Crockpot Fried Apples with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar

This slow-cooker take on classic fried apples delivers the same buttery, cinnamon-sugar flavor you love with almost no hands-on time. Simply layer peeled, cored, and sliced apples with sugar and spices, dot with butter, and let the crock pot do the work for about four hours. The result is tender, syrupy apples that are wonderful as a cozy side dish or spooned over ice cream, pancakes, or oatmeal.

These slow-cooker apples are extremely versatile. Serve them alongside pork tenderloin or roast for a comforting Sunday dinner, then use leftovers as a breakfast topping for oatmeal or waffles. They also travel well in the slow cooker—plug it in when you arrive and they’ll stay warm for hours, making them ideal for potlucks or casual gatherings.

What You’ll Need

Basic tools and a few pantry staples are all you need to make this dish.

• Slow cooker or crock pot (a 6-quart works well for this recipe)
• Apple peeler/corer (optional but speeds prep)

Scaling tip: this recipe doubles or triples easily—use a larger slow cooker for bigger batches and add about 30–60 minutes of cook time for very large quantities. A double batch usually fits in a 6-quart slow cooker; tripling will likely require a larger vessel.

• 8 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (any tart apple works)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ cup unsalted butter, sliced into small pieces

Instructions

Prep your apples

Peel, core, and slice the apples into fairly even pieces—about ¼ inch thick—so they cook uniformly. Don’t worry about perfection; avoid any slices that are much thicker than the rest so everything becomes tender at the same time. An apple peeler-corer-slicer speeds things up, but a sharp knife works fine. Transfer the slices directly into the slow cooker as you go.

Mix the sugar and spices

In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the apple slices and stir gently so each piece is coated. Mixing the sugars and spices first helps prevent pockets of straight cinnamon or clumps.

Add the butter and let it cook

Scatter the butter pieces on top of the sugared apples—no need to stir them in. As the slow cooker heats, the butter will melt into the sugars and apples, creating a rich, syrupy sauce. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours, stirring once or twice if convenient. The apples are ready when they’re tender and fragrant.

Serve it up

Spoon the apples out warm. They pair beautifully with pork chops, ham, or roasted pork tenderloin. They’re equally delicious spooned over vanilla ice cream, pancakes, waffles, or stirred into oatmeal for a cozy breakfast.

Storage Instructions

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat gently in a skillet to evaporate excess liquid if necessary, or warm in the microwave. The skillet method is great for concentrating the sauce if they’ve become very syrupy in the fridge.

You can prepare the apples the night before: toss slices with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent browning, store in the fridge, and add to the slow cooker the next morning. These apples also freeze well—cool completely, then transfer to freezer bags or airtight containers for up to 3 months. Expect the texture to be softer after freezing, but the flavor remains excellent.

Serving Suggestions

• As a side with pork chops, pork tenderloin, or ham
• Spoon over vanilla ice cream for a quick dessert
• On pancakes, waffles, or French toast
• Stirred into oatmeal or overnight oats

Apple Season Faves

• Spiced apple butter
• Apple spice cake
• Canned apple syrup
• Apple juice for canning

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