Southern fried apples are a delicious comfort food recipe with tart apples cooked with butter, brown sugar, and warm spices. Fried apples can be served as a comforting southern side dish, southern dessert, or delicious topping, and taste phenomenal with vanilla ice cream!
Table of Contents
These southern fried apples taste like home and are a comforting addition to any meal. Fried apples are a delicious topping for southern buttermilk biscuits and taste phenomenal with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
For more tasty apple recipes, check out our Homemade Apple Jam and Homemade Hot Apple Cider recipes next!
Why These Are the Best Fried Apples
- Super easy to make. Simply slice your apples, combine them with the remaining ingredients in a skillet, and cook until tender. It doesn't get any easier!
- Versatile recipe. Southern fried apples can be served as a dessert, side dish, or topping, making this an extremely versatile dish.
- Perfect texture and flavor. The apples are cooked until crisp-tender so they hold their shape. Brown sugar, maple syrup, warm spices, and vanilla give these apples a mouthwatering flavor!
Important Ingredient Notes
A complete list of ingredients, measurements, and detailed printable recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.
- Apples. I love Granny Smith apples for this recipe because of their tart flavor and crisp texture. See how we use Honeycrisp apples in our apple brown sugar syrup recipe!
- Butter. I use unsalted butter for all my recipes but feel free to use salted butter. Just eliminate any additional salt if using salted butter.
- Maple syrup. This ingredient is completely optional but I love the rich flavor maple syrup adds. See how I use it in my maple pecan blondies. Be sure to use pure maple syrup and not maple-flavored syrup.
- Spices. Warm, fall spices add earthiness, spice, and depth to these fried apples. Feel free to substitute your favorite fall spices. I use many of the same spices in my chewy spiced molasses cookies!
- Vanilla extract. Be sure to use good quality, pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Do not use imitation vanilla flavoring.
How To Make This Recipe
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron or heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add all remaining ingredients except for the apples and stir to combine.
- Add the sliced apples and cook, covered, for 7-10 minutes until tender. Stir in the vanilla and remove the pan from the heat.
- Allow the apples to cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!
PRO TIP: Do not overcook the apples or they will lose structure and become mushy!
Variations and Substitutions
- Substitute some or all of the Granny Smith apples for a different variety of crisp apples such as Honeycrisp, SweeTango, or Pink Lady.
- Substitute your favorite fall spices such as cardamom, allspice, or apple pie spice. See how I use cardamom to flavor my cardamom butter cookies.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of molasses for a more rich, caramel-like flavor.
Recipe FAQs
Crisp apples such as Honeycrisp, Cosmic Crisp, and Pink Lady work great for fried apples because they hold their structure better when cooked. Granny Smith apples are my personal favorite because of their tart flavor.
I recommend using a medium cast-iron skillet for fried apples to ensure your apples cook evenly. A heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet also works well for fried apples.
I do not recommend freezing fried apples as they can become very mushy when thawed and reheated.
What To Serve with Fried Apples
Fried apples make an excellent addition to breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Southern fried apples are also a tasty dessert topping for cakes and baked goods or can be served on their own with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Try serving fried apples with some of these tasty dishes:
- Fluffy Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Southern Salmon Croquettes
- Southern Smothered Chicken
- Maple Glazed Salmon
- Brown Sugar Glazed Chicken
- Apple Cider Donut Cake
- New Orleans Beignets
- The Best Bread Pudding
Storing Instructions
Leftover fried apples can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
More Southern Desserts You Will Love!
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📖 Recipe
Southern Fried Apples
Ingredients
- 6 Grany Smith apples - peeled, cored, and sliced
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar - or dark brown or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons growund cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron or medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cloves, and ginger and stir to combine the ingredients.
- Add the sliced apples and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the apples are crisp-tender. Stir in the vanilla extract and remove the pan from the heat.
- Allow the apples to cool for abut 5 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
- Substitute some or all of the Granny Smith apples for a different variety of crisp apples such as Honeycrisp, SweeTango, or Pink Lady.
- Cut the apples into even-sized slices so they cook evenly.
- Be careful not to overcook the apples as they can lose structure and become mushy.
- Leftover fried apples can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
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