Straightforward Sautéed Cinnamon Apples at Home

These Unfussy Sautéed Cinnamon Apples taste only like apple pie without the crust! This dish is made in one pan, with simple ingredients in less than 15 minutes. They’re perfectly sweet and so full of flavor! Enjoy them over oatmeal or pancakes for breakfast or with ice cream for dessert.

Why you’ll love this cinnamon apples recipe

These irresistible sautéed apples have been my go to for breakfast lately! I like eating them with a bowl of oatmeal or on top of waffles or pancakes. I’ve made a version of this sautéed apples recipe for a few years now but I would only be aimlessly throwing cinnamon and nutmeg and brown sugar in a pot with apple slices and hoping for the dependable. More often than I care to admit, the apples ended up either way too sweet or not sweet enough. This straightforward recipe entirely fixes that!

Reasons you’ll love this dish

• Major deliciousness: These are essentially apple pie without the crust. Combine them with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and it’s a match made in heaven!
• Better-for-you dessert: This sautéed apples recipe is gluten free, dairy free and vegan! If you want to make it without refined sugar, use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar.
• They’re especially versatile: There are so many ways to use these warmly spiced apple slices! Whether enjoyed straight out of the pan, mixed in yogurt or served over French toast, they’re always a treat!
• Great for meal prep: I like to make a big batch of these and keep them in the fridge for snacks and breakfast toppers throughout the week. I’m not much of a meal prep-er but these apples are an exception to the rule!

I wanted this dish to be short and unfussy, and also a reasonable portion size so that you’re not left with a ton of leftover apples. It’s similar to our Vegan Apple Crisp recipe which A REGULAR HERE! If you DO want extras for later (the apples reheat quite well) then you can easily double or triple the recipe. As written, the recipe makes the dependable amount for topping 2 large bowls of oatmeal.

Ingredients you’ll need

The ingredients for this stovetop cinnamon apples recipe are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the basics needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!

• Butter or coconut oil: For cooking the apples. Use vegan butter for a full vegan recipe!
• Fresh Apples: I like sweet apples that holds its shape well, like Honeycrisp apples or pink lady apples, but any variety works great in this dish!
• Brown sugar: Makes the apples get deliciously caramelized and only sweet enough.
• Spices: Both ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg add fireside, warm flavor.
• Cornstarch: A mix cornstarch and water creates a slurry that thickens the saucy apples.

Substitutions and variations

• Apples: Use tart apples, such as Granny Smith apples, for more of a tart flavor.
• Sugar alternative: To make these refined sugar free, replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar or even monk fruit sweetener. you could also try using maple syrup or honey although I haven’t tested that yet.
• Extra add-ins: Feel free to stir in some raisins, dried or fresh cranberries or chopped pecans or walnuts for some extra texture and flavor.

How to make sautéed apples

While I generally love only about any recipe made with apples, these straightforward sautéed apple recipe have been an obsession recently. They’re insanely simple to make, you only need a handful of ingredients and they are only SO savory. Here’s the simple process:

Frequently asked questions

Storage recommendations

Place cooled leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. When you are ready to eat them, you can enjoy them cold (straight out of the refrigerator) or warm them up in the microwave or on the stove.

I don’t recommend freezing the apples, as they may become a little mushy when thawing.

More apple recipes

• Apple Baked Oatmeal
• Apple Pie Crescent Rolls
• Dutch Apple Pie
• Straightforward Apple Tart