Easy Fried Apples Recipe (Cracker Barrel Copycat)

If you love the fried apples at Cracker Barrel, wait until you see how easy they are to make at home! This easy fried apples recipe turns fresh apples into warm, buttery cinnamon apples in about 20 minutes using just one skillet.

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Serve them with breakfast, alongside pork chops or ham, or warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. There really isn’t a wrong way to eat fried apples.

The best part? You probably already have everything you need to make them.

Easy Southern Fried Apples

Despite the name, fried apples aren’t actually deep fried. They’re fresh apple slices cooked in a skillet with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and warm spices until they’re tender and coated in a delicious buttery cinnamon sauce.

If you’ve ever ordered fried apples at Cracker Barrel, you know exactly why they’re so good.

They’re sweet enough to feel like dessert but somehow still perfectly acceptable sitting next to your biscuits at breakfast.

I’m not asking questions.

Why You’ll Love This Fried Apples Recipe

• Quick: They’re ready in about 20 minutes.
• Easy: Everything cooks in one skillet.
• Simple ingredients: No unusual ingredients or complicated steps.
• Versatile: Serve fried apples for breakfast, as a side dish, or for dessert.
• Great for extra apples: This is one of my favorite ways to use apples sitting around the kitchen.
• No cornstarch needed: The apples cook right in the buttery brown sugar mixture until tender and delicious.

Ingredients

One of the best things about homemade fried apples is how simple the ingredient list is.

Apples: Choose a firm apple that will soften without completely falling apart as it cooks.

Butter: Gives the apples that rich skillet-fried flavor and helps create the sauce.

Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and a little caramel flavor.

Cinnamon: You can’t have good fried apples without cinnamon!

Nutmeg, allspice, and ginger: A little bit of each adds warmth and gives these apples so much more flavor.

That’s it. Nothing fancy required.

What Are the Best Apples for Fried Apples?

The best apples for fried apples are varieties that stay fairly firm when cooked.

Granny Smith is one of my favorites. They’re firm, easy to find, and the tart apple flavor is perfect with the butter and brown sugar.

Braeburn is another great choice.

You can also use Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, or another firm apple you already have.

I’ve made this recipe plenty of times with whatever apples were sitting in my kitchen. Don’t overthink it.

The biggest thing is to cut your apples into similar-sized slices so they cook evenly.

How to Make Fried Apples

Making fried apples from scratch is much easier than you might think.

Start by washing and coring your apples. Slice them about ¼-inch thick. You can peel them first if you want, but I usually leave the peels on.

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Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.

Your kitchen is already going to start smelling amazing.

Add the sliced apples and gently stir until they’re coated in the butter, sugar, and spices.

Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender.

You want them soft enough to easily eat with a fork but not so soft that they turn into applesauce.

That’s it!

Warm homemade fried apples in about 20 minutes.

Do You Have to Peel Apples for Fried Apples?

Nope!

Whether you peel your apples is completely up to you.

I typically leave the peel on because it’s one less step and it helps the slices hold their shape while cooking.

If you prefer softer fried apples without the peel, go ahead and peel them before slicing.

Either way works.

Tips for Perfect Fried Apples

Slice the apples evenly. If some slices are very thin and others are thick, the thin ones will turn mushy before the thicker pieces are tender.

Don’t overcook them. Keep an eye on the apples toward the end of the cooking time. You want tender apples, not applesauce.

Choose a firm apple. Softer apple varieties will break down much faster.

Use a large skillet. The apples are easier to gently stir when they have some room. I love using cast iron

Adjust for your apples. Some apple varieties are much sweeter than others. If you’re using a very sweet apple, you can adjust the brown sugar to taste.

What to Serve with Fried Apples

This is where fried apples get fun because they work with just about everything.

Serve them for breakfast with pancakes, waffles, French toast, biscuits, or oatmeal.

For dinner, fried apples are especially good with pork chops, pork tenderloin, ham, or roasted chicken.

And then there’s dessert.

Warm fried apples + vanilla ice cream.

Enough said.

You can also spoon them over pound cake, cheesecake, or even use them as a quick apple pie-style topping.

Are These Like Cracker Barrel Fried Apples?

That’s exactly what inspired this recipe!

These homemade fried apples have the same warm cinnamon apple flavor that makes Cracker Barrel fried apples so good, but you can make them right in your own kitchen with a handful of simple ingredients.

Plus, you can choose your favorite apple and adjust the sweetness and spices to make them exactly how you like them.

Can I Make Fried Apples Without Butter?

Yes.

To make dairy-free or vegan fried apples, simply replace the butter with your favorite plant-based butter.

Everything else can stay the same.

Easy peasy.

How to Store Fried Apples

Let leftover fried apples cool and transfer them to an airtight container. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Reheat individual servings in the microwave or warm them gently in a skillet on the stove.

They’re also surprisingly good cold straight out of the refrigerator.

Not that I would know anything about standing in front of the fridge eating leftover fried apples with a fork.

Can You Freeze Fried Apples?

You can freeze cooked apples, although the texture will be softer after thawing.

If you want to freeze leftovers, let them cool completely and place them in a freezer-safe container. Thaw them in the refrigerator before gently reheating.

For the best texture, though, I prefer these fresh or refrigerated.

What Can I Do With Leftover Fried Apples?

Assuming you actually have leftovers, don’t let them go to waste!

Spoon them over oatmeal or pancakes the next morning, warm them up and serve them over ice cream, add them to yogurt, or use them as a quick topping for cake.

They’re basically a jar of possibilities sitting in your refrigerator.

The Easiest Homemade Fried Apples

Once you know how to make fried apples, this is one of those recipes you’ll pull out every fall when apples are everywhere — although there’s absolutely no reason to wait for fall.

One skillet, a handful of ingredients, and about 20 minutes are all you need.

Whether you serve these Southern fried apples with breakfast, alongside dinner, or warm with ice cream for dessert, they’re an easy classic worth keeping around.