain or over yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, chicken, pork, or another favorite meal.
- Portion out into snack containers to have grab-and-go snack options ready and waiting in the fridge.
Nutrition
This post was first published May 2020.
Have you ever frozen them to use for later? How does the consistency compare to your boiled apple recipe. Will they be as soft? Thanks!
Hi- These are a little firmer than the stewed apples, but you can simply cook them a little more to make them very soft. And they freeze really well!
Hi Amy,
Just wondering if it’s okay to peel the skin off the apples prior to chopping + cooking. Thinking of having these with your oat pancakes for Saturday morning and if we have left over sautéed apples, I will make some warm custard Saturday night to pour over the apples (which I’ll warm up too) for dessert before our weekly Family Games Board Night. I have two family members who prefer the skin off, three who are happy either way. By the way, we tried your banana and oat pancakes – delicious. A recipe that will be on rotation for sure, especially as we made the candied bananas to add to it with maple syrup of course. Husband insisted on adding ice cream to his the minute the kids raced outside to play hide n seek
ThankYou. 🇦🇺
Hi- yes, you can peel them if you prefer, it works either way. And I’m glad to hear that about the pancakes!
Made these with a mix of granny Smith and cosmic crisp. Great for BLW.
Easy and delicious. My son gobbled these up and so did we.
Hello,
I’m Jackson, I’m a chef who loves food, I’m always interested in new foods. Sauteed Apples is great! I just finished them tonight, taste is great and i had a great dinner with my little family. Thanks for your sharing.
Sincerely grateful!
it’s so great, it’s hard to describe it in a few words, it’s great! This dish used in winter is really good for health, both adults and children can use it
This is great! It seems so obvious but of course I’ve never thought to do that before. I’m part of a winter fruit CSA which is just apples right now. This will be perfect for us!
Oh awesome, I bet that’s a lot of apples!
Love this recipe, it is easy and so tasty!!! I just finished it last night and the result was unexpected, my wife and daughter both liked it, which made me happy. Thanks for your recipe
This is amazing and delicious recipe of cocktail to make it at home. I really like it. SO easy and quick way to cook, thank you for sharing this wonderful article.
Wow, this is really looking so delicious and tasty apples sautéed recipe. SO simple and easy to make it at home. I will surely try this. Thank you for sharing this article.
Just 15 minutes for a wonderful snack, not bad at all. Thank you for a quick recipe.
Btw, love your nutrition Information format, easy to understand.
I’m so glad!
Taught my g-daughter this recipe to teach her how to read a recipe and cook it. Came out delicious.
Thanks, Amy!
So fun!
Looks great! The recipe is quite simple and easy to prepare, added to the menu for this weekend. hope to enjoy the best Sauteed Apples with my family. Thanks and have a nice day!
I’m so glad to hear that!
This is awesome recipe.Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Fantastic recipe! Super easy to make and very delicious. It was hard to share with my toddler. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad! (I find it hard to share these too!)
This sound so good! At what age do you think it’s ok to leave the skin on for babies?
If you dice them into smaller pieces (a little bigger than a pea or just chop them smaller after cooking with kitchen shears) and cook until soft, they should be fine with or without skin from 9/10 months on.
Great – thanks Amy! My twins are 14 months and for some reason I keep peeling the skins. Will try leaving them on.
Veey helpful specialy for those first time moms. it can also help for your baby
Once you make these and put them in the fridge, do the apples harden back up or do they stay soft?
They do firm up a little, but not as hard as when uncooked. You can warm them a bit or let them sit at room temperature to serve again.
So simple and SO delicious! Tastes like the inside of an apple pie – everyone in our house loved this.
My 14 month old goggled them up! I sent the recipe to my other mom friends. And will definitely make again! So perfect for after apple picking! Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear this and so happy that she liked them!
Hi Amy, I found your recipe is sugar free as I am a health conscious I took it with oat meals. And yes its change the taste as well it was just WOW. Thank you.
This looks absolutely delicious! The apples have been so wonderful lately.
I have some Granny Smith that are too tart to eat raw ? so this is perfect!