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Sautéed Cinnamon Apples (Video)

Last updated on . Originally published 33 Comments

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These Stovetop Sautéed Cinnamon Apples taste like a warm apple pie, but they come together in 5 minutes and are SO much healthier! This recipe makes a perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert and is gluten, dairy and refined sugar free!

up close front view of sautéed cinnamon apples in a white bowl

I can describe my favorite thing about fall in two simple words… Apple. Season!  If you find yourself with an abundance of delicious fall apples, you need to make these Sautéed Cinnamon Apples! Not only are they super easy to whip up, but they’re healthy and delicious!

These sautéed cinnamon apples are like eating a warm apple pie (or apple crumble pie), but without the crust! They take 5 minutes to prepare and can be used in a variety of ways!

Serve these Cinnamon Apples as a topping over pancakes, scoop them onto some vanilla ice cream or just eat them with a spoon for a healthy sweet treat! They fit just about every dietary need! They are gluten-free, refined-sugar free and can be made dairy-free too! 

One of the reasons I created this healthy cinnamon apples recipe is so that my sweet babies could enjoy eating apples too!  These soft, cinnamony, bite-sized apples are perfect for adults and kids of all ages!  {Note: when I serve these apples to my babies I do peel them first}!

overhead view of sautéed cinnamon apples in a black nonstick fry pan

Sautéed Cinnamon Apples: Ingredients & Substitutions.  

 Let’s start by chatting about the ingredients in these cinnamon apples! This recipe uses coconut oil or butter, cinnamon, a dash of salt, vanilla and a touch of maple syrup to create the tastiest little bits of apple bliss you’ve ever eaten!  Here are a few possible substitutes that could be made in this recipe.

  • Apple Variety. I recommend honey crisp or pink lady apples, but any variety works beautifully in this recipe! Here are some suggestions: 
    • Gala
    • Jonagold
    • Golden delicious
    • Honey Crisp
    • Pink Lady (pictured in this post)
    • Granny Smith
    • Jazz 
  • Coconut oil. Butter or ghee can be used in place of coconut oil with delicious results! As you can see, I used butter in the photos and coconut oil in the video. Both taste amazing, just choose your favorite that complies with your dietary needs. 
  • Maple syrup. Honey is a great substitution, although I love the flavor of maple syrup in this recipe! You can also use granulated sugar, brown sugar, etc. 

overhead view of the ingredients in this cinnamon apples recipe

How do you make Cinnamon Apples? 

Now let’s walk through how to make these sautéed apples step-by-step! They’re super easy but I like to make sure you know exactly how it’s done to ensure your culinary success!

Cook apples in water

Start making these cinnamon apples by placing diced apples into a non-stick fry pan and add water. Cover and cook until the apples are slightly soft. 

overhead view of a hand pouring water into diced apples in a nonstick fry pan

Add the rest of the ingredients

Add the maple syrup, vanilla, salt and cinnamon and stir until everything is evenly distributed. Cover and cook again, stirring occasionally. 

Overhead view of adding cinnamon to sautéed cinnamon apples in a black fry pan

Cook 

Once the apples are soft, remove the lid and cook uncovered until all the ingredients caramelize onto the apples and they brown slightly. 

Overhead view of sautéed cinnamon apples in a non-stick fry pan

Serve!

Transfer to a dish and serve the cinnamon apples warm! We like to serve them as a side dish, but they can also be used as a topping to your favorite breakfast foods! Here are some serving suggestions: 

Overhead view of sautéed cinnamon apples in a white bowl

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5 from 6 votes

Sautéed Cinnamon Apples

These Stovetop Cinnamon Sautéed Apples taste like a warm apple pie, but they come together in a fraction of the time and are SO much healthier! This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free, vegan AND paleo! Perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert! 
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword cinnamon apples, healthy sauteed apples, paleo cinnamon apples, sauteed apples, sauteed cinnamon apples recipe, stovetop cinnamon apples
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 3 cups of apples (4 servings)
Calories 95.8kcal
Author Laura

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Cut apples into same-sized pieces (about ½-1” cubes).
  • Put apples pieces into a skillet with 2 TBS water. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples become slightly soft and water is absorbed.
  • Add 1 TBS of coconut oil to the skillet. Stir apples and oil together until all the apples are coated. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the apples become soft (you may need to cover them for the last 2 minutes).
  • Add Maple syrup, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Stir until well mixed.
  • Cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring every minute until the apples reach your desired softness!
  • Remove from heat and serve!

Video

Notes

  • You can choose whether or not you peel your apples (if I'm feeding them to a baby without teeth I always peel them)!
Ingredient Substitutions 
  • Butter can be substituted for coconut oil.
  • Any sweetener you'd like can be substituted for the maple syrup. I have used honey and granulated sugar with excellent results.

Nutrition

Calories: 95.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.6g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 3.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 112.7mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 12.8g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 7.5mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Overhead view of a cast iron skillet full of Stovetop Cinnamon Sautéed Apples

One of the things I miss the most about fall in Illinois is going apple picking. We have yet to find a great orchard relatively close to us in Utah…and it totally bums me out! However we do have some amazing farmer’s markets…so I can still buy farm-fresh apples – just without the fun experience of picking them ourselves. I especially love honey crisps, and I am SO not ready for their season to be drawing to an end!

If you love apple recipes then check out this Paleo Apple Cake too! YUM!

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine! 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. CRYSTAL

    5 stars
    So quick and easy to make, they were delicious atop my pancakes and found myself craving more as a snack! Definitely look forward to making again, thank you!

    Reply

  4. Sophia

    5 stars
    I’m on a strict elimination diet and just made these as a treat, and they are so good! I can’t use honey or maple syrup, so I made some date paste and used that instead. It worked perfectly! Thanks for the recipe <3

    Reply

  5. Michele

    5 stars
    I found this recipe while looking for a dish for our Fellowship Meal at church. I have some apples and was thinking about making a pie or crisp or something so I did a search. Didn’t find anything I wanted to make but managed to find this recipe by following other links. After reading the recipe I had to laugh. This morning, for breakfast, I too an apple and cored it and sliced it into bite sized pieces, mixed them with some pumpkin pie spice and sauteed them in coconut oil. They were so delicious and tasted just like apple pie. This recipe is so similar to what I made this morning that it is really funny. I’m thinking very seriously about using this recipe for our Fellowship Meal. Thank you so very much for this recipe.

    Reply

  6. Karen

    Hi Laura. This sounds amazing! My Mother would absolutely love these (and so will my family) but she can’t have any type of sugar. Have you ever made it without the maple syrup? If so, how did it taste? Mom doesn’t need any additional sweetness as the apples will supply enough sugar. Just want to ensure it will taste yummy by adding only the spices.

    Reply

    • Laura

      Hey Karen! I personally think apples can stand alone on their own without sweetener! {I make them that way for my babies sometimes}! The maple syrup makes these taste just like apple pie filling! But if you wanted to forgo the sweetener they would still taste great, especially with the flavor from the vanilla and coconut oil! You may need a touch extra coconut oil for moisture!

      Reply

  7. Deborah Davis

    5 stars
    I’ve always loved to make stewed apples but all of the lovely healthy ingredients in this recipe really take stewed apples to another level. I can’t wait to make this for my family. They will be great with waffles and pancakes too. Pinning and sharing.

    Reply

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