Caramelized Apples
These caramelized apples are easy to make using just a few simple ingredients! They make a delightful and cozy topping for pancakes, oatmeal, cakes, cookies, and many desserts. Perfect for Fall or any time of year!
Simple ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Apples. For sweeter caramelized apples, choose a snacking variety such as Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or another naturally sweet apple. If you prefer a tart flavor, Granny Smith apples are a great option. I peeled my apples for this recipe, but it works just as well if you leave their peel on.
Light brown sugar to caramelize the apples! Alternatively, you can also use granulated sugar, coconut sugar or maple syrup, though your apples will have a different flavor profile. Some of those sweeteners don’t caramelize as much but your apples will still be delicious.
Vegan butter adds richness and depth of flavor. Alternatively, you can use a neutral oil (make sure you add a pinch of salt for flavor) or just a dash of water.
Ground cinnamon because it pairs so well with apples! Feel free to play around with other spices, such as store-bought apple pie spice, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger or cloves (use less than 1 teaspoon).
How to caramelize apples
First, melt the butter or oil in a large skillet or frypan over medium heat. Then add the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon and stir until combined.
Initially, the apples will leak some of their natural juices and the brown sugar will dissolve. The apple juice will emulsify with the brown sugar to form the most incredible caramel!
After another 5-10 minutes, the apples will soften and most of their liquid will evaporate. At this stage, add the vanilla and mix through. You’ll be left with a gooey and aromatic mixture that you’ll want to eat out of the frypan!
For firmer apples, cook the mixture for less time. For softer caramelized apples, cook the mixture for longer.
If the apples haven’t softened to your desired consistency but there’s no more liquid in the pan, add a dash of water, reduce the stove to low heat and continue cooking.
Customizing this recipe
Yes, you can. However, most sugar replacers don’t brown and caramelize so your apples will just be sweet and stewed rather than gooey and caramelized.
Feel free to experiment! Apples tend to be quite firm so caramelizing other fruits will result in a softer mixture.
Caramelized apples are a perfect topping for breakfast such as on oatmeal, pancakes, waffles and french toast. They are also an easy way to elevate desserts including my vegan apple bread or vegan applesauce cake (pictured below). Or enjoy them as a snack on top of a scoop of vanilla ice cream or yogurt!
More vegan apple recipes
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Caramelized Apples
Ingredients
- 2 x (~360g) medium-sized apples, peeled or unpeeled, and cubed (note 1)
- 2 tablespoon (30g) vegan butter, or oil
- ยผ cup (50g) packed brown sugar, or adjust to your preferred sweetness (notes 2 and 3)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Generous pinch of salt, if using unsalted butter or oil
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large frypan over medium-high heat.
- Add the apples, sugar and spices. Cook for 5 minutes until the apples are almost tender and slightly golden brown.
- Reduce the stove to medium heat and cook for another 5-10 minutes until they are your desired consistency. If the apples stick to the frypan, add a dash of water. The longer you cook the apples, the softer and more caramelized they will be.
- These caramelized apples are best served within a few hours. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Notes
- You can use any sweet snacking apple, such as Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady if you prefer sweeter caramelized apples. For a more tart mixture, use Granny Smith apples. If you prefer the caramelized apples to resemble apple pie filling, use apple slices instead of cubes.
- Instead of brown sugar, you can use the same amount of coconut sugar or maple syrup. Maple syrup doesn’t caramelize as well, so your apples will be less gooey. I talk about other alternatives in the blog post.
- If you want extra gooey caramelized apples with extra caramel sauce, use 1/3 cup (65g) of brown sugar. The caramel sauce is perfect for decorating cakes such as my applesauce cake!
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