Easy Healthy Baked Apples

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Healthy Baked Apples with oatmeal topping are cozy and comforting with tender baked apples, oats, maple syrup, raisins, pecans, and warm apple pie spices. Wholesome, easy recipe that tastes like warm apple crisp. Enjoy it for a healthy snack, breakfast, or dessert.

For more healthy apple recipes, try Cinnamon Applesauce Overnight Oats and Crock Pot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal.

eye level view of healthy baked apple cut in half topped with yogurt

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✅Recipe at a Glance
🖥️Summarize and Save This Content On
🍎Ingredients
🥜Variations & Substitutions
🥣How to Make Healthy Baked Apples
🔥Storage & Reheating
🏆Success Tips
❓FAQs
More Easy Apple Desserts
💌Let's Stay in Touch
📖 Recipe

✅Recipe at a Glance

🍽️Servings: 18
👍Difficulty: Easy
⏰Prep Time: 10
🔥Bake Time: 25 min.
🛒Featured Ingredients: Sweetened coconut, sweetened condensed milk, egg whites

🖥️Summarize and Save This Content On

The first time I made Healthy Baked Apples, I was craving apple pie with crumb topping, but I wanted something healthier. So I scooped out some apples and filled them with oats, raisins, pecans, and maple syrup, and baked them until fork-tender.

They have all the warm, cozy flavors of apple crisp, but with no butter and no added sugar. We like them with vanilla yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup for a healthy, easy breakfast, or delicious treat.

For a more decadent topping, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream and a drizzle of brown sugar caramel sauce.

🍎Ingredients

See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.

Fresh apples. Use firm, crisp apples that hold their shape when baked. For sweet apples, I prefer Honeycrisp or Gala apples. My favorite tart apples are Pink Lady or Granny Smith apples.
Oats. I use old-fashioned rolled oats, but quick oats will also work.
Flour. Flour holds the crumble topping together. You can also use oat flour, but the texture will be slightly different.
Coconut oil. Use room temperature coconut oil, not melted. Unrefined coconut oil provides the flavor and aroma of coconut, while refined coconut oil does not taste or smell like coconut.
Maple syrup. Maple syrup adds rich sweetness without refined sugar.
Raisins. I like to roughly chop the raisins for even distribution throughout the crumble.
Spices. Cinnamon and ginger give these healthy baked apples warm apple pie flavor. Use any of your favorite warm spices, like nutmeg or cardamom, or spice blends like apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
Salt. A pinch of salt brings out the flavors in the crumble.

🥜Variations & Substitutions

Dried fruit. Use any kind of dried fruit like dried cranberries or blueberries. Or skip the dried fruit and use more oats.
Nuts. Pecans, walnuts, or almonds all work well. If you skip them, substitute with more oats.

🥣How to Make Healthy Baked Apples

Step 1. Make the crumble. In a medium bowl, stir the oats, flour, maple syrup, raisins, pecans, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Mix in the coconut oil until combined.

hand holding an apple and a paring knife cutting out the blossom end of the apple

Step 2. Cut and core the apples. Cut the apples in half vertically. Use a spoon or a grapefruit spoon to scoop out the core and seeds, creating a well in the center of the apple. Use a sharp paring knife to notch out the blossom at the bottom.

Step 3. Fill the apples. Place the apple halves in a baking dish. Divide the topping among the apples, lightly packing it into the cavities and mounding it on top. Pour water into the baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil.

Step 4. Bake. Bake apples in a preheated oven at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10-30 more minutes or until the apples are tender and easily pierced with a fork. Serve healthy baked cinnamon apples warm with a dollop of yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.

🔥Storage & Reheating

Store leftover baked apples in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments until warm or in a 350 degree oven until warm.

🏆Success Tips

Bake time will vary depending on the size and variety of the apples.
Be careful not to overbake, as it can cause the apple skins to split.
If you choose to omit the raisins or pecans, substitute with an equal amount of oats.
Gala, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Honey Crisp apples hold their shape well when baked.

❓FAQs

What kind of apples are best for baking?

Choose firm apples with a crisp texture that hold their shape when baked. For sweet apples, a Gala, Honeycrisp, or Fuji apple is great for baking. The best baking apples with a tart flavor include Granny Smith, Braeburn, and Pink Lady.

Why are my baked apples mushy?

It could be the type of apple or that they were overcooked. Red Delicious and McIntosh soften quickly when baked. Choose a variety of apples that will stand up to baking, such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady apples. Then bake just until fork-tender.

Can I make baked apples ahead of time?

I don't recommend baking the apples ahead of time. To save time, make the oat crumble in advance and store it in the refrigerator for a day or two until you're ready to bake the apples.