Healthy Cinnamon Apples – Steamed Apples {Vegan, Whole30}
Simple and sweet, these stovetop Healthy Cinnamon Apples are the perfect good for you comfort food. A bowl of cozy steamed apples are sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, paleo, and Whole30 compliant.
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I have been making these apples for so long that I could cook them in my sleep; they are that simple. Calling this a “recipe” is almost embarrassing.
When my (now) eleven-year-old son Jack was a baby we made these so often that they were dubbed “Apple Jacks”. I still make these cinnamon apples. We still love them.
What Can I do With a Lot of Apples?
A glut of apples is an amazing “problem” to have! When we have too many apples, we’ll can applesauce, can apple pie filling, make crockpot applebutter, make dried apples, and apple nachos.
And when we’re all done with that, we make cinnamon steamed apples! And save leftovers to make Cinnamon Pretzel Bites with Apple Syrup or Apple Pie Egg Rolls.
What Are Cinnamon Apples?
My recipe is simple – chopped apples with a dusting of cinnamon. You’ll see lots of recipes out there for fried apples, or apples simmered in butter and sugar.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m 99.99% certain that those are absolutely delicious, but not ideal when you want something healthy and good for you.
The act of steaming concentrates the apple’s sweetness and takes these apples from yum to yuuuuuum. Even better, steaming locks down nutrients like Fort Knox.
How Long Does it Take to Steam Apples?
These steamed apples are ready in only five minutes. Yep, that’s it!
If you prefer to make apple slices instead of diced apples, you will need to add 1-2 minutes to the cooking time for a soft texture.
How to Serve Cinnamon Apples
We love them just as a side to a normal meal, but they are also amazing in oatmeal, mixed in with homemade Instant Pot yogurt, or on top of ice cream. They are also a key ingredient in my Apple Pie Pancakes.
Cinnamon apples are also the perfect final addition to your easy healthy meal prep. Nothing like a healthy little snack to finish up your lunch or dinner. You can also add them to Cinnamon Apple Donuts for an amazing texture and flavor.
Variations
I tend to consider cinnamon a condiment and have a bit of a heavy hand with it. I reigned myself in for this recipe but you could (and should!) absolutely add more cinnamon to your version. And while you’re at it, how about a pinch of cloves and a dash of nutmeg?
A splash of homemade vanilla and/or almond extract is amazing with the base recipe.
Can You Freeze Apples?
YES, and you should! When my son was a baby, we froze “Apple Jacks” in Baby Cubes and 4 oz mason jars for quick snacks. Simply leave at room temperature for an hour or overnight in the fridge and they thaw beautifully.
Recipe Notes
- Need to make more or less of the recipe? Click and slide the “servings” number on the recipe card and the ingredients will adjust as needed. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
- Use an apple that will retain its shape and won’t turn into mush upon steaming. I prefer Fuji, honeycrisp, or Gala. And um, Washington grown. Obvs.
- Leave the peel on for added fiber and nutrition.
- There is no need to dice these apples unless you’re feeding little ones. Slices or wedges work perfectly fine and are faster for prepping! If you do cut your apples into large pieces, it may impact the cooking time.
- Five minutes of steaming works for our preferences for texture, but if you prefer a firmer apple, check at three minutes.
- Cool completely before freezing.
More Healthy Snack Recipes
- Lemon Bliss Balls
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Homemade Granola Bars
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Lara Bars
- Trail Mix Bars
- Strawberry Fudge Energy Date Balls
- Check out all our Whole30 Breakfast Recipes
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WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving has 0 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
Healthy Cinnamon Apples - Steamed Apples {Vegan, Whole30}
Instructions
- Peel the apples, and dice in bite-sized pieces. In a pot fitted with a metal steamer basket, add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Steam the apples on medium-high until the apples are able to be pierced easily with a knife (about 4-5 minutes). Drain, place in a small bowl, and toss with the cinnamon.
Notes
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Could you tell me how you would freeze them and reheat them? I want to make these for my little guy. Thank you so much!
I suggest freezing them in small containers (I used 4 oz mason jars most of the time). No liquid or anything needs to be added, just put them in and freeze.
Most of the time I defrosted in the fridge overnight. My kiddo preferred them cold, but if you’d like to heat up, start with 10-15 seconds in the microwave and test.
They’re so good! Now I’m craving them. 🙂
Can explain the steaming process? Do you use a lid? Do you heat up the water in the pan before adding the apples? Thank you!
Hi Grace, the good news is that it a basic steaming process (like if you’ve ever steamed veggies). Nothing fancy! 🙂
I do heat the water first. Sometimes I use a lid and sometimes I don’t. It’s such a fast process that its one that it is best to not overthink, i.e., you won’t break it!
Delicious , healthy recipes. Thank you ????
So glad you liked it, Suhasini!
I tried steaming apples in a microwave steamer basket I bought on amazon and my apples came out rubbery =( I diced them up nice and small for BLW and added 2 tbsp of water in the basket, put them in for 3.5 minutes and they all came out really rubbery and not easily mashable. Do you know what I did wrong? Thank you!
With the caveat of never steaming apples in a microwave before, if they’re rubbery I wonder if they’re either over or undercooked? Did the basket come with an instruction manual with time recommendations?
I make these for my grandson, and he thinks he’s getting a treat!
Me too Paula, me too! 🙂 So glad you both enjoy them!