45 Festive, Flavorful Apple Recipes to Make This Fall

These puff pastry bites combine tart apples with caramelized onions for a unique fall flavor that’s sure to please. Bake a few tarts for a dinner-party appetizer or a book club snack—or make one for a light meal served alongside a kale or perfectly fall mixed green salad.

Most of us who love pavlova think of it as a berry-packed summer treat, but we switched this one up using leftover pumpkin puree and sweet-tart Honeycrisp apples to give it an apropos fall twist.

To ensure a golden-brown crust on this pork, you’ll start by roasting everything, and then crank it up to broil to seal the glaze in. Honeycrisp apples work well in this recipe because they hold their shape when baked. If you can’t find them at your market, Jonagold or Pink Lady apples will work well, too.

Wow your guests with this cocktail containing kombucha, spiced rum, and classic winter spices. Make it a few days ahead of your event to let the flavors really come together. Then, serve it up in a highball glass with ice and an apple to garnish.

Sweet Italian sausage mingles with chopped tart apples and sage in this lovely autumn dish. We use a cubed baguette for a toasted crouton feel, but you can play around with the base: try using crumbled-up cornbread, cubed challah, or brioche instead.

Here, you simply toss sliced red apples with watercress, olive oil, lemon juice, and tarragon for a surprisingly flavorful (and crowd-pleasing!) side. Watercress is similar to arugula, and gives the salad a nice peppery kick.

Want to know how to win at any fall or winter holiday? Make boozy apple cider slushies. These delightful frozen cocktails taste like nothing you’ve ever had before. If you want to get super fancy, garnish each drink with an apple slice and cinnamon stick. Your friends will be begging you to make these all year round.

These single-serve apple pie-stuffed apples are almost too cute to eat. While they take a bit more work than some other apple pie recipes, they're sure to impress anyone from potluck guests to your picky in-laws. The recipe calls for Honeycrisp apples, but you can use a smaller variety to make these treats truly bite-sized.

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One of Ireland’s most popular desserts, the spiced apple cake is known for its crunchy sugar crust. Tart Granny Smith apples keep the cake from being too sweet, and a blend of ginger, nutmeg, and allspice make each bite warm and comforting. Serve directly from the oven, with a generous drizzle of custard sauce.

The sweet-and-spicy cinnamon crumb topping is unquestionably the best part of any coffee cake. So naturally, we made it the star of this dessert. Here, the big, buttery crumbs sit atop an elegant crescent roll twist, which is more striking to serve (and simple to bake) than a traditional coffee cake. Add apples to the mix, and you've got pastry perfection.

Celery, apple, and toasted buckwheat deliver a variety of textures that make this healthy lunch idea extremely satisfying. Toasted buckwheat is a fun and nutritious add-on that fits into a gluten-free diet. Bonus: this recipe won't wilt like other salads by the time the clock hits lunchtime.

Adding diced apple to guacamole gives it extra crunch and a distinctive tartness that makes this dish seriously addictive.

The best breakfast recipes (like this one) make sleeping in a bit longer easier. With just four ingredients, you can whip up this crowd-pleasing brunch recipe in 15 minutes. Then while it bakes, you can slice up fruit or scramble a few eggs to finish the feast.

Packed with protein and fiber, this hearty main course salad is a nutritional powerhouse. Combine the kale, roasted sweet potato, chopped apple, and almonds in a large bowl and drizzle with a tangy mustard vinaigrette. Once dressed, massage the kale with clean hands to make the salad more palatable.

The best every-season dish: salmon with bok choy and apple slaw. It only takes 15 minutes to make, packs plenty of protein and fiber, and only asks for seven ingredients. 

Turn frozen potato pierogi into a meal by serving with a simple side of apples, cabbage, and onions.

This delicious apple cake contains two surprising ingredients. The first: bourbon, which adds a smooth, spirited, and slightly boozy flavor to the sweet-tart apples. The second is instant grits for added texture and structure. 

Full of contrasting flavors and textures, this salad combines sweet roasted butternut squash with chickpeas, crunchy apples, briny olives, and salty feta cheese. The whole thing is finished with a drizzle of dill dressing.

Candy apples are undeniably photogenic and, more importantly, delicious. Apples and salty-sweet caramel? It’s almost too good. Serve the apples on a wax-paper platter for people to pick up and take with them, or in a sealed box for guests to take as they leave.

Glaze the baked tart with warm apricot jam to add extra shine and moisture.

Whether it's a Jewish holiday or just a regular weekday, these apple cinnamon latkes are breakfast, lunch, or dinner perfection (or all three). Topping them with maple syrup—and mixing three golden delicious apples into the batter—makes them the ideal fall appetizer or side, too.

Eat your greens and keep the doctor away with this healthy smoothie recipe. It’s great if you're looking for a post-workout recovery drink or something to sip on on the way to work. If you're really pressed for time, you can blend it the night before, freeze it, and let it thaw for sipping later.

RELATED: 5 Healthy Green Smoothie Recipes

The lusciousness of a sweet potato, combined with tender onions, helps give this easy soup a delicious creaminess without a speck of cream. Nutmeg brings out the sweetness of the cooked sweet potato and apple, and a side of tangy blue cheese and crisp apples is the perfect pair for this classic fall meal.

This pie is the essence of fall—a cinnamon-and-walnut topping gives way to the apple-raisin filling and buttery crust.

Does it get much healthier than this smoothie? The creamy-creamy concoction packs just four ingredients: fiber-filled apples, avocado, kale, and fresh apple juice. Not a fan of kale? Swap in spinach.

Rosemary adds an earthy flavor to this no-fuss chicken dish.

A tangy, spicy salsa adds heat to flavorful, moist pork tenderloin.

Cook tart apples until tender and golden-brown and pair with crisp cumin-dusted pork cutlets.

Add sweet apples to a traditional cold potato leek soup for a refreshing upgrade.

Warm up with this healthy vegetarian soup, which gets its rich consistency from pureed sweet potatoes.

This salad packs a nutritious punch thanks to barley, a high-fiber food that helps lower cholesterol and may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Gala apples, dried cranberries, and nuts add sweetness and crunch to an anything-but-basic stuffing.

Melt Swiss cheese over sliced apples and potatoes for a creative spin on this rich, hearty side dish.

Dress up a classic holiday dish with cubed apples and a touch of brandy; bake until the fruit is tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Add crunch to your favorite store-bought ravioli with chopped apples and walnuts.

Spoon this sweet, simple sauce over cooked meat to add moisture and flavor in an instant.

Drizzle sweet maple syrup onto baked apples and serve with vanilla ice cream for the perfect last-minute dessert.

Stuff the fruit with a mixture of chopped nuts, brown sugar, and butter for a decadent autumn treat.

Pour a sticky caramel sauce over the spiced apple cake and let it soak in to add extra moisture and another layer of flavor.

Use packaged candies to make this classic caramel-coated treat in just 10 minutes.

Tender caramelized apples dress up a rustic polenta cake; serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe couldn’t be easier—combine sliced apples with honey and pecans, top with flour, brown sugar, and butter, and bake.

Granny Smith apples are a surprisingly tasty addition to this otherwise traditional one-pot meal.

This compote recipe is foolproof and fuss-free, plus you can make it ahead of time (which is a blessing, especially in busy holiday seasons). You'll simply heat fresh or frozen cranberries and sugar with apple juice and bourbon in a saucepan until it thickens up nicely. Let the compote cool, and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator until you’re ready for the feast. 

This crisp, creamy slaw has a bit of cider vinegar and celery seed to add brightness.