This very easy recipe for Stewed Apples is something you will make over and over. Without refined sugar, it is gently sweetened with honey and has added flavour from lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla. This is a classic dish, one that has stood the test of time, and there is a great deal of comfort to be enjoyed from dishes which are familiar. As the apples stew on the stove, your kitchen will fill with a soothing, satisfying spicy aroma.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- It is a perfect dessert when time is short as you can have it on the table in less than a half hour, making it ideal for busy nights. And if there should be some left over, it makes a great addition to your regular breakfast.
- It is made from simple store cupboard ingredients which you may already have on hand.
- This is a flexible recipe; you can adjust the flavours to suit your taste.
- The amounts can easily be increased to make a larger quantity.
- This is a recipe that has stood firm while cooking trends come and go and that is due to its simplicity and popularity.
- In essence, this is apple pie without the crust, so you just need to add a dollop of cream or serve with our No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream.
- It is gluten-free and dairy-free. To make it vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey.
Recipe Inspiration: like my Stewed Pears, these are a childhood favourite recipe – they smell and taste so delicious and you’ll find so many ways to use them.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Apples – I used Pink Lady but you can use Honeycrisp, Fuji, Granny Smith or whatever you have on hand.
- Honey – adds gentle sweetness. If you would prefer the recipe to be vegan, you can use maple syrup instead.
- Lemon juice – adds acidity to balance the flavours and prevents the apples oxidising.
- Water – a small amount of filtered water helps start the cooking.
- Vanilla extract – use good quality vanilla, naturally extracted from the vanilla bean.
- Cinnamon sticks – I prefer to use the sticks, but you can use ground cinnamon if you prefer. Use ½ to 1 teaspoon depending on your love of cinnamon.
Variations:
Spice – feel free to vary the spices to suit your taste. Cloves, ginger, or star anise are all great choices.
Citrus – add some strips of lemon peel for a more pronounced lemon flavour, or like I do in my Baked Pears, use orange juice and some strips of peel.
How To Make Stewed Apples:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Prepare the apples and add to a saucepan:
Peel the apples and cut in half. Use a sharp knife to remove the core from each half. You will also need to trim the woody part on the bottom of the apple.
Cut into chunks, as evenly sized as possible, about 3 cm (1 inch).
2 – Stew until tender:
Add to a non-reactive saucepan with the remaining ingredients and stir. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat and cook for 8 – 10 minutes, gently stirring once, until the apples are tender but still holding their shape. Test by inserting the tip of a sharp knife. If there is not much resistance, they are cooked. If you want a soft puree, cook a few minutes longer.
Hint: the cooking time will depend on the ripeness of the apples.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Yes, you can freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.
A non-reactive pan is one which does not react with the food which is being cooked. Foods which may react are acidic foods, such as citrus. Non-reactive pans are made from glass, ceramic, stainless steel or have an enamel coating.
Top Tip:
To ensure the apples cook evenly, it is recommended that you cut the apple into similar size pieces. And as Stewed Apples are such a versatile product, and you will find many ways to use them, you may care to double the ingredients to have some on hand.
Serving Suggestions:
This is such a versatile dish; you will find many ways to use the Stewed Apple. Some suggestions are:
- Serve it simply, with a dollop of cream or our No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream..
- Add to your morning cereal.
- Swirl some through plain or coconut yoghurt – a sprinkle of cinnamon is a nice touch.
- With our Oat Flour Waffles or Oat Flour Pancakes.; it’s a great breakfast.
- As an accompaniment to our Marmalade Glazed Ham. Lower the honey if you prefer it to be less sweet.
- It is ideal to serve with Roast Pork. Cook the apple a little longer so it forms more of a puree.
I hope that you will enjoy this very simple, versatile recipe for Stewed Apple and find many ways to enjoy it.
Alex xx
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Stewed Apples
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 5 large apples – I use Pink Lady – prepared weight 700 g (1.5 lb), after peeling/coring See Note 1
- 3-4 tablespoon honey – depending on personal taste/tartness of the apples See Note 2
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice See Note 3
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Peel the apples and cut in half.Use a sharp knife to remove the core from each half. You will also need to trim the woody part on the bottom of the apple.Cut into chunks, as evenly sized as possible, about 3 cm/1 inch.
- Add to a non-reactive saucepan with the remaining ingredients and stir. – See Note 3.
- Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat and cook for 8 – 10 minutes, gently stirring once. At this point the apples will be tender but still holding their shape. Test by inserting the tip of a sharp knife. If there is not much resistance, they are cooked.If you want them a little softer or a soft puree, cook a few minutes longer.
Notes
- Apples: I have used Pink Lady Apples. If you prefer, you can use Honeycrisp, Fuji, Granny Smith or a combination of whatever you may have on hand. Different apples will produce a different texture and level of sweetness, so you may need to adjust accordingly.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
- Lemon juice: due to the lemon juice, we recommend using a non-reactive saucepan, that is, one made from stainless steel, glass, ceramic or enamelled cookware. Aluminium, copper and iron pans are reactive. Acidic foods may discolour and take on a metallic taste if cooked in these pans.
- Storage and re-heating: add the cooled apples to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can be gently reheated on the stove or in the microwave.
- Freezing: allow to cool and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Depending on how long they were initially cooked and how ripe the apples were, they may be slightly softer after defrosting.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
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