Learn how to make the best microwave apples. This quick and easy, 5-minute cinnamon dessert (or sweet snack) is the perfect cure for last-minute sweet tooth cravings. Makes a delicious side dish too!
Years ago, my Grandma taught me how to make microwave apples. They literally take 5 minutes to make, a fraction of the time it takes to bake them in the oven, and you have a ready-made side dish or quick dessert filled with sliced apples and cinnamon. I also have a tutorial for how to make baked cinnamon apples in the oven if you prefer that instead.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “So easy to make!”
“Excellent! My husband and I were both impressed. And so easy to make!”
Rachel E., Flour On My Fingers Reader
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast: Microwave apples are quick and easy, requiring about 5 minutes from start to finish. It’s the perfect last-minute dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Less cleanup: This is a one-bowl recipe, so you won’t have so many dishes to do.
- Budget-friendly: It’s cheap to make with staple pantry ingredients.
- More nutritious: Did you know that, according to available nutrient data, foods cooked in the microwave are actually less likely to lose nutrients than foods with extended baking times? Mainly because of that shorter cooking time, so less nutrients tend to break down.
- Feed a crowd: While I usually make this microwave baked apples recipe for one, you can easily double, triple or even quadruple the recipe in a bigger dish to feed more people.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes
You’ll need to gather just a few simple ingredients to make microwave baked apples.
- Fresh Apples – You want an apple with a balance of sweet-tart flavors. I like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonathan, and Jonagold. Other suitable apples include Rome, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Northern Spy, Gala, Pink Lady, and Empire.
- Salted Butter – Salted butter is better than unsalted because it adds more flavor.
- Light Brown Sugar – A really sweet apple will only need 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. A tart apple may require as much as 2 tablespoons. I recommend starting with 1 tablespoon, then taste it, and add more if needed.
- Ground Cinnamon – I just add ground cinnamon, but if you want it to taste more like apple pie, you can also add a little nutmeg or apple pie spice.
How to Make Microwave Apples
Just follow these steps to make microwave baked apple slices:
- Slice or dice apples into a microwave-safe bowl or baking dish.
- Add brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir to coat the sliced apples well.
- Top with sliced butter.
- Microwave for about 3-4 minutes on high. until tender and easily poked with a fork.
How to Serve Microwave Apples
That’s it! Stir and serve alone or with a topping of your choice. I love a scoop of vanilla ice cream on mine. Use any leftovers to make apple cinnamon French toast casserole or Crockpot apple dump cake (just swap the pie filling).
Optional Topping and Snacking Ideas
To add more texture and flavor to cinnamon apples in the microwave, you can add a little pizzazz with some of these toppings:
- Top your apples with whipped cream!
- Put a dollop of caramel apple dip on top of your apples.
- Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream – or butterscotch, butter pecan, etc.
- Drizzle some caramel sauce on your apples!
- Pour a bit of maple syrup over your microwave-baked apples.
- Scatter chopped pecans or walnuts all over the top!
- Sprinkle quick oats on top for a quick and easy microwave apple crisp! You can also mix the oats with brown sugar and a little butter to make a brown sugar streusel topping.
- Drizzle powdered sugar icing over top once cooled.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
The apple slices will be soft and tender. They should be easily poked with a fork. Play it by feel, cooking them longer if needed.
Yes, it is perfectly safe to microwave sliced apples. It is true that whole apples are known to explode in the microwave since the steam is trapped inside of the skin and can’t escape. When apples are sliced up, the steam can escape, so there’s no more danger.
To thicken the cinnamon juice that forms at the bottom of the dish, toss the raw apple slices with a pinch of cornstarch or flour before microwaving. As the apples cook, they’ll release juices, and the cornstarch will create a rich, glossy syrup.
A microwave-safe glass bowl is perfect for this recipe. It’s easier to work with than a plastic bag, and you don’t have to worry about toxins leeching into your food from the plastic.
No, you don’t have to peel the apples. Leaving the skins on saves time, adds a nice pop of color, and a little extra fiber. However, I like to peel them first because it gives the apples a silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture similar to apple pie filling.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. To reheat, simply microwave them for 30–45 seconds until warmed through.
More Apple Recipes
If you love microwave apples, you may enjoy these recipes too:
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. And subscribe to my email list too!
5-Minute Microwave Apples
Ingredients
- 2 large apples *
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar *
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
Instructions
Video
These were awesome! I halved the recipe and poured them over some vanilla ice cream for a late night snack! 10/10!
Explained well. Gonna try right now actually! Yum!!
I made a double batch of this without peeling the apples (the recipe doesn’t say to), and the peel stayed a bit tough even after about 10 minutes. It was still pretty good though.
Hey Mac, you definitely do not have to peel the apples, although I usually do. I should specify that better in the recipe….Thanks for the awesome feedback! I’m glad you liked it!
Excellent! My husband and I were both impressed. And so easy to make!
That’s great, Rachel! I’m so glad everyone liked it.
I am diabetic, can I use stevia to sweeten the apples, with the cinnamon. I know it won’t taste the same, what do you think. I also don’t want to use butter
Liane, I think that would work just fine! I do recommend using butter, but you can substitute margarine if you must. We don’t like margarine personally.
Great alternative to stove top method. I was pressed for time when serving pork chops for dinner. This is my usual side dish. It normally takes about an hour simmering on the stove but these were ready to serve in about 10 minutes (including the prep). I went a little bit heavier on the sugar and cinnamon (by 1/2). Turned out perfect! I wonder if an addition of a sprinkle of flour will make the “sauce” thicker? I will use this recipe again 😋
Ginger, a little flour would definitely thicken the sauce if desired. I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Microwave apples are absolutely delicious with pork chops. Sometimes my son likes to throw a few onion rings in with the apples. I know, it sounds crazy, but apples n’ onions are very delicious.
You can also use equal parts of a tsp of corn starch and water to t thicken as well
Hi, I made this recipe late last night and it was delicious! I have a few jars of cinnamon and used one that pours out but thinking it was the kind you sprinkle. So I dumped in more than expected! Ah well, such is life. I happen to ❤️❤️❤️ Cinnamon so it was still fantastic to my taste! Gloria
That’s awesome, Gloria! Thanks for sharing.
Omg!!! Apple pie vibes without the crust!!! Yummy!!!
I’m so glad you liked it, Kristen!
Delicious
Thank you, Hamish!