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These delicious slow cooker apples make a super easy and delicious dessert. The apples are quartered and cooked with apple cider or juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Serve them with some of the syrup and whipped cream. Or serve them warm with ice cream.
For faster cooked apples, try these Southern-style fried apples. They apples are sautéed to perfection with a sugar and a hint of cinnamon.
What You’ll Like About This Dish
Effortless dessert. Toss everything in the slow cooker and let it do the work.
Warm and comforting. Apple cider, cinnamon, and brown sugar create rich autumn flavor.
Flexible serving options. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or over pancakes, waffles, or cake.
Ingredient Notes
- Apples: Use firm baking apples like Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Granny Smith for best texture.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark both work—dark will give deeper molasses notes.
- Apple cider or juice: Adds natural sweetness and enhances the apple flavor.
- Water: Helps create enough cooking liquid to simmer the apples evenly.
- Cinnamon: Use sticks for a gentler flavor or ground cinnamon for a more pronounced spice.
- Butter: Adds richness and gloss to the cooked apples.
- Cornstarch and water: Thickens the reduced cooking liquid into a pourable syrup.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the flavors with a smooth, sweet finish.
Steps to Make Easy Crockpot Apples
- Peel, core, and quarter the apples; place them in the slow cooker.
- Mix the brown sugar, cider or juice, water, cinnamon, and butter in a bowl.
- Pour the mixture over the apples.
- Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer the cooking liquid to a saucepan and boil until reduced by one-third to one-half.
- Stir together cornstarch and cold water, then add to the simmering syrup.
- Cook, stirring, until the syrup thickens.
- Stir in the vanilla and serve the apples warm with the syrup.
Tips for Slow Cooker Apples
- Cut apples into even quarters or chunks so they cook at the same rate.
- Stir gently during cooking to prevent sticking or uneven softening.
- For thicker syrup, boil the juices longer before adding cornstarch.
- If using ground cinnamon instead of sticks, stir it into the liquid before pouring over apples.
Recipe Variations
- Spiced version. Add a few whole cloves or a strip of orange peel to the cooking liquid.
- Maple twist. Replace some of the brown sugar with maple syrup for a richer depth.
- Bourbon apples. Stir in 1 tablespoon of bourbon with the vanilla for a boozy dessert twist.
- Less sweet. Reduce the brown sugar to ⅓ cup for a more subtle sweetness.
- Breakfast-style. Serve over oatmeal or pancakes for a cozy morning treat.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
- Spoon over pancakes, waffles, or French toast for a fruity topping.
- Add to yogurt or cottage cheese for a warm, comforting breakfast.
- Pair with pound cake or angel food cake and drizzle with cider syrup.
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerate: Store leftover apples and syrup in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Let cool before sealing.
Freeze: Freeze in portions with some syrup in freezer-safe containers. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Use within 2 to 3 months.
To reheat: Warm gently in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each.
Easy Crockpot Apples
Ingredients
- 4 large apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
- ½ cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
- 2 cups apple cider or apple juice
- 1 cup water
- 2 cinnamon sticks or 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Prepare the apples and put them in the slow cooker.4 large apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
- In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, apple cider or juice, water, cinnamon sticks or cinnamon, and butter. Pour over the apples.1/2 cup packed brown sugar | 2 cups apple cider or apple juice | 1 cup water | 2 cinnamon sticks or 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon | 3 tbsp butter
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the apples are tender, stirring 2 or 3 times throughout the cooking.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to a serving bowl. Pour the cooking liquid and cinnamon sticks into a saucepan. Bring the juices to a boil on the stovetop. Boil, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until reduced by about one-third to one-half.
- Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks and reduce the heat to a simmer.
- In a small bowl or cup, combine the cornstarch and cold water; blend well. Stir the mixture into the simmering liquids.1 tbsp cornstarch | 1 tbsp cold water
- Continue cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in the vanilla.1 tsp vanilla extract
- Serve the apples with the cider sauce.
Nutrition
Disclaimer:
Our nutritional information is based on a third-party application that analyzes the ingredients list to determine the values. The information is meant to be helpful, but should be considered an estimate. Values may differ depending on measurements, brands, serving variations, and database availability.
