Delicious Baked Apples could be my favorite warm, healthier dessert, stuffed with cinnamon sugar, nut filling and baked until warm and caramelized. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce on top, for an extra sweet treat.

Looking for more apple recipes? Try my popular Apple Crisp, Apple Cake, or Caramel Apples!

A warm baked apple on a plate with ice cream on the side.

Why I love them:

  • Fast – Only 5 minutes of prep time and they’re ready for the oven!
  • Healthier – Perfect dessert to satisfy that sweet tooth while still eating something a little lighter. They’re delicious without the ice cream, too.
  • Individually portioned: conveniently adapt the recipe for your family size, and use whatever apples you have on hand. The larger the apples, the more filling will fit inside.

How to make healthy Baked Apples:

Remove Core: Use a paring knife to make a deep hole in the center of the apple, where the filling will go.

Four large apples on a cutting board, with the cores removed.

Filling: combine brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well. Add nuts, then spoon mixture evenly into each of the apples.

Butter, cinnamon and brown sugar in a bowl, then mixed together and added to apples.

Bake: Add ¼ cup water to a baking dish and place apples on top. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Four whole baked apples in a baking dish.

Serve warm with ice cream and spoon the sauce drippings from the pan over the apples.

Overhead view of a baked apple with a bite taken out, to show the filling in the center.

Recipe Variations:

  • Baked Apples in Microwave: Baking in the oven is preferred, but for the microwave, place prepared apples in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5-8 minutes, or until tender.
  • Sliced Baked Apples: Try my Apple Crisp!

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Recipe

A warm baked apple on a plate with ice cream on the side.
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 40 minutes
Total 45 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
 
 

  • 4 good-quality apples (I like to use red apples, but baking apples, such as Granny Smith, work great to!)
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar , packed
  • 2 Tablespoons butter , room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Ice cream , for topping, optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use a paring knife or apple corer to remove the stem and seeds from the apples, making a deep hole where the filling will go. 
  • Combine the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well to combine. Add the nuts. Spoon mixture evenly into each of the apples. 
  • Add ¼ cup of water to a baking dish and place apples on top.
  • Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. 
  • Spoon the sauce drippings from the pan over the apples. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Notes

Variations:
  • Baked Apples in Microwave: Baking in the oven is preferred, but for the microwave, place prepared apples in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5-8 minutes, or until tender.
  • Sliced Baked Apples: Try my Apple Crisp!

Nutrition

Calories: 240kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 1gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 57mgPotassium: 238mgFiber: 5gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 275IUVitamin C: 8.3mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 0.5mg

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*I originally shared this recipe September 2015. Updated October 2018 and December 2021.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this tonight. I followed the recipe with the exception of putting about a tablespoon of cinnamon candies in the water and I basted the apples with those throughout the baking process. Mine baked for 40 minutes at 350 and were done. The apple I used for Honeycrisp from an Orchard here in North Carolina. My apples were medium sized, and I had plenty of filling for them per the recipe.

  2. 5 stars
    Very good, don’t listen to the other people that rated it bad, they don’t know how to follow a recipe lol it turned out perfectly and was really good with ice cream. Thank you so much. I made 5 apples instead of 4 cause mine were smaller just added a little more ingredients!

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