Our Top Healthy Recipes for Apples

August 27, 2019
From apple pie recipes to apple sauce recipes, our best apple recipes celebrate the sweet flavors of the season.Watch Video
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All-American Apple Pies

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Mini apple pies are baked in hollowed out apple shells, topped with pie crust lattice, and baked until golden brown and filling is bubbly.

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Fried Apple Pie Rolls

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In this healthy take on apple pie, wonton wrappers stand in for pie crust, saving you calories and the headache of rolling out dough. We like to use Granny Smith apples because they hold their shape and provide tart balance to the sweet filling. Try dipping these handheld crispy treats in whipped cream.

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Apple Puffed Oven Pancake

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Apple pie spice is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves or ginger. If you don't have any on hand, you can substitute cinnamon and a dash of cloves in the recipe.

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Roasted Squash & Apples with Dried Cherries & Pepitas

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For this easy roasted side dish recipe, pick apples that hold their shape when cooked--Pink Lady, Braeburn and Winesap are good choices. If you can't find acorn squash, substitute butternut instead.

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Country Apple Tart

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The pastry for this rustic tart features gets nutty taste from fiber-rich oat flour and flaxseed meal. Pecans top it off.

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Apple-Cherry Strudel with Cider Whipped Cream

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Strudel may look fussy and complicated, but the multiple layers of phyllo actually make this dessert very forgiving and earn you baking-genius points. Plus, this recipe makes three strudel, so you can eat one now and freeze the other two for a quick, impressive dessert.

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Slow-Cooker Chai Apple Butter

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Seasoned with spices inspired by chai tea, this slow-cooker apple butter can be slathered on your favorite toast, served with a fall cheese plate or stirred into yogurt.

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Skillet Chicken with Cranberries & Apples

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Celebrate the flavors of fall with chicken cooked in a fast apple-cranberry sauce. If you prefer a less tart flavor, try dried cranberries instead of fresh. Serve with quick-cooking wild rice and roasted Brussels sprouts.

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Amazing Apple Tart

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Juicy baked apples, a tender biscuitlike crust, and a sweet and spicy sauce add up to this diabetic-friendly dessert. That is truly amazing!

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Roasted Pumpkin-Apple Soup

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Apples add just a hint of sweetness to this velvety pumpkin soup. Try it as a delightful first course for a special meal.

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Mom's Apple Squares

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Traditional recipes for apple squares often use plenty of trans fat–laden shortening in the crust. We replaced it with a mixture of canola oil and butter and swapped out half the all-purpose flour for whole-wheat pastry flour for a little fiber. They are best enjoyed slightly warm. Gently reheat any leftovers in the oven or toaster oven to recrisp the crust.

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Maple-Cinnamon Applesauce

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Turn fresh fall apples into delicious maple-and-cinnamon-spiked homemade applesauce with this easy recipe.

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Apple-&-Leek-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

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Stuff pork tenderloin with apple and leek to take it from ordinary to elegant. Our easy method of tying the roast together keeps the filling inside while you brown and roast it. We use applejack, brandy made from apple cider, for depth of flavor in the pan sauce, but you can use 1/2 cup cider if you prefer.

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Apple Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Marshmallow Frosting

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Shredded apple replaces some of the oil and keeps the cake moist in these cinnamon-spiked cupcakes. There is a generous amount of fluffy marshmallow frosting to mound or pipe on top for a festive look. Be sure to frost them right after you make the frosting--it stiffens as it stands and becomes more difficult to spread.

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Apple-Bacon Pancakes with Cider Syrup

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If you like apple pancakes and you like bacon, you'll love the taste of these sweet, smoky pancakes. Any kind of apple works well. A quick cider syrup drizzled on top enhances the apple flavor.

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Spiralized Apple Crisp

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Use a spiralizer to skip the peeling and slicing in this easy apple crisp recipe. Plus the noodly texture of this gluten-free fruit dessert is a fun adaptation of traditional versions.

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Apple-Cinnamon Fruit Bars

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These easy apple-cinnamon fruit bars make a big batch--perfect for fall potlucks and parties.

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Pear, Apple & Cranberry Tarte Tatin

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This ultimate fall and winter tart showcases the best fruits of the season: pears, apples and cranberries. Unlike other tarts, the tarte tatin is made upside down in a skillet. You start by cooking the fruit, then top it with the dough, carefully tuck in the edges and let it cook. When it's ready you invert the whole tart onto a plate. It comes out looking beautiful and is actually much easier than you might imagine.

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Apple Mini Fruit Pizzas

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Round apple slices make a sweet, crisp, no-bake crust for these easy fruit pizzas topped with almond butter, chocolate chips and crunchy pistachios. This fun snack or healthy dessert cuts carbs from a classic cookie-crust fruit pizza.

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Miso Apple Bars

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Miso is not just for soup! This fermented bean paste's rich umami flavor balances the sweetness in this apple dessert recipe. More ways to use miso: whisk into a dressing or stir into sautéed vegetables with a bit of butter too.

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Deep-Dish Apple Pie

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With all that delicious fruit an apple pie should be healthy, but the truth is a slice can have as much as 750 calories and 30 grams of fat. For the most part, the culprit is the crust. We use whole-wheat pastry flour to add fiber and lower the saturated fat by replacing some of the butter with canola oil. The brown sugar-sweetened filling in this pie is made with two kinds of apples for the perfect balance. A slice has half the calories of a typical version and only 10 grams of fat--sweet!

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Pumpkin-Apple Smoothie

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This tasty fall blender breakfast gets protein from almond milk and Greek yogurt.

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Oatmeal-Nut Crunch Apple Pie

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This decadent pie is loaded with juicy apples and adorned with a streusel-lover's crunchy topping. The pie is best served the day it's made. If you're short on time, look for a ready-made whole-wheat pie crust in the freezer section of the store.

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Apple Spice Muffins

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Think of crème fraîche as sour cream's richer, thicker, less-sour sibling. In this healthy muffin recipe, it's the secret ingredient that gives these muffins a light texture and rich flavor. The batter is made with extra spices and tons of sweet fruit, which means you won't notice the minimal amount of white sugar.

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Apple Oatmeal

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In this healthy oatmeal recipe, cook apples into your morning oatmeal and you'll start the day right with whole grains and a serving of fruit.

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Apple & Fennel Salad with Blue Cheese

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Apples and blue cheese are a heavenly match in this fennel and apple salad recipe dressed with a tangy cider-vinegar dressing.

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Maple-Bacon Roasted Apples & Celeriac

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Roasted apples and celery root (celeriac) with a maple-bacon glaze make a perfect fall side dish. If you can't find pure maple syrup, use an equal amount of brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon of water in Step 3.

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Spiced Apple Bread Pudding

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This silky apple dessert recipe--a spiced apple bread pudding made with apple cider in place of the usual custard--gets a double hit of apple flavor from both the cider and plenty of sliced tart apples. Mace, the lacy red spice that coats the nutmeg fruit, adds a particularly lovely floral note, but you can substitute nutmeg if you don't have any mace on hand.

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Apple Bavarian Torte

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In this gorgeous apple torte dessert recipe, whole-wheat flour and almonds make a cookie-like crust that is topped with a lighter cream cheese filling and cinnamon-sugar apples.

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Apple & Grilled Chicken Salad with Cheddar Toasts

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This hearty grilled chicken salad recipe highlights the classic combination of sharp Cheddar and sweet crunchy apples. For a fabulous starter anytime you entertain, simply skip the chicken.

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork with Roasted Apples & Fennel

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Inspired by the Italian roast called porchetta, this herb-slathered pork roast is wrapped in prosciutto. Completely company-worthy, this healthy dinner can be rounded out with garlicky broccolini, smashed potatoes and a dry hard cider.

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Ginger Baked Apples with Oats & Pecans

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Think of these baked apples as individual apple crisps. Use apples that get nice and soft when they're cooked. Try serving it with a splash of dark rum and a dollop of fat-free Greek-style yogurt.

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Incredible Apple Tart

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Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Winesap, and York Imperial are all great choices for the apples in this party-special tart.

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Ham, Gruyère & Apple Galettes

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Prepared pie crusts make assembling these free-form tarts quick and fast. Feel free to swap in your favorite jam, meat or cheese. Serve with a simple green salad for an easy brunch or light dinner.

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No-Oat Apple Crisp

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This simple oatless apple crisp gets its sweet topping from white whole-wheat flour, dark brown sugar and butter. Any sweet, firm apple will work. Experiment and mix and match to find your favorite fruit combo.

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