54 Ways to Eat Apples for Every Meal, from Salad to Pie
Fall is imminent, which means all our thoughts have turned to squash, pears, Brussels sprouts, and, of course, apples. These 54 recipes for crumbles and cobblers, crisp salads, and all kinds of pies will satisfy your apple-a-day quota for the rest of the season.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriot1/54BA’s Best Apple Pie
Reducing the liquid in this mile-high apple pie recipe to a syrupy consistency concentrates the flavor and yields the ideal juicy sauciness.
- Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Anna Stockwell2/54
Coconut-Apple-Ginger Dal
This velvety lentil soup is the antidote to holiday excess; skip the yogurt to make it vegan.
- Photo by Alex Lau3/54
Apple Butter
Step 1: Make a jar of apple butter. Step 2: Slather the spread on everything all autumn long.
- Christopher Testani4/54
Crown Roast of Pork with Lady Apples and Shallots
Once you’ve got the two racks tied together (and the lady apples halved), making this crown pork recipe is as simple as any other roast.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich5/54
Apple-Walnut Upside-Down Cake
Tender, nutty, and studded with caramel-glazed apple halves, Claire Saffitz’s apple cake is the best apple cake. (There, we said it.)
- Chris Court6/54
Brown Butter Apple Tart
How to improve on a basic apple tart recipe? Add brown butter, of course.
- Alex Lau7/54
Apple-Rhubarb Crumble
This simple process works for practically any fruit; gauge how much sugar to use based on the fruit’s sweetness, and try cardamom or ginger in place of cinnamon.
- Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova8/54
Baked Oatmeal with Warm Cranberry-Apple Sauce
This baked oatmeal is the make-ahead breakfast your holiday plans need.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens9/54
Apple-Cheddar Pie
A slice of apple pie with a slab of sharp cheddar on it is one of life’s great gastronomical treasures.
- Alex Lau10/54
Easiest Caramel Apple Clafoutis
This easy, one-skillet apple dessert goes out to all the baking-phobes out there, because making something sweet shouldn't require all the bowls and measuring cups in your kitchen plus an advanced degree in chemistry. Pink Ladies and Granny Smiths are our go-to baking apples, but you can choose any kind you like as long as it has a firm texture and a good bit of acidity.
- Alex Lau11/54
Apple Caramels
If you don’t have any (or don’t like) hazelnuts, try this autumnal treat with coconut flakes, pecans, walnuts, or peanuts—or simply leave them out.
- Photo by Laura Murray. Food Styling by Judy Mancini.12/54
Celery, Apple, and Peanut Salad
You can mix and match the types of apples with whatever you have on hand. Doing so brings out a more complex flavor as well as a more colorful salad.
- Alex Lau13/54
Hard Cider Spritz
Instead of lemon juice, you can use fresh grapefruit or orange juice; bourbon is a great sub for rye.
- Christopher Testani14/54
Apple-Almond Turnover
This apple turnover recipe calls for almond paste, which some brands sell in a tube; other brands will be in a can in the baking aisle.
- Alex Lau15/54
Chicory-Apple Salad with Brown Butter Dressing
Even if you’re not a huge fan of bitter greens, don’t substitute regular lettuce here; the slightly sweet dressing will taste cloying without some sharp contrast.
- Christopher Testani16/54
D.I.Y. Apple Mille-Feuille
Sandwiching the puff pastry between two baking sheets ensures that the pastry rises perfectly even.
- William Hereford17/54
Dale Talde's Mickey D's–Style Fried Apple Pies
With some store-bought roti paratha and a pot of hot oil, Talde re-creates McDonald's classic deep-fried apple pie.
- Alex Lau18/54
Savory Porridge with Pickled Radicchio and Roasted Apples
Yes, savory porridge is a thing. And if you bolster this creamy bowl of grains with lots of surprising toppings, it’ll also be a thing you crave for any meal of the day.
- Christopher Testani19/54
Flatbread with Castelfranco, Burrata, Apples, and Olives
Salad, meet pizza. Pizza, salad. The key here is to get the crust as thin as possible when stretching it out.
- Lennart Weibull20/54
Apple and Peach Compote
When apple season hits but peaches still linger at the market, it's time for a standout condiment to round out a main course or dessert.
- Alex Lau21/54
Apple–Brown Sugar Pie
Chilling the filled pie before baking helps it keep its shape; preroasting the apples packs in more flavor.
- 22/54
Spiced Bundt Cake with Apple Caramel Sauce
Adding cream of tartar to the caramel prevents the sugar from crystallizing. Drizzle the sauce over the cake; save the rest for passing alongside.
- Alex Lau23/54
Apple-Fennel Chicken Salad
You know what most chicken salads are missing? Crunch. Not this one!
- Alex Lau24/54
Baked Vanilla-Bourbon Applesauce
Delicious on its own or stirred into oatmeal or yogurt; also great as a side for pork chops and potato pancakes.
- Alex Lau25/54
Apple Raspberry Crumb Bars
Two different types of apples give you a mix of textures and an ideal sweet-tart filling. If you’re looking to streamline, use one or the other (Pink Ladies are less sour).
- Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott26/54
Vanilla Bean Tarte Tatin
Don’t wait too long before inverting this vanilla bean tarte tatin recipe; the caramel will stick if it gets cold. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.
- Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott27/54
Salted-Butter Apple Galette with Maple Whipped Cream
This laid-back apple galette got a standing ovation during tastings, thanks to its crisp crust and the ideal sweet-salty balance. Learn how to make it in this video.
- Peden + Munk28/54
Crunchy Turnip, Apple, and Brussels Sprout Slaw
This slaw reimagines brussels sprouts as an adorable mini salad green. Core them with a paring knife and the leaves will pop right off.
- Ditte Isager29/54
Crispy Apple-Oat Fritters
If the batter thickens as it sits, thin with more club soda.
- Mikkel Vang30/54
Apple Pie with Spiced Apple-Caramel Sauce
A little cider vinegar in the filling keeps this apple pie from being too sweet. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.
- Hirsheimer & Hamilton31/54
Kohlrabi and Apple Salad with Caraway
If you’ve never bought kohlrabi before, here’s a great reason to try it.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova32/54
Suspiciously Cheesy Apple Crumb Bars
Incorporating Cheez-Its into the dough results in a toasty, buttery flavor that your friends will be able to identify as deliciousness, but not necessarily as cheesiness. (Trust us, we did a blind taste-test!)
- 33/54
Apple Salad with Walnuts and Lime
An invigorating hit of citrus brings together crisp apples, toasty bread and nuts, and sharp cheese, making this one of our favorite recipes this year.
- 35/54
Scallops with Apple Pan Sauce
Granny Smith apples are ideal for this dish: Their sweet-tart juice complements the rich scallops, and they keep their shape when cooked.
- 36/54
Pork Shoulder Braised with Apples
Some varieties of apples fall apart while cooking; here you want the apples to hold their shape. Pink Lady and Honeycrisp are good choices and are widely available. Serve with cheesy grits.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig38/54
Buttery German Apple Cake
This gorgeous cake uses a surprisingly simple method to slice the apples just so.
- Anders Overgaard39/54
Cabbage and Apple Salad
It’s amazing how many fatty foods you can eat when you alternate with bites of this crunchy and cleansing slaw.
- Alex Lau40/54
Apple Dutch Baby
Summon your family to the table while this dutch baby bakes; it will be fabulously puffed when it comes out, and you’ll enjoy hearing the oohs and aahs before it deflates.
- Christopher Testani41/54
Radicchio and Apple Salad with Parmesan Crisps
Chef Naomi Pomeroy prefers to serve salad at the end of the meal; with this one, you get a bit of a cheese course at the same time.
- 42/54
Gâteau Breton aux Pommes
In this gâteau breton aux pommes, or apple cake, apples are caramelized before being baked in buttery batter. Why stop there? Salted caramel sauce lets guests indulge even further.
- 43/54
Apple, Goat Cheese, and Honey Tartlets
These tartlets are especially tasty when you use a dark honey, such as forest honey, which is available at specialty foods stores.
- 44/54
Apple Pandowdy
This puff pastry apple dessert will be your new favorite fruit dessert. Cobbler, you’ve been warned.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens45/54
Naked Apple Tart
This unadorned tart has a mix of textures and a deeply browned, crisp crust.
- Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski46/54
Glazed and Flaky Apple Tart
If you're the type who prefers fruit desserts that go heavy on the fruit, this flaky, crunchy, juicy apple tart's for you.
- Alex Lau47/54
BA’s Best Apple Cider Doughnuts
These sugared doughnuts are craggy and crunchy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. Apple butter (not sauce!) is key to their texture and flavor; look for it alongside jams and jellies in the supermarket, or at farmers’ markets, or make your own.
- Photo by Marcus Nilsson48/54
Spiced Roast Pork With Fennel and Apple Salad
Pork shoulder gets the Goa spice treatment, with star anise, fennel seeds, coriander, cumin, cloves, and more, courtesy of chef Vivek Surti of Tailor in Nashville.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards49/54
Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie
This easy pie is the perfect marriage of apple crumble and apple pie, because you shouldn’t have to choose.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Yekaterina Boystova, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime50/54
Applejack Sour
This is exactly what we want to drink when fall rolls around—an apple brandy cocktail with citrus, maple, and baking spice notes.
- Alex Lau51/54
Classic Applesauce
Cooking the apples with their skins on adds a beautiful rosy blush to the finished sauce.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Dana Bonagura52/54
Cheesy Apple-Pepper Scones
These salty-sweet scones are spiked with a bright spicy note of black pepper and are as delicious alongside a baked ham or roast beef as they are with a platter of scrambled eggs.
- Gentl & Hyers54/54
Apple Gingerbread Cake With Cream
You can use the same weight in regular apples for this gingerbread cake recipe, but don’t the little lady apples just look so awesome?!
