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Got more Galas and Jonagolds and Honeycrisps than you can handle? Whether you recently went apple-picking or just couldn’t help yourself at the farmers’ market, it’s easy this time of year to wind up with way too many apples. The key is to enjoy them all before they go bad. (Start by sticking them in the fridge: apples will stay fresh for longer when cold.)
Been busily baking them into desserts like pies, strudels, tarts, muffins, crisps, and cakes? Here are a few other easy ways to eat (and drink!) all your apples:
Sweeten Up Smoothies
Forget honey and agave nectar—apples bring not just sweetness but loads of fiber (5 grams per apple!). My go-to is banana, spinach, coconut water, and apple, but if you’re feeling fancy, try an Apple, Carrot, Ginger, and Fennel Smoothie. Leave the peel on: apple skin has five times more antioxidants than the flesh.
Crunchify Sandwiches
Lacking crunch in your sandwich or wrap? Add sliced apples! The Chickpea, Beet, and Apple Panini and Fruity Peanut Butter Wrap are VT favorites, but go simple if you want: Cheddar and apple; peanut butter and apple; Brie, arugula, and apple. Toast your creation in a toaster oven or cast-iron skillet.
Upgrade Any Salad
Grated or sliced apples perk up any harvest-y salad. Or add them to slaws for tangy-sweet goodness. Just be sure to use crisp varieties that won’t brown easily. Think Pink Lady, Cortland, or Fuji (but not adorable Pippin). Try the Autumn Apple Salad with Pomegranate or Apple and Red Cabbage Slaw.
Soup It Up
Fall veggies like butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower go great with roasted apples, especially in creamy blended soups and chowders. If you’re not into overly sweet stuff, opt for tart Granny Smith. Roasted Squash and Apple Chowder with Colorful Potatoes or Curried Cauliflower Soup, anyone?
Get Saucy
Turns out, making your own applesauce is super-quick and simple, and so much tastier than the jarred kind. Plus, you get to control the amount of sweetener and use only your favorite spices. Get ideas from our recipes for Cranberry Applesauce and Vanilla Applesauce. Or cook your apples a little longer for amazing French-Style Apple Butter.
Snack Time!
For straight-up munching, save your crispiest, juiciest, thinnest-skinned apples (lookin’ at you, Honeycrisp). Slather with almond butter and sprinkle with cinnamon for the best stave-off-hunger-till-dinner snack of all time.
What’s your favorite way to eat an apple a day? Share in the comments below.