Put those fresh apples to good use with my best healthy apple recipes for kids—and the rest of the family too! You’ll find pancakes, muffins, cookies, baked apples, oatmeal, applesauce and more. Each is nutritious, easy to make, and so yummy.
Healthy Apple Recipes
This time of the year is perfect for cooking and baking with apples—though I almost always have an apple or two in my fridge, so I tend to use apples all year long. I love to pull together these lists to help you come up with new ideas for produce, especially when you might have an abundance from a trip to an orchard or farmer’s market. (Or just the grocery store!)
Whether you’re in the mood for breakfast, snacks, dessert, or you just want to make a few treats to stash into the freezer, this list has your apple recipe needs covered!
The apple recipes I’ve included here are “healthy” in terms of:
- They’re made with low added sugars.
- Most contain whole grains and fiber.
- They have healthy fats too.
TIP: Each of these is suitable for babies eating finger foods on up. (If a recipe calls for honey, omit it or swap in maple syrup for kids under age 1.)
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Apple Oatmeal Recipes
Whether you’re looking for oatmeal, overnight oats, or granola, these recipes all feature apples and oats so you can take your pick!
You can double this recipe to make a larger batch to warm up and serve throughout the week.
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You can make this overnight the and enjoy it for breakfast the following day, or make a whole batch ahead and eat it throughout the week.
*To do this overnight, choose the LOW heat option and cook time.
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You can easily double (or triple!) the recipe to make more servings. It uses a 1 to 1 ratio of yogurt to applesauce so you can easily scale it up. Mix these up the night before you plan to serve them.
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This healthy granola recipe uses applesauce for sweetness and bakes at a lower temperature to lower the risk of burning around the edges. Plus, find an option to make it without added sugar id desired.
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Apple Desserts
From cookies to donuts, these are delicious ways to turn apples into dessert to enjoy any time of the day.
These hearty apple cookies are plenty sweet, yet low in added sugars. You can also serve them as breakfast cookies (you may just want to leave the icing off!)
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These cookies are a little crispy around the edges right out of the oven, but soften as they are stored.
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Made with minimal added sweeteners and fresh apple flavor, these baked donuts are a nutritious breakfast or snack to share.
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For a first birthday or a family celebration, this Apple Cake is easy and delicious. (Note: You’ll want to start the frosting the night before you plan to make the cake so it has time to thicken.)
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You can use any kind of apple in this recipe. It will taste best if your apples taste sweet. There’s a big range of flavors in apples, so just know the final flavor it connected to the flavor of the apples. Honeycrisp and Pink Lady are good options.
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With sweet-tart flavors and an easy method, this pie is perfect for the winter holidays! Use fresh or frozen cranberries in this recipe for the best results. Discard any that are blemished or shriveled.
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Apple Bars, Muffins, and Pancakes
Put those apples to good use in these breakfast and snack recipes.
This Apple Baked Oatmeal is delicious and hearty. It’s delicate when warm, so let it cool fully before you slice it with a serrated knife. Serve it in slices like you would apple bread, or in a bowl to eat with a spoon or a fork.
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We like to have these granola bars as a snack or toddler breakfast with milk or a smoothie—and they’re an excellent lunch box component too. You can make them plain or choose a flavor to add!
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Perfectly spiced and just sweet enough, these Applesauce Muffins are a yummy breakfast or snack. We like these on their own, topped with nut or seed butter, or even with a smear of cream cheese. See what your littles like!
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Made with a base of applesauce and whole grain flour, these easy mini muffins are sweet enough to taste like a treat!
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These fluffy Applesauce Pancakes are easy to mix up, taste sweet and comforting, and the leftovers store nicely in the fridge or freezer. We like them topped with a little maple syrup, peanut butter, or additional applesauce.
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These apple pancakes are hearty and filled with freshly shredded apples and oats, so expect them to have a lot of texture!
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Made with a base of just two ingredients, this Apple Yogurt takes just seconds to make—and is a delicious breakfast or snack option.
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Tender, full of apple flavor, and topped with a yummy streusel, these Apple Cinnamon Muffins are a forever favorite muffin recipe. (These are flavorful when made with fresh apples with a lot of flavor, but they are not super sweet. To increase the sweetness, add ¼ cup sugar to the muffin batter.)
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With a super simple method that allows you to bake an entire batch of pancakes at once, these Sheet Pan Pancakes are a breakfast win.
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Easy Applesauce Recipes
Here are a few of my go-to applesauce recipes that are great to preserve excess apples or to just make a quick fruit sauce.
With just a few basic ingredients and fresh apples, your crock pot can do the rest of the work of making applesauce!
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You can peel or not peel the apples, depending on your preference.
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You can use any type of apple you like in this recipe.
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There’s no one right serving size for every child, so start with a smaller amount and offer more as indicated by baby. When they turn their head or close their mouth, end the meal—it’s usually pretty obvious when they want to be done!
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Transform fresh apples into the most delicious snack or side dish to share with the whole family—babies and toddlers on up. Check out all three flavor options.
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Learn the easiest way to make a batch of Homemade Applesauce, with easy flavor options, in less than 30 minutes. It’s delicious, versatile, and easy to store for future meals and snacks.
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Learn the easiest way to make a batch of Cinnamon Applesauce in less than 30 minutes. It’s delicious, versatile, and easy to store for future meals and snacks.
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Learn the easiest way to make a batch of Applesauce Pouches, with six flavor options, in less than 30 minutes. This is easy, delicious, and versatile—and a perfect way to batch-prep a snack or meal component.
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BLW Apples (and Beyond)
Baked apple slices are so good for babies doing BLW-style of feeding. And my sauteed apples are a favorite finger food for 9+ months.
We like these apples warm or cold out of the fridge, so see what your kids like best!
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You can use any type of apple you have or like, though generally tart cooking apples (like Granny Smith or Pink Lady) soften nicely without falling apart too quickly.
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These quick stove top Cinnamon Apples cook in under 10 minutes, are perfectly tender, and can be served with or without added sugar. They’re a delicious snack or topping for yogurt or oatmeal—and they taste like apple pie filling!
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Related Recipes
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This post was first published August 2018.