Our Cracker Barrel fried apples are a near perfect copycat recipe of the buttery side dish. You’ll love these sweet, perfectly spiced apples along side your favorite comfort food meals or even spooned on top of breakfast favorites like pancakes or waffles!

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I love going to Cracker Barrel even as a good ole fashioned Southern gal.

While so many of their main dishes are finger licking good, one of the best parts of eating there is definitely the sides.

Yes, I’m talking about the cheesy hashbrown casserole and of course their fried apples.

Buttery, sweet, cinnamony apples in a thick sauce.

What’s not to love?

Ingredients

To make these you’ll need:

Apples– A variety like Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, or Granny Smith. Peel, core, and cut them into slices.
Butter– Salted
Brown sugar– Make sure you use a packed 1/4 cup.
Spices– Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
Slurry ingredients– Cornstarch and water
Apple juice– Only if the sauce is too thick. You can thin it with a little juice if needed.

How to Make

Cracker Barrel fried apples are not only decadent and buttery, but they are beginner friendly!

To make these easy fried apples, whisk the butter and sugar whisking together in a large skillet over medium heat until they are melted and evenly combined.

Then turn the heat down to medium low and gently stir the apples into the sauce mixture until they’re evenly coated.

Cover the skillet and cook the apples for 4-5 minutes before stirring and covering the apples again so they can cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Season the apples with the spices, stirring to evenly combine.

Let the seasoned apples simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 more minutes until the apples have softened.

Stir them often.

Once the apples are soft, whisk the cornstarch and water together to make a slurry.

Then stir the slurry into the skillet just until it’s evenly combined.

Remove the skillet from heat.

Let the skillet rest for a few minutes while the sauce thickens.

If the sauce is too thick, stir in a little apple juice to thin it to your desired consistency.

Serve warm and enjoy!

How to Serve Fried Apples

We love serving them with a savory main dish especially at the holidays.

They pair really well with roast beef, ham, turkey, and roast chicken.

And of course they are amazing spooned on top of breakfast favorites like pancakes, waffles, and french toast or even served over vanilla ice cream!

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Reheat in the microwave.

How to Thicken Fried Apples

Part of what makes Cracker Barrel fried apples so amazing is that the sauce is thick and perfectly ooey gooey.

This copycat version uses a slurry of cornstarch and water to help the sauce get to that consistency.

Tips and Tricks

I recommend using an apple wedge slicer to core and slice the apples quickly and easily. Then I carefully slice each wedge in half.
You may need to adjust the cook time based on the firmness of the apple variety. For example, Golden Delicious apples are more delicate than Granny Smith apples and will soften more quickly.
Make sure you take the time to enjoy how amazing these make your house smell!

Other Copycat Cracker Barrel Recipes

Cracker Barrel fried apples are my copycat version of the popular side dish.

Make them today and enjoy!

Looking for other copycat Cracker Barrel recipes?

Try these:

If you’ve tried these CRACKER BARREL FRIED APPLES, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

Cracker Barrel Fried Apples (Copycat Recipe)

Our Cracker Barrel fried apples are a near perfect copycat recipe of the buttery side dish. You'll love these sweet, perfectly spiced apples along side your favorite comfort food meals or even spooned on top of breakfast favorites like pancakes or waffles!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Southern

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 203kcal

Author: Meaghan @ 4 Sons R Us

Ingredients

8-10 large apples peeled, cored, and sliced (roughly 12 cups)
4 tbsp salted butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp water (to make a slurry)
apple juice if needed, to thin the sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Set a large skillet over medium heat, and add the butter and sugar whisking together until melted and evenly combined.
4 tbsp salted butter, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Reduce the heat to medium low, then add the apples- gently stirring them until they're evenly coated in the sauce. Cover and cook them for 4-5 minutes.
8-10 large apples
Stir, cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Sprinkle the seasonings evenly out over the apples, stirring to evenly combine. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 more minutes- stirring often- until the apples have softened.
1 tbsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground allspice
Mix the cornstarch and water together, then pour the slurry into the skillet. Stir just until evenly combined, and remove the skillet from heat.
2 tbsp cornstarch
Let the skillet rest for a few minutes while the sauce thickens. If the sauce is too thick, stir in a little apple juice to thin.
apple juice
Serve warm & enjoy!

Notes

I recommend using an apple wedge slicer to core and slice the apples quickly and easily. Then I carefully slice each wedge in half.
You may need to adjust the cook time based on the firmness of the apple variety. For example, Golden Delicious apples are more delicate than Granny Smith apples and will soften more quickly.
Make sure you take the time to enjoy how amazing these make your house smell!