Slow Cooker Stewed Apples (Print)

Slow-cooked apples blend with cinnamon and honey for a naturally sweet and comforting treat.

# What you'll need:

→ Fruit

01 - 6 large apples (Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Fuji), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks

→ Sweeteners & Flavors

02 - 1/4 cup honey
03 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
04 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
05 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
06 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
07 - Pinch of salt

→ Liquids

08 - 1/4 cup water

# Directions:

01 - Place the peeled, cored, and chopped apples into the slow cooker.
02 - Drizzle honey and lemon juice over the apples, then sprinkle ground cinnamon and nutmeg if using.
03 - Add water and a pinch of salt, then stir gently to combine all ingredients.
04 - Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, stirring once or twice until apples are tender and juicy.
05 - Stir in vanilla extract if desired at the end of cooking.
06 - Serve warm alone or as a topping over oatmeal, pancakes, yogurt, or dessert.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It requires almost no active work—just chop and forget while life happens elsewhere.
  • One bowl does the cooking, which means fewer dishes and more time for literally anything else.
  • It tastes naturally sweet without feeling heavy, perfect for breakfast or sneaking as dessert.
02 -
  • Don't be tempted to cook on high to speed things up—it makes the apples mushy and breaks down the structure into something less pleasant.
  • The texture you get depends on how much you stir and when you stop—gentler stirring means chunks, more aggressive handling means smoothness, so choose based on what you actually want.
03 -
  • Use a mix of apple varieties instead of all one kind—Granny Smith's tartness against Honeycrisp's sweetness creates more interesting flavor than any single variety alone.
  • Don't skip the lemon juice even though it seems minor; it's the thing that stops this from tasting flat and one-dimensional.
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