27 Things You Can Do With Apples (2024)

If you’ve got apples, you’ve got the basic ingredient for dozens of delicious foods, from condiments to desserts. Discover endless possibilities for this versatile fruit with our guide to what to do with lots of apples. Whether you’re caring for yourself or loved ones, learn how to turn your apple harvest into delicious and sustaining meals and desserts.

Things to Do with Apples

Here is what to make with a lot of apples, along with recipe links!

1. Apple butter
2. Pies
3. Home-canned apple pie filling
4. Fruit leather
5. Apple sauce
6. Apple jelly
7. Fried apples
8. Apple pancakes
9. Dehydrated apple slices
10. Apple chutney
11. Baked apples
12. Cheesecake
13. Apple juice
14. Apple pectin
15. Plant apple trees (Learn about planning an edible landscape here.)
16. Apple cider vinegar
17. Apple crisp or Cobbler
18. Apple turnovers
19. Apple cider
20. Apple strudel
21. Plain apple slices, canned
22. Caramel apple jam
23. Apple cake
24. Spiced apple bread
25. Apple fritters
26. Indian Relish

Tips for Cooking with Apples

• Choose the right apple: Different apple varieties have different qualities. For baking, tart apples like Granny Smith hold their shape well. For sauces and desserts, sweeter apples like Honeycrisp are delicious.
• Prevent browning: To keep apple slices from browning, toss them in lemon juice or water before cooking.
• Enhance flavor: Add a pinch of cinnamon to your apple dishes for a classic warm flavor. Other spices like nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom can also be used. Read this post for a list of spices and oils that minimize tastebud fatigue.
• Don’t discard peels: Apple peels are packed with nutrients. For some recipes, you can cook with the peels for extra flavor and nutrition. Just be sure to wash them thoroughly first. Learn the process to make pectin from apple peels here.
• Freeze apple cores: Don’t throw away apple cores! You can freeze them to make apple stock or apple cider vinegar later.
• Use a shortcut. If you feel too lazy to peel, core, and slice those apples, or you just plain don’t want to, take a look at these freeze-dried Granny Smith apple slices. All the work is done for you!

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No-Brainer Apple Crisp

One of my mom’s best dessert recipes, the kind you take to a church potluck, started with a yellow cake mix. All the other ingredients were commonplace and we always had them on hand.

Since then, I also discovered the magical combination of sliced apples and yellow cake mix! No-Brainer Apple Crisp. My kids learned to make this at an early age, and it’s a hit at potlucks, family dinners, and even camping. Bake it in a cast-iron Dutch oven over hot coals and you’ll really learn the meaning of “hot deliciousness”!

For something quick and worthy of serving to family and friends, you really can’t beat this. Admittedly, it’s not much to look at, but if you serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, no one will complain. I promise.

Recipe

You probably have these 5 ingredients in your kitchen right now! This recipe is super easy and very frugal.

Equipment

• 9 x 13 baking dish

Ingredients

• 5-6 Granny Smith apples
• 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
2. Peel, core, and thinly slice 5-6 Granny Smith apples and spread them evenly in the bottom of the baking dish.
3. Pour box of yellow cake mix evenly over the top of the apples. Do not mix.
4. Drizzle 1/3 cup melted butter over the top of the cake mix, and sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon. Do not mix.
5. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until apples are tender but not mushy. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Keep a box of yellow cake mix on hand so you’ll be ready to make this dessert at a moment’s notice! The recipe comes together even more quickly if you have an apple peeler-corer-slicer like this one.

Mom’s Apple Kuchen

My mom got this recipe, circa 1970s, from a church lady. You might know the scenario — a random church lady brings to a potluck the most amazing recipe ever and you simply have. to. have. it! Well, my mom is nothing if not persistent when it comes to tracking down a recipe, so here it is.

Just one more incredibly tasty way to use those fresh apples!

Equipment

• 9×13 inch baking pan
• Dough blender

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
• 2 1/2 cups sliced and pared baking apples (or equivalent amount of freeze-dried apple slices)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 egg yolks or 1 egg

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350˚.
2. Cut butter into dry cake mix until crumbly. If you’ve never done this before, it’s easier with a dough blender like this.
3. Mix in coconut.
4. Pat mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 13×9 inch pan, building up slightly around the edges.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Arrange apple slices on warm crust.
7. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over the apples.
8. Blend together sour cream and eggs.
9. Drizzle sour cream evenly over the apples.
10. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown and apples are soft.

This is good served warm, room-temperature, or cold!

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Content About Using Fruit

• 30 Things to Do with Peaches
• 7 Delicious and Unusual Things to Do with Cherries
• 19 Tasty Things to Do with Freeze-Dried Pineapple
• Using Freeze-Dried Fruit in Everyday Cooking and Food Storage

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Final Thoughts

With so many delicious and practical uses, apples truly are a treasure trove. From sweet treats to hearty meals, and even potential health benefits, this versatile fruit should be a staple in every home. By understanding the various ways to enjoy apples, you can enhance your daily life and build a more resilient pantry.