8 Unique Apple Recipes You Need To Try This Fall
Autumn season means tons of apples, and I’ve got all the unique apple recipes that are not only tasty, but will brighten up your seasonal blues! I love apples in desserts, but also in teas, salads, stews, and marinades. I want to share all the different ways I often use apples in my meals. So, here all sorts of unique dishes that use apples this autumn, from Korean BBQ meat marinade, to some deliciously good-for-you Apple Herbal Tea!
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Cooking with Apples
The farmers marker in Vancouver have been filled with freshly picked apples – and so many varieties! I didn’t realize how often I use apples in my own cooking until I noticed how often I buy them from our farmer’s market. It’s inspired me to collect all the recipes I use apples in. Apple contains tons of Vitamin C, fibers, and antioxidants, promoting great skin and gut health. It’s a healthy way to add a little more bulk, sweet, and sour to a dish, without making it heavy. Often times, you won’t even know it’s there in the dish!
Apples: The Perfect Salad Fruit
I love adding apples to salads! As a topping, apples are great chopped into bite sized chunks. They add a refreshing pop of juices to a bite full of veggies. What I love even more is actually adding it into salad dressing. Apples add a tartness and sweetness that’s so different from lemon and honey. As a dressing, the fiber-packed grated apple thickens the dressing, making it so much easier to cling to the salad components.
Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing
I use to buy it pre-made store-bought, but ever since I found out how easy it is to make at home, I’ve been making this Japanese Ginger Salad dressing in bulk every week! Although this salad dressing recipe does use sweetener, adding apples and carrots gives it a fruitier, brighter flavor that isn’t just “sweet”. The onion, garlic, and ginger provide the savory, spicy flavor, giving it a great balance overall.
- 1 cup of Oil (grapeseed, olive oil, or avocado oil)
- 3 cloves of Garlic
- ½ cup of peeled ginger (roughly chopped ~ 1 knob/17g)
- 1 carrot (roughly chopped)
- 1.5 peeled Apple (roughly chopped)
- ¼ Onion (roughly chopped)
- ½ cup of Rice Vinegar
- 1 tbsp of Miso Paste
- 2.5 tbsp of Sugar or Honey
- 1 tsp of Sesame Oil
Adding Sweetness To Japanese Curry with Apples
In Japanese home cooking, apples are often added to Japanese Curry to add sweetness and a little thickness in consistency to the curry itself. Apple’s sour and fruity flavors balances out the complex spices of the curry, Grated into the curry, you really don’t realize that you’re eating something cooked with apples. Next time you’re cooking Japanese Curry, add some grated apples in, and see how the flavors change!
One-Poot Creamy Japanese-Style Beef Curry
This is my mother-in-law’s secret Beef Curry recipe, and it’s got a few interesting ingredients to make the flavors even better. For this non-traditional Japanese Beef Curry , my mother-in-law has THREE different secret ingredients: apples, dark chocolate, and coconut milk. Apple provides a subtle sweetness while the dark chocolate adds depth which makes the dish extra rich. The coconut milk gives it a rich creamy base while keeping it light, making me eat scoop after scoop!
- 2lb of Beef Stew Meat (I am using Chuck Roast)
- 1 tsp of Salt & Black Pepper
- 1.5 tbsp of Curry Powder
- 2 tbsp of Oil
- 3 Onions (sliced)
- 2 Large Potato (Cut into chunks)
- 2 Large Carrot (Cut into Chunks)
- 6-8 cups of Water
- 1.5 cup of Full Fat Coconut Milk
- 2 pieces of Unsweeten Dark Chocolate
- 1/4 Apple (grated)
- 1 pack of Curry Cubes (115g)
Marinading Meats with Apples
One of my favorite ways to use apples in cooking is actually adding it into my meat marinades. The enzymes and acids in the juices tenderizes while marinating, and it comes out perfect every time. I constantly get asked what’s in my marinade, and apples might just be the secret sauce.
The meat should sit for at least 30 minutes in marinade, but I like to let them soak overnight for even better flavor.
Easy Korean BBQ Meat Marinade
This Easy Korean BBQ marinade is a recipe that we use all the time for BBQ dinner, and it really does taste like the restaurants. The key ingredients for this marinade is freshly grated apple, pear, onion, and ginger. This mix of natural fruit juices gives the meat a natural sweetness while tenderizing at the same time. This marinade is such a game changer! I use it not only for beef, but also for pork and chicken.
- 1 apple
- 1 onion white or yellow
- 1 Korean pear if cannot find, double the apple
- 10-15 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- 3 tablespoon honey can replace with brown sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper – adjust to your own liking
- 1.5 tbsp sesame oil
Air Fryer Korean Sweet Spicy Short Ribs
Making these ribs in the Air Fryer makes them so easy and mess-free! Spicy, sweet, and super meaty, these Dwaeji Galbi, or Korean Sweet and Spicy Pork has downed many bowls of rice. Using the Air Fryer, you can make this spicy pork recipe at home without needing a grill!
For this dish, the marinade really is key. The onion and apples inside the marinade give the meat a naturally fruity sweetness. If you’re not a fan of spicy, you can adjust the amount of Korean red chili flakes to decrease the spice level.
- 4 lb pork spare ribs
- 1 apple
- ½ large onion
- 6 garlic
- 1-inch ginger
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 5 tbsp sweetener of your choice, I like honey or plum extract
- 1.5 tbsp sesame oil
- ⅔ cup korean red chili paste, gochujang
- 2.5 tbsp korean red chili flakes gochugaru, adjust to your own spice level
- A pinch of black pepper (optional)
Classic Apple Desserts
Of course, we can’t forget the classic Apple desserts. There’s nothing more fall than warm apple pie with some ice cream. But besides apple pie, there’s also so many other dessert recipes to use to enjoy this fall fruit. Between easy air fryer recipes to chilled desserts, Apples might be my most used dessert fruit too!
Mess-Free Stress-Free Air Fryer Apple Crumble
This gluten-free Air Fryer Apple Crumble is the easiest way for me to cure my sweet tooth. I love enjoying this apple crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and my latest book club picks. Super easy to assemble, and the rest of the recipe is popping it into the Air Fryer and waiting. It’s delicious, and only takes 15 minutes, so treat yourself!
- 2 Apples, peeled and chopped (Granny Smith Preferred)
- 1/2 tbsp corn starch
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Your Favorite Ice Cream
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 cup melted Butter or Coconut Oil
Fruit Jelly: The Easiest Chilled Apple Dessert
This fruit jelly is a simple, healthy fruit dessert that brings a little bit of summer to the cold and gloom. It’s not too sweet, and so easy to make in bulk. For large family dinners, this light chilled dessert is a sweet way to end a meal. I typically use fruits like kiwi, apples, and strawberries. Adding apples into this fruit jelly recipe especially gives it the most delightful crunch in the middle!
- Any fruit of your choice, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar
- 2 tsp Agar Agar powder
Apple Teas Are Drinkable Skincare
Apples are my favorite fruit to add to my fruit teas because they’re tasty and so easy to find. They add such a gentle sweetness and a subtle fruity aroma that really freshens up a drink. Not to mention, with vitamin C and digestive health benefits, apples teas are basically drinkable skin care.
To add apples into your tea, you just have to slice them, and add them to your tea while it’s simmering until the apples are soft. Your tea should now be infused with the delicious flavors of apples.
Apple Herbal Tea
This Apple Herbal Tea is my mom’s remedy whenever I’m feeling under the weather. It takes only 20 minutes to make, with easily available ingredients. This tea has everything your body need to get your blood circulating during that time of the month: Chinese Red Dates, Red Sugar, and Goji Berries. If you’re feeling your cramps too much, use this apple tea recipe to soothe and warm your body from the inside out. I promise, it will feel just like a hug.
- 2 Apple
- 6-8 Chinese Red dates
- 10-15 Goji Berry
- 2-3 tablespoons Red Sugar
- 4 cups Water
Apple Citrus Black Tea
If I feel like my skin needs a little brightening, but I also want boba tea shop type drinks, I make this Apple Citrus Black Tea. This tea is fruity, but aromatic from the toasted tea and sugar. Tasty both hot and iced, this fruit tea has apples, oranges, AND lemons. Its packed with tons of vitamin C, so it’s a great treat to drink throughout a hot day instead of soda. I also love switching it up with green tea, oolong, or jasmine tea leaves!
- 1 apples Cut Into Slices
- 1 orange Cut Into Slices
- 1 lemons Cut Into Slices
- 1/3 cup loose-leaf black tea
- 2-3 tablespoon Red Sugar
- 4-5 cups Water
These apple recipes are perfect for fall! I always love baking a classic pie but this is something new