These easy baked cinnamon apple slices, also known as scalloped apples, are tender, lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and made with just 3 ingredients. They're an easy side dish, breakfast topping, or simple dessert with no butter or oil.
I tested this recipe with Honeycrisp and Cosmic Crisp apples and found that the best texture comes from baking the apples covered, then letting them rest under the foil. The slices on the bottom soften first, while the trapped steam gently finishes the apples on top without turning the whole pan mushy.
Scalloped apples is an old-fashioned name often used for tender cooked apple slices seasoned with sugar or another sweetener and warm spices. This version is baked with maple syrup and cinnamon.
Recipe Overview: Baked Apple Slices
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Easy
- 🕓 Prep: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 50-60 minutes
- Ingredients: 3
- 🍎 Apples tested: Honeycrisp and Cosmic Crisp
- Texture: Tender slices that hold their shape
- ✅ Dietary: Gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan
⚠️ Most important tip: Don't wait for every apple slice on top to become completely soft. The bottom slices cook faster, and the covered 10-minute rest lets the upper slices finish softening without making the bottom mushy.
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FEATURED REVIEW ★★★★★
"I love having a healthy baked apple recipe! We make these as toppings for pancakes and waffles in the fall. I also really enjoy them as a healthy dessert for lunch and dinner."
- Margaret
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Why This Recipe Works
- Covered baking creates tender apple slices. The foil traps steam so the apples soften without needing butter, oil, or extra liquid.
- A covered rest evens out the texture. In my testing, the apple slices on the bottom softened faster than those on top. Resting the pan covered for 10 minutes lets the upper slices continue cooking gently.
- Firm apples hold their shape. Honeycrisp and Cosmic Crisp both produced tender slices without becoming mushy.
- A little maple syrup goes a long way. Sweet apples need only 2 tablespoons for the entire pan, while cinnamon provides most of the warm, cozy flavor.
Ingredients and Substitutions
You need only 3 simple and wholesome ingredients to make these easy baked cinnamon apple slices.
Apples
I use Honeycrisp or Cosmic Crisp apples when I make this recipe because they are readily available and already sweet, so they taste like dessert with little sweetener. I recommend choosing crisp sweet apple varieties for best flavor and texture.
Other apple varieties hold their shape when baked include Granny Smith, Braeburn, Jonagold, Pink Lady (Cripps Pink), and Northern Spy. Granny Smith apples are more tart than sweet so you may want to combine them with a sweeter variety or add more maple syrup.
Apple varieties that bake a little mushier (more like applesauce) include Red Delicious, McIntosh, Gala, and Fuji. I recommend avoiding these for this recipe.
Golden delicious apple slices generally do not hold their shape well when baked, but are less mushy than the above varieties.
Maple Syrup
This recipe is great without any added sweeteners, but I think it's best with a little bit of maple syrup for flavor, texture, and added sweetness. You can substitute honey, sugar, brown sugar, or another sweetener of your choosing.
Ground Cinnamon
While you can leave it out, cinnamon feels like it was made for apple desserts, especially in the Fall! You can also substitute or add apple pie spice blend, pumpkin pie spice blend, cardamom, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, or any other spices or herbs you enjoy with apples.
Topping Ideas
If you're looking to create a well-rounded snack or dessert, there are lots of delicious toppings and pairings for baked apple slices. Consider crushed nuts, greek yogurt, coconut yogurt, vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, or anything you like!
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients with quantities.
Variations
Looking for something a little different? Check out the following easy variations to make this cinnamon baked apple slices recipe your own.
- Nuts - Crushed nuts go so well with this recipe. You can add them before baking to get a little toasty and softened, after baking for a more nutty crunch, or half and half for the best of both worlds. Walnuts, pecans, and almonds all go well with baked apple slices.
- Butter - This recipe is oil and butter free, but you can add up to 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil or butter when mixing the other ingredients together.
- With lemon - Add the zest of 1 medium lemon. If making it saucy (below), you can use the lemon juice instead of water.
- Saucy - Add 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour or all purpose gluten-free flour and 2 tablespoons of water to the raw apple slices and mix together. Make sure the edges are bubbling before the apple slices are finished baking to thicken.
- Apple Crumble - If you want to add all of these variations together plus a streusel crumble topping, make my Apple Crumble recipe instead!
How to Make Baked Apple Slices
Learn how to make baked cinnamon apple slices in just two easy steps!
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, add the apples, sprinkle with cinnamon, and drizzle with maple syrup. Mix thoroughly, then pour into a square 8 or 9 inch baking dish.
- Bake: Cover snugly with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the apples are soft but not mushy. They will continue to cook while they cool. Pierce an apple with a fork to get a feel for the texture. Allow the apples to remain covered while they cool for at least 10 minutes or until they reach your desired texture.
Expert Tips
Make amazing baked cinnamon apple slices on the first try with these expert tips.
Choose crisp apples.
This recipe is best with crisp apples because you get distinct tender apple slices that don't fall apart or get mushy. I tried this recipe with honey crisp and cosmic crisp apples.
For more information on good baking apple varieties, check out my recommendations in the "Ingredient Notes" section above or this Food Network article on the best apples for baking.
Test for doneness, and undercook rather than overcook.
The ideal baked apple slice pierces easily with a fork but is not mushy. I found that the apples on the bottom cooked more quickly than the apples on the top.
If you're unsure if they're done baking, it's better to undercook the top slices a little and keep the pan covered in foil while they cool to steam the upper slices.
Recipe FAQ's
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about this Baked Cinnamon Apple Slices recipe. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments at the end of this post and I'll answer within two business days.
Store leftover baked cinnamon apple slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can leave the peels on these apples. I don't enjoy the texture of baked apple skins, which is why I remove them in my baked apple recipes.
More apple dessert recipes
Each of these apple desserts work well for different occasions, from holidays to casual treats.
- Gluten-Free Apple Pie - classic holiday dessert
- Apple Crumble without oats - quicker, cozier dessert option
- Gluten-Free Apple Fritters - weekend treat
- Gluten-Free Apple Coffee Cake - brunch or guests
- Pie Iron Apple Pie - camping dessert
When you make this recipe, please leave a rating and review below. I always appreciate the feedback! ❤️
📖 Recipe
Baked Cinnamon Apple Slices (scalloped apples)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds apples *, peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, add the apples, sprinkle with cinnamon, and drizzle with maple syrup. Mix thoroughly, then pour into a square 8 or 9 inch baking dish.
- Bake: Cover snugly with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the apples are soft but not mushy. They will continue to cook while they cool. Pierce an apple with a fork to get a feel for the texture. Allow the apples to remain covered while they cool for at least 10 minutes or until they reach your desired texture.
Margaret says
I love having a healthy baked apple recipe! We make these as toppings for pancakes and waffles in the fall. I also really enjoy them as a healthy dessert for lunch and dinner.