Healthy sliced baked apple recipe is the perfect way to celebrate apple season.
This recipe for healthy baked apples is so easy to make and so flavorful, with no added sugar, no butter and 6 simple ingredients. These cinnamon baked apples are perfect for dessert (topped with some ice cream) or used in breakfast on top of pancakes, waffles or oatmeal.
If you love baked apples, you should try these air fryer baked apples or air fryer baked pears for a fun twist!
Why you will love this recipe year round
- Made with just a handful of easy to find ingredients, these healthy baked apples are the perfect dessert or even breakfast item! They go great with ice cream, on top of oatmeal or even as a topping for pancakes!
- You are not going to believe how easy it is to make delicious baked apple slices without sugar or butter! The secret ingredient is ground cloves!
- Versatile! Turn these healthy baked apples into dessert by serving with ice cream or whipped cream or into breakfast by serving with oatmeal, pancakes or waffles.
- Your house is going to smell incredible as these are baking! Need to impress your guest? Make this ahead of time and let the warm cinnamon and apple combination welcome them into your home! These healthy baked apples also keep really well, so you can make them ahead of time and just reheat them in the oven for a few minutes.
Ingredients
- Apples – baking apples are the best for this since they hold up their shape when baked. The best baking apples include: fuji, pink lady, honeycrisp, granny smith apples.
- Lemon – lemon juice helps to ensure the apples don’t brown and also helps to intensify the sweetness from the apples.
- Cinnamon – cinnamon is the perfect pair with apples and helps make the entire dish more comforting.
- Cloves – cloves are my secret weapon anytime I’m making anything with apples. They help make the apple seem sweeter than they are and help intesify the aroma when baking.
- Arrowroot flour/tapioca powder/cornstarch – this is used to thicken the juices that come off the apples.
- Large casserole dish
- Optional: chopped pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds or other nut or seed you love for adding crunch to the dish.
How do you make healthy baked apples
Start by preheating the oven to 350F.
Peel the apples and slice them into about 1/8 inch thick pieces. Try to slice the apples into similar size pieces. Note: The thinner the apples are, the faster they will cook and caramelize. However, you don’t want to make them so thin that they fall apart.
Next, add the lemon juice, cinnamon, ground cloves and arrowroot powder to the apples and make sure you stir this well to fully coat the apples.
Transfer the apples to a baking dish and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the apple slices from the oven and stir them in the casserole dish. Add optional chopped nuts or seeds to the top and return to the oven for 10 minutes at 350F.
How to make healthy sliced apples in the crockpot (slow cooker)
- To make these healthy baked sliced apples in the crockpot, you will need to add 2 tablespoons of water to the apples to help them from sticking to the bottom of the crockpot.
- Be sure to spray the crockpot with non-stick spray.
- Cook for 4-5 hours on the lowest setting.
Recommended tools to make healthy sliced baked apples
Top tips
- Be sure to use a baking apples for this recipe. Baking apples don’t fall apart when baking, so they will hold their shape when baking. You can combine different types of baking apples to make this healthy baked apple slice recipe though! I love to combine sweet with tart! See some recommendations below!
- Don’t skip the cloves. They are the secret ingredient to creating the most decadent healthy baked apples without the need for any added sugar.
- Also, be sure to add arrowroot flour/tapioca powder/cornstarch to make sure the juices that come off the apples create a heavenly sauce that coats the apples as they cook. You only need a tablespoon to do the trick for this recipe!
- Give this recipe some crunch with chopped nuts or seeds. Add them during the last few minutes of baking to ensure they don’t’ burn!
Topping ideas
These healthy baked apple slices are great as is, but you could also take them to the next level (especially for company) with these fun topping ideas:
- Dairy free whipped cream
- Ice cream
- Homemade granola for added crunch
- A dollop of cashew frosting
Other ways to serve healthy baked apple slices
Instead of turning them into a dessert, you could also use these healthy baked apple slices as part of your breakfast or snack. Some ideas include:
- Over oatmeal
- On pancakes or waffles
- On toast (with almond butter or tahini)
- In yogurt parfaits (use cooled apples)
What are the best apples for baking
I like to use a combination of granny smith apples and fuji apples since they are easy to find in the store and I like the combination of a sweeter apples (fuji or honeycrisp) paired with something a little more tart (like granny smiths).
Here are some of my favorite apples for baking:
- Honeycrisp – sweet and juicy.
- Braeburn – very crisp and juicy.
- Pink lady – a good all-around apple that is sweet and tart.
- Granny smith apples – these are slightly tart apples but are wonderful for baking. I like to pair granny smith with sweeter apples to balance out the flavors.
- Fuji apples – these are so easy to find in most grocery stores and are wonderful for baking. They really hold their shape well and are sweet but not too sweet.
- Gala apples – these are often times on sale, especially in the fall months and are also great for baking.
How to store healthy cooked apples
- After baking, you can store these healthy cooked apples in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- I would not recommend freezing any leftovers as the texture of the apples will change. If you have leftovers you need to freeze, blend them up into applesauce before freezing.
If you love this recipe, you should try
Healthy Baked Sliced Apples
Guided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds apples - see post for best options
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder - tapiocia or cornstarch will also work
- 1/4 cup pecans (optional) - or nut/seed of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Peel and slice the apples into uniform slices, about 1/8th of an inch
- Add the apples to a large bowl. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the apples. Add the cinnamon, cloves and arrowroot powder and stir well until all the apples are fully coated with the cinnamon/clove mixture.
- Add the apples to a large casserole dish.
- Bake in a 350F oven for 30 minutes.
- Take the apples out of the oven, stir with a spoon. Add the chopped nuts (or seeds). Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Notes
- To make these healthy baked sliced apples in the crockpot, you will need to add 2 tablespoons of water to the apples to help them from sticking to the bottom of the crockpot.
- Be sure to spray the crockpot with non-stick spray.
- Cook for 4-5 hours on the lowest setting.
- Honeycrisp – sweet and juicy.
- Braeburn – very crisp and juicy.
- Pink lady – a good all-around apple that is sweet and tart.
- Granny smith apples – these are slightly tart apples but are wonderful for baking. I like to pair granny smith with sweeter apples to balance out the flavors.
- Fuji apples – these are so easy to find in most grocery stores and are wonderful for baking. They really hold their shape well and are sweet but not too sweet.
- Gala apples – these are often times on sale, especially in the fall months and are also great for baking.
Millican Pecan
Thursday 16th of April 2020
This is such a great recipe! So easy and delicious. My husband loves apple desserts, and there is no guilt making this one! Pecans are my favorite for most of the dessert recipes I've made. Thanks for sharing!
Millican Pecan
Thursday 16th of April 2020
I almost forgot! The crock pot version is wonderful!
Cher
Monday 19th of November 2018
This was the perfect dessert. I topped mine with granola for some added crunch!