The Best Apple Recipes for Your Orchard Haul (2024)

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Crisp fall air. Rosy cheeks. Cozy flannel shirts and jeans. Wool mittens. Frost crunching under the heels of your boots. This is fall, friends, and this is prime apple picking season!

Every Midwestern fall when I was growing up, my family would drive to a local orchard and pick bushels of apples to enjoy for the coming weeks. (Oh yes, and to devour one too many Apple Cider Donuts while we did so. No regrets!)

As great as fresh apples are to snack on as-is, the possibilities are nearly endless for showcasing them in sweet and savory recipes all autumn long. Ahead, your complete guide to the best apple recipes for every course and occasion.

Breakfast: Apple Cider Donuts

Remember those cider donuts I mentioned? Well I adore them so much to this day, that I recreated a homemade Apple Cider Donut version this year. Baked instead of fried and infused concentrated apple cider, these might be even better than the ones we’d order at the orchard.

Lunch: Apple Walnut Salad

Studded with sweet-tart fresh apple slices, hearty walnuts, and salty feta cheese, this fall salad idea is satisfying enough to act as a mid-day main course. Or top with Rotisserie Chicken, Grilled Shrimp Skewers, or Baked Salmon for extra protein.

Dinner: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Quite possibly the best apple main dish recipe I’ve ever created, this slow-and-low pulled pork recipe scores a hint of natural sweetness from applesauce. It’s the perfect counterpoint to the savory pork shoulder! The entire apple entree recipes calls for just 3 ingredients, plus pepper and olive oil.

If you’re craving a main dish with fresh apples, try them in place of the fennel in my succulent Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin recipe. (By the way, for any of the apple recipe ideas here, this should come in handy; here’s how to cut and core apples.)

Or, if you’re just looking to add some apple flavor to your life, try my delicious Apple Glaze. It’s perfect on Roasted Cornish Hens, Rotisserie Chicken, and Turkey.

Dessert: Caramel Apples

Now that I’m a mom, I’m keen on keeping my most beloved family traditions alive with my brood. This is one of them: Homemade Caramel Apples!

Unlike the kind I made as a kid, this recipe doesn’t require unwrapping dozens of candy caramels. Instead, I’ll teach you how easy it is to make caramel sauce from scratch. Then comes the most fun part: topping any which way you desire!

Drink: Apple Cider

Yes, there’s a difference between Apple Cider and juice! Cider starts with cut apples that are ground into a “mash” of sorts, then simmered and strained into a flavorful beverage. Juice is filtered to remove the pulp, then often pasteurized to extend its lifespan.

Apple cider is great on it its own, spiked with a shot of booze, or stirred into warming family-friendly drinks for the holidays.

Snack: Caramel Apple Dip

If you don’t feel like cooking whatsoever, I’ve got you covered! To make this easy apple dip (a classic from my childhood) stir together a block of cream cheese with brown sugar, white sugar, and a splash of vanilla. Serve with sliced apples. That’s it!

So schedule your own apple-picking excursion then come back and pull up this story. The only tough part: Deciding which of these best apple recipes to try first!