20 Sweet and Savory Maple Syrup Recipes for Fall

Roasted Kabocha with Maple Syrup and Ginger
Photo: John Kernick

We're using rich and flavorful maple syrup in everything from breakfast quinoa to filled doughnuts and vegetable stir-fry this season. Infuse apples for an upside-down cake, riff on an Old Fashioned cocktail, or candy sweet potatoes in between two baking projects with these autumnal recipes.

01 of 20

Maple-Bourbon Banana Pudding Cake

Maple-Bourbon Banana Pudding Cake
Fredrika Stjärne

While this delicious, simple cake bakes, a sweet, rich sauce forms at the bottom of the dish. Serve the cake warm with the sauce spooned over the top and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

02 of 20

Air Fryer Pork Chops With Maple-Soy Glaze

Air Fryer Pork Chops
Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee

Brushing these pork chops with a maple syrup-soy sauce mixture before cooking them in the air fryer results in some delicious charring around the edges. Serve the pork chops over a bed of creamy polenta or mashed potatoes and top with extra glaze and pickled red onions.

03 of 20

Pecan-Maple Sticky Rolls

Pecan-Maple Sticky Rolls
© Lucy Schaeffer

We have two shortcuts for these incredible faux sticky buns: using a biscuit dough instead of a yeast dough, and baking it with maple syrup instead of homemade caramel.

04 of 20

Baked Beans with Maple-Glazed Bacon

Baked Beans with Maple-Glazed Bacon
© Fredrika Stjärne

For a zippy version of a New England classic, chef Laurence Jossel bakes buttery Rancho Gordo yellow eye beans in a tangy-hot mixture of apple cider vinegar, molasses, brown sugar, and crushed red pepper. Regular Italian cannellini or Great Northern beans can replace the yellow eyes.

05 of 20

Maple-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Maple-baked sweet potatoes
© Frances Janisch

Parboiling the sweet potatoes shortens the baking time and keeps them moist. Once tender, they can be broiled briefly to achieve a browned top.

06 of 20

Sweet Breakfast Quinoa

Day 12: Sweet Breakfast Quinoa
TINA RUPP

"This breakfast will make your day so productive," says cookbook author Jill Donenfeld about her maple syrup-sweetened quinoa. The dish is studded with toasted almonds and orange-scented dried apricots and served with a topping of fresh ricotta cheese.

07 of 20

Maple-Apple Upside-Down Cake

Maple-Apple Upside-Down Cake
© Con Poulos

This is one of the best upside-down cakes ever — the maple syrup infuses both the apples and the cake, making the dessert taste like a stack of apple pancakes.

08 of 20

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Marshmallows

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Marshmellows
© David Malosh

In this clever version of candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows, the sweet potatoes are mashed with deeply flavorful grade B maple syrup and butter before they're stuffed back into their skins and baked a second time.

09 of 20

Maple-Bourbon Smash

Maple-Bourbon Smash
Michael Turek

Robb Turner, owner of Crown Maple, uses his richly flavored dark amber syrup to make this riff on an Old-Fashioned cocktail.

10 of 20

Maple-Glazed Chicken Breasts with Mustard Jus

Maple-Glazed Chicken Breasts with Mustard Jus
© QUENTIN BACON

For this at-home version of chef David Slater's restaurant dish, chicken breasts are glazed with maple syrup and sherry vinegar, then finished with a mustard sauce and sprinkle of fresh breadcrumbs. Serve atop a bed of braised kale and chopped bacon for an extra lovely plate.

11 of 20

Maple-Ginger Roasted Vegetables with Pecans

Maple-Ginger-Roasted Vegetables with Pecans
© Frances Janisch

When roasting winter vegetables, be sure to chop them about the same size, so they cook at the same rate. Toss them at least once while they're in the oven so they brown evenly.

12 of 20

Skillet Apple Charlotte

Skillet Apple Charlotte
© Lucy Schaeffer

A classic apple charlotte has a crust of buttered bread slices filled with caramelized apples. In this quick version from chef Jacques Pépin, apple wedges are sautéed with honey and maple syrup, topped with buttered toast, and turned out of the pan like a tarte Tatin.

13 of 20

Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts
© Lucy Schaeffer

This unbelievably simple side dish counters the slight bitterness of brussels sprouts with a sweet maple syrup pan sauce. Chopped chestnuts add a nice crunch to the tender brussels spouts. It's a no-fuss, 30-minute recipe that can easily be added to any weeknight meal.

14 of 20

Maple-Buttermilk Pudding Cake

Maple-Buttermilk Pudding Cake
© Frances Janisch

This sweet and gooey pudding cake with crisp candied edges is a Maine favorite borrowed from neighboring Quebec. The lavish use of maple syrup — a Maine staple — probably helped make it popular.

15 of 20

Roasted Kabocha with Maple Syrup and Ginger

Roasted Kabocha with Maple Syrup and Ginger
John Kernick

Cookbook author Melissa Clark likes giving slices of roasted winter squash a little wake-up, so she roasts them with maple syrup, olive oil, fresh ginger, and thyme.

16 of 20

Sweet and Savory Pumpkin Soup with Maple Sugar

HD-201401-r-sweet-and-savory-pumpkin-soup-with-maple-sugar.jpg
© Phoebe Lapine

Maple sugar gives this pumpkin soup a hearty sweetness that's perfect for the season. If you can't find maple sugar, you can substitute regular maple syrup.

17 of 20

Overnight French Toast with Cranberries and Pecans

Overnight French Toast
Photo by Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman

This stunning overnight French toast is the move for an effortless make-ahead brunch. Orange zest and tart, juicy cranberries add brightness to the dish, while chopped pecans lend a nutty crunch. When you serve it, be sure to scoop up the buttery maple syrup sauce on the bottom, which provides a rich finish.

18 of 20

Maple-Meringue Doughnuts

Maple Meringue Donuts Recipe
Tara Donne

The secret to doughnuts at home is in the dough: Retarding the shaped doughnuts allows a more complex, yeasty flavor to develop. The meringue filling is marshmallowy in texture; use an intense, robust, high-quality maple syrup to ensure lots of maple flavor.

19 of 20

Crispy Whole Wheat-Maple Crackers

Crispy Whole Wheat-Maple Crackers
© John Kernick

In this recipe from F&W Culinary Director at Large Justin Chapple, sheets of pastry are made with maple syrup and sprinkled with maple sugar, then broken into shards.

20 of 20

Maple Root Vegetable Stir-Fry with Sesame

Maple Root-Vegetable Stir-Fry with Sesame
© Con Poulos

In Korea, cooks typically create stir-fries with just one kind of vegetable — lotus root, say, or potatoes. Chef David Chang decided to break with tradition and stir-fry an assortment of vegetables, including Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips. Also unconventional is the maple syrup he adds to the dish; there are maple trees all around South Korea but not much maple syrup.

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