If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, you’ll want to include this crunchy, sweet fruit in as many of your daily meals as you can! A delicious ingredient with endless uses, apples are as delicious in the morning as they are in a midnight snack. With apple recipes that cover every minute of the day, you can turn to this fall ingredient any time the mood strikes.
You might think you know apples, but with thousands of varieties grown across the globe, there’s probably more to this fall favorite than you think. Ingredients with enduring appeal, apples can be delectably sweet or mouth-puckeringly tart, and can range from crisp to soft and tender, with some varieties having more juice than others. Thanks to their range, apples aren’t just for desserts! Sure, they can be used in comforting crumbles, puddings and pies, but they’re also a perfect addition to savory dishes, including roast meats, cheese boards, stuffed veggies and colorful entrée slaws and salads.
This fall, embrace the versatility of apples with dishes that will satisfy, from breakfast through to dinner. Stock the cupboard with your favorite apple varieties, along with Success® boil-in bag rice, quinoa and pearl couscous, and you’ll be more than ready to greet cravings—for snacks, mains, sides and plenty of sweets—all season long.
Cozy Apple Breakfast Recipes to Start the Day
Add tangy sweetness to your morning meal with these easy apple recipes.
Apple & Brown Rice Cereal
Whole-grain Success® boil-in-bag brown rice is a nutty, hearty base for apples, cranberries, apricots, and more in this warming, porridge-like breakfast dish. Flavored with coconut milk and vanilla, then sweetened with a touch of sugar, this dish is a welcome way to greet a cool fall morning.
Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa Bowls
If you normally serve your Success® boil-in-bag tri-color quinoa for dinner, it’s time to try it first thing! Cooked with apple juice for a hint of delicious tang, it’s a comforting, protein-rich alternative to cold cereal. For a dish that hits a range of fruity, tart flavors, we like to pair it with tender bites of apple, chewy dried cranberries, maple syrup, cinnamon, and a generous sprinkling of brown sugar.
Apple Cinnamon Pearl Couscous
Cooked with milk, in place of water, Success® boil-in-bag pearl couscous becomes creamy and soft, with a subtle whisper of sweetness. A breakfast, snack, or light dessert that’s ready in minutes, this dish is delicious as written—with Honeycrisp apples, cranberries, walnuts, and honey—but can also easily be adapted to use up the ingredients you have on hand.
Fresh Apple Lunches and Light Meals
There are plenty of ways to enjoy fall’s most popular fruit beyond packing an apple in your lunchbox! Try these tasty recipes and savor apples as part of your midday meal.
Waldorf Brown Rice Salad
A healthy dose of Success® boil-in-bag brown rice turns Waldorf salad into a satisfying meal in this straightforward recipe. With all of the classic ingredients—crisp apple and crunchy celery, walnuts and a creamy, lemon-spiked dressing—this bright salad feels traditional with a delightfully modern twist.
Apple Harvest Quinoa Salad
As the name implies, this loaded salad is brimming with the cozy flavors of fall. From the sharp bites of apple and tangy dried cherries to the spicy kick of the maple Dijon dressing, it’s guaranteed to add a little pep to your lunch hour! Prep it in the morning or the night before, and you can easily tote it to work, school, or wherever your day takes you.
Easy Apple Dinner Recipes for Cozy Fall Evenings
No harvest table should be without certain ingredients, like squash, root vegetables, and, of course, juicy, firm apples. Learn these recipes, and you’ll have no trouble using apples in delicious recipes every day of the week.
Cranberry Apple Rice Pilaf
A side dish with a habit of stealing the show, this Success® boil-in-bag white rice pilaf is loaded with a tasty number of seasonal ingredients, including Granny Smith apples, spices, and toasted pecans. Easy to whip up in just 20 minutes, it’s a dish you’ll want to invite to the table every night of the week.
Apple Walnut Stuffing
Free up oven space with this savory dressing that cooks entirely on the stovetop. A classic, made with Success® boil-in-bag brown rice, turkey sausage, aromatics, apples, walnuts, and spices, it pairs as well with a roast bird as it does with weeknight cutlets.
Sweet Apple Dessert Worth Saving Room For
Save room—and some of the season’s best apples! —for this crowd-pleasing dessert.
Rice Apple Crisp
When it comes to fall apple recipes, few are as popular as fruit crisp. Sugary and rich, with bubbling pools of tender, spiced fruit and a golden crust, it begs to be paired with a generous scoop of velvety vanilla ice cream. With fluffy Success® boil-in-bag white rice stirred into the sweetened fruit, this grand finale is just the thing to ward off autumn’s cool temps.
Tips for Cooking with Fresh Fall Apples
When apples are everywhere—the corner store, farmer’s market, grocery store, and more—you’ll want to stock up and use them in numerous delicious ways. Learn how to pick the best ones with these handy tips.
Choose the Right Apple Variety
Though all apples are delicious in their own way, they’re not all created equal. Learning to differentiate between the most popular varieties will help you pick the best ones for your dish.
- Honeycrisp – As its name suggests, this type of apple is incredibly sweet and juicy with the subtle flavor of honey. Crunchy and crisp, Honeycrisp makes great snacking apples and is also good for baking and sautéing, as they hold their shape well when cooked.
- Gala – Gala apples are extremely sweet with very little acidity. They are popular raw, either as a snack or in salads, and can also be used in baked goods.
- McIntosh – Tangy with mild sweetness, McIntosh apples offer the best of both worlds. Softer than other varieties, these are perfect for making apple sauce or for using in pies, crumbles and other baked goods.
- Fuji – One of the sweetest varieties, Fuji apples are some of the most popular ones out there. Great for salads, slaw and for snacking on, thanks to their lack of tartness and firm texture, Fuji apples can also be used in pies, crumbles and savory dishes that need a hit of sweetness.
- Granny Smith – Firm green apples that are prized for their tartness, Granny Smiths hold up well when cooked. These are a good choice to balance out sweetness in desserts but can also be eaten raw.
- Pink Lady – With their perfect sour-sweet balance, Pink Lady apples can be eaten raw or cooked. When cooked, this type of apple retains its shape and won’t turn to mush.
Balance Sweet and Tart Flavors
When cooking with apples, think of the flavor you want in your final dish. If you’re aiming for sweetness, choose Fuji, Honeycrisp or another sweet apple variety. For a little more of an acidic punch, apples with more tartness—like Granny Smith or McIntosh—are your best bets.
Pair Apples with Seasonal Herbs and Spices
Juicy, tart and sweet, apples pair with numerous herbs and spices. Great with warm baking spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, they’re also delicious with sage, rosemary, thyme and other popular fall herbs.
Store Apples Properly for Longer Freshness
If you usually come home from the grocery store with a couple of fresh apples, you’re likely to pick up a whole bushelful come fall! Storing them correctly is key to ensuring that they stay crisp and fresh all season long. For best results, apples should be stored in a paper or plastic bag in a cool, dry place, such as a pantry or crisper drawer. Leaving the bag open allows air to circulate and will help the fruit last even longer. Leave apples unwashed until you are ready to eat them or cook with them, and only store fruit that is totally dry.