40 Sweet and Savory Apple Recipes for Fall

By Food & Wine
Updated September 05, 2019
Kristin Teig
Apples are practically synonymous with fall—and this season, we’re looking forward to incorporating them into as many recipes as we can. Beyond the usual pies and applesauces, we also love to add apples to sandwiches (especially with cheddar, ham, and chutney), and also think they pair beautifully with pork. They work equally well in sweet and savory dishes; you can eat them with breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. Read on for some of our favorite ways to prepare them.
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Sausage-and-Apple Frittata with Dill

© Eva Kolenko
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Instead of serving the breakfast sausages on the side of her eggs, Kay Chun bakes them right into her delicious egg frittata.

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Apple Pandowdy

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Let the pandowdy cool for at least 24 hours before serving.

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White Wine–Baked Apples


Abby Hocking / Food & Wine
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The key to these simple baked apples from Spanish winemaker Álvaro Palacios is using a delicious drinking wine, like white Rioja.

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Caramel-Apple Ice Cream

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Swirling caramelized apples with dulce de leche into vanilla ice cream makes for a delicious treat.

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Butternut Squash with Fennel and Apple

Food & Wine
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Fennel and apple round out this easy oven-roasted butternut squash dish. Gala apples are suggested, but any mild, sweet variety will do.

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Tangy Apple Salad

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New Orleans chef Donald Link serves this salad with Andouille and Sweet Potato Pie.

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Skillet-Baked Pear-and-Apple Crisp

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In the fall, James Boyce picks the apples and pears for this cinnamon-spiced crisp. He occasionally swaps out the Cognac here for bourbon.

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Babette Friedman’s Apple Cake

Roland Bello
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Le Coucou chef Daniel Rose stirs apples into the batter of this pound cake–like dessert, then tops it with more of the Calvados-spiked fruit.

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Bacon, Fennel and Apple Chutney

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Chutney is a favorite British condiment for everything from cheese to roasts. This sweet-and-smoky version is perfect with crackers as a starter, spread on a grilled cheddar sandwich or served with roasted pork.

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Crab, Apple and Watercress Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette

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Sweet-tasting lump crab is sold precooked, so it's perfect for a fast meal. Melissa Rubel Jacobson uses it here in a crunchy salad that gets a double dose of nutty flavor from walnuts and walnut oil.

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Apple-Pomegranate Cobbler


David Cicconi
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This juicy and bright apple cobbler is just the right amount of sweet, with an irresistibly tender and crunchy crust on top.

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Fuji Apple Soda

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As soon as beverage director Sean Beck spotted a new line of apple-flavored juices and sodas at a grocery store, he decided to make one of his own. After a spirited discussion of apples with a winemaker, Beck chose the Fuji as the base for his drink.

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Hot Dogs with Cheddar and Sautéed Apples

John Kernick
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Matt Neal's sister, Madeline, is a big hot dog fan who constantly comes up with ideas for toppings. She suggested this terrific, if unlikely, combination of cinnamony sautéed apples with slices of sharp cheddar cheese, served on top of hot dogs tucked into pretzel rolls.

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Apple Crostatas

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Grace Parisi uses a mix of Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Golden Delicious apples for this perfect fall dessert.

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Sweet Potato and Apple Soup

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This simple soup makes the most of fall farmers’ market produce.

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Beet-and-Apple Salad

David Malosh
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For his salad, chef George Mendes uses fresh horseradish and Gegenbauer cider vinegar, a rare Austrian import. This version calls for jarred horseradish and supermarket apple-cider vinegar.

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Apple-Glazed Barbecued Baby Back Ribs

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These sticky, apple-scented ribs are cooked in the oven, then finished on the grill. They're a simpler version of a recipe by champion pit master Chris Lilly, author of Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book, who cooks his ribs entirely on the grill. To follow Lilly's example, use a thermometer to keep the temperature at a steady 250° and wrap the ribs in foil after adding the apple cider mixture.

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Dutch Apple Pie

Tina Rupp
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It doesn’t get much more fall than apple pie, and this recipe from Grace Parisi is a winner.

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Pearled Barley Salad with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds and Pine Nuts

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The salad without the pine nuts can be refrigerated overnight. Bring the salad to room temperature before serving.

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Amberjack

Wendell T. Webber
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Mixologists are adding beer to their arsenal of ingredients. Jacqueline Patterson's fruity Amberjack uses Belgian apple lambic.

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Light and Fluffy Baked Apple Pancake

© Michael Turek
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Golden Delicious apples hold their shape after they are caramelized with sugar and maple syrup, making them a perfect choice for this clever, giant one-pan pancake.

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Pan-Seared Sausages with Apples

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At Farm Bloomington, chef Daniel Orr sells a number of Midwestern sausages. Sweet Italian sausages will work in this recipe, too. Be sure to use cooking apples that will hold their shape, like Granny Smiths, Winesaps or Rome Beauties.

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Rosé Sangria with Cranberries and Apples

Petrina Tinslay
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This strong but not overly sweet sangria is nicely spiced with cinnamon, anise and cloves and it has just enough crushed red pepper to give it a tiny kick.

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Celery Root with Apples, Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Frances Janisch
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This delicious winter salad combines all kinds of flavors and textures: crunchy, juicy, earthy, nutty and toasty.

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Grilled Cheddar and Ham with Apple and Chutney Sandwiches

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A grated Granny Smith apple adds sweetness and crunch to this sandwich.

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Baked Apples with Currants and Sauternes

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Antioxidant-rich apples are one of Clark Frasier's staples for healthy winter desserts. "My father had a problem with high cholesterol, so my mother always baked apples for dessert," he says. Here, he doesn't need to add any fat—just a sweet splash of Sauternes infused with thyme—to enrich the dish.

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Anise Pork with Figs and Apples

Ashley Colbourne
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The sweet licorice flavor of aniseed or fennel seeds adds depth to pork. For the sauce, look for dried figs that are soft and moist. If they seem very dry, soften them in hot water before cutting.

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Brioche French Toast Stuffed with Apple, Raisins and Pecans

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The fruit filling in this fluffy stuffed French toast is reminiscent of a festive apple pie.

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Apples On Horseback

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These simple, delicious hors d’oeuvres are just apples with cheese and pancetta.

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Kale & Apple Salad with Pancetta and Candied Pecans

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Kale is a marvelous green for salads because it's hearty enough to handle hefty ingredients like nuts and meat, plus it doesn't wilt as it sits on the table. When chef Ryan Hardy makes this kale salad for Thanksgiving dinner, he deep-fries the pecans, but it's quicker (and less messy) to toast them in the oven.

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Braised Chicken with Apples and Calvados

Con Poulos
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Chef Matthew Accarrino uses apples plus cider and the apple brandy Calvados to add layers of flavor to his braised chicken.

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Guest-at-the-Doorstep Apple-Berry Charlotte

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Classic Soviet cuisine abounded in nifty quick recipes for unexpected guests. This puffy dessert requires only sliced tart apples, a few handfuls of berries and a simple batter.

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Homemade Applesauce with Chinese Five-Spice

Abby Hocking
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The key to making delicious applesauce, says butcher Erika Nakamura, is using fresh apples and adding enough lemon juice to offset their sweetness. Adding Chinese five-spice allows for a more savory flavor, which is ideal when serving the applesauce alongside roast meats.

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Apple Ginger Crostata