Healthy Baked Cinnamon Apples

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Elevate your dessert game with these healthy baked cinnamon apples. The fusion of tender apples and fragrant cinnamon, baked to perfection!

These baked apples are not only easy to make, but taste amazing. They use eight wholesome ingredients and are perfect for the entire family!

A baked apple with a piece out filled with oats on a grey plate.

This post was originally published on August 13, 2020.

Baked apples are the perfect treat when I'm not craving something extra sweet. Sometimes I top them with my homemade caramel sauce!

Ingredients

These healthy baked apples are simple and use easy to find ingredients. Nothing fancy, even though it seems like it! Here is what I use:

Apples
Oats
Pecans
Coconut sugar
Molasses
Cinnamon
Vanilla
Sea salt

Different colored bowls filled with ingredients for baked apples.

The best types of apples for baking

When it comes to baking apples, it's really a personal preference with both flavor and texture. Granny smith apples are a popular choice. If you want a sweeter result, use a sweeter apple like a Fuji or Gala.

With texture, some apples bake softer than others. Fuji apples are nice and firm, while Braeburn are softer. So if you don't want a mushy result, make sure to get a nice crisp apple!

A whole baked apple topped with ice cream on a grey plate.

How to Make Baked Apples

This is a fairly simple recipe, the hardest part is prepping the apples! To prep them, here is what you do.

Cut off the ends.
Core them by scooping out the middle.
Put on a parchment lined baking sheet ready to be filled!

Red apple on its side with the top and bottom sliced off

Spoon taking the core out of a raw apple

If you want a tool to core apples quickly, you can try this one:

OXO Good Grips Apple Corer

Once they are prepped, here are the next steps for this easy baked apples recipe:

Mix filling ingredients.
Fill the apples.
Bake.
Top with ice cream and serve!

Spatula mixing oats, nuts and sugar in a grey bowl

Four raw cored apples topped with an oat filling

Topping ideas

Here are some of our favorite toppings!

Homemade Granola
Ice cream
Chopped nuts
Shredded coconut
Caramel Sauce (make it without the pumpkin for a plain flavor)
Homemade Vegan Whipped Cream
Crushed pretzels

Tips and Tricks

You can make these healthy baked apples in halves by cutting the apple in half and topping them with the filling instead.
Baked cinnamon apples work great for a fun breakfast, a snack or even a healthy dessert!
If you have leftovers, just store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
To reheat, you can put them in the microwave or heat again in the oven. Heat at the same baking temp for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
You can prep these ahead of time by mixing the filling ingredients. Store them on the counter in an airtight container until ready to use!

Common Questions

Are baked apples healthy?

They can be! It all depends on the ingredients used and what your definition of healthy is. This recipe uses wholesome ingredients and little sugar, so I look at it as healthy.

What's the difference between cooking apples and normal apples?

The main different is that cooking apples are more tart and less sweet than eating apples. They also tend to be a little bigger in size.

Can you use normal apples instead of cooking apples?

Yep! You just need to be aware that the end result may be a little sweeter since eating apples have more sugar content.

What can you do with apples going bad?

You can do a lot of things! Most common is to cook them down into apple sauce. It's easy to make, and a great use for apples you need to use up. You can also cook them down and use them as a topping for things like in my amazing oatmeal recipe or as a topping for my vegan buttermilk pancakes.

More Apple Recipes

After you finish all of these healthy baked cinnamon apples, try another one of these easy apple recipes: