These Stewed Apples are a simple way to cook apples until soft and tender, with just the right amount of sweetness. Made with apple, water, lemon juice and sugar, they’re easy to prepare and lovely served warm or cold.
The lemon juice adds a little brightness while the sugar gently sweetens the apples as they cook. Perfect for breakfast, they’re handy to make ahead and keep in the fridge ready to serve.
What are stewed apples?
Stewed Apples are such a comforting dish to make, lovely to have on hand to serve with cereals in the morning or desserts in the evening.
More commonly known now as Stewed Apple or Apple Compote. It is fruit cooked in a little sugar syrup until a lovely, soft, mushy consistency is achieved.
It is also something my Mum loves! So this recipe and the 3 kg I have made since, are all for her!
Ways to serve stewed apples
You can use it in so many ways. It is delicious served with both sweet and savoury dishes, lovely on the side of my toasted muesli, with cheese and pork, or with a lovely crumble served warm with ice cream and/or yoghurt in the evening.
If you are into canning then this is definitely a recipe for that. Although, I am no expert so I recommend finding an expert in this area such as this one from Laura at the Kiwi Country Girl.
Can you freeze stewed apples?
For me I simply freeze it! I find popping one cup in a sandwich sized zip-lock bag in the freezer is perfect for what we need. Then you can get it out and thaw it before using it any way you choose. It is lovely served cold or warm.
What other fruits can you stew?
You can also use many different fruits here in place of the apples, such as feijoas, plums, peaches or pears. Some versions of stewed fruit use no water, or more or less sugar. So feel free to play around if you wish to change the recipe.
What ingredients do you need to make stewed apples?
The ingredients are lovely and simple too. You only need a little water, a little sugar and some lemon juice to go with your apples. So this makes it a really cost effective recipe, especially when apples are in season.
This is not the full recipe, please scroll down for the printable recipe card below.
What spices can you add to stewed apples?
You can also add spices to this to enhance the flavour. It is lovely with a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or often this can be cooked with whole cloves. Just be sure to remove the cloves before you serve or store.
How to make a larger batch of stewed apples
This recipe can also be easily scaled. The ingredients above make approximately one cup of stewed apples, so feel free to multiply this by either the amount of apples you have or the amount of cups you desire if you are squirreling away for winter.
How to prepare apples for stewing
Everyone has their own way of making stewed apples, slight variations on amounts or technique, so this is mine, yours and your grandmas may be the exact same or slightly different!
I like to squeeze my lemons and add the juice straight to the saucepan, then peel, core and slice my apples. Slicing or dicing is personal preference, same outcome really!
How long do stewed apples take to cook?
The lemon juice is to ensure the apples do not brown and also for flavour. Then add to this the water and sugar and add to a medium heat. The key for stewed apples is to ensure they are soft and mushy, so they take around ten minutes to cook for one batch, much longer for larger batches.
They are ready once they are soft and you can mash them against the edge of the saucepan. Some people like to mash it further with a wooden spoon for a thinner consistency, I just leave mine as is as it is really soft anyway.
Then remove from the heat and allow the stewed apples to cool completely in the saucepan, this way the apples absorb back a lot of the water also.
How to store stewed apples
Once made, you can store your stewed apples in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days, freeze them as I have done above, or try canning them. It’s such a handy wee recipe to have up your sleeve, whether you call it stewed apples like Grandma did, or apple compote!
Other apple recipes to try
If you are into creating delicious dishes with apples be sure to check out my Apple Pie Filling, such a lovely recipe to have in the freezer for quick delicious pies, crumbles and desserts.
Some of my other favourite apple recipes are:
- Anzac Apple Crumble
- Classic Apple Crumble
- Easy French Apple Cake
- Apple & Cinnamon Baked Oats
- Apple Pear Carrot Loaf
- Apple Crunch Cake
Stewed Apples recipe
Stewed Apple
Delicious simple recipe for Stewed Apples or Apple Compote
Ingredients
- 500 grams Apples (approx 4-5 apples)
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice, 10mls
- 1/3 Cup Water, 60 mls
- 1/4 Cup White Sugar, 50 grams
Optional Flavours
- 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder, a pinch of nutmeg
- Or a few whole cloves, add at the beginning of the cooking process, BE SURE to remove the cloves before serving or storing
Instructions
- Squeeze a fresh lemon for its juice, and add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to a medium sized saucepan
- Peel, core and slice (or dice) your apples into 1 cm pieces and add to the lemon juice and stir as you add to coat the apples in the lemon juice to prevent browning
- Add to this the water and white sugar and stir
- Place the saucepan over a medium low heat and begin to heat the apple mixture.
- Stirring often keep cooking the apples for 10 minutes* at a gente simmer or until they begin to become very soft and mushy. They will easily crush against the side of the pan.
- Remove from the heat (if adding cinnamon add it now and stir through)
- Allow the stewed apples to cool completely where it will reabsorb much of the moisture, store for 3-4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container, or can or freeze in a sandwich side ziplock bag laying flat for up to 3 months.
- Serve warm or cold.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Can I use other fruits to make stewed fruit?
Yes! You can also use many different fruits here in place of the apples, such as feijoas, plums, peaches or pears.
Do I need to follow the same recipe?
Some versions of stewed fruit use no water, or more or less sugar or honey in place of sugar. So feel free to play around if you wish to change the recipe, the outcome will vary.
What apples are best to use for stewing apples?
Granny Smith are always the best apples to use for baking as their tart flavour makes a lovely match for the sweet syrup. However it is not as important here that the fruit holds it's shape so feel free to use almost any apple you enjoy.
Can I can stewed apples?
Yes! Please see this tutorial by Laura from My Kiwi Country Girl
Can I freeze stewed apples?
Yes! Ideally use zip-lock bags, I like to fill mine and lay flat with the air removed and sealed well. A sandwich sized zip-lock bag will easily hold one serving, or one cup, or this recipe. This will keep for up to 3 months frozen. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using. Can eat warm or cold.
Can I scale up this recipe?
Yes! Simply decide the quantity of apples you wish to use and multiply it by that amount. It will take longer to cook and you will need to use a larger saucepan. Simply cook over a medium low heat until it simmers gently and the apples are mushy.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 130Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gSodium 3mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 4gSugar 29gProtein 0g
JustAMumNZ.com, occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although justamumnz.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
I really hope you enjoy these Stewed Apples as much as we do. They are so simple to make and such a handy recipe to have on hand for breakfasts, desserts and more.
If you give this recipe a go, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you in the comments. You can also leave a ⭐ rating in the recipe card above, it really helps others find and enjoy this recipe too.
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Happy baking,
Anna x
Debrra says
I made this using your recipe, the apples are off my brother-in-laws tree, he said they need sugar and are cooking apples. I sliced them , the started to break up so cooked them for less time. Think I will make the rest into apple sauce
Richard Nott says
I use maple syrup instead of sugar and sometimes blend the apples with mangoes if in season or black plums. Mainly use granny smiths
justamumnz says
That sounds delicious!
Gill says
We love these stewed apples especially with a little cinnamon stirred through when cool!
Anna From Just A Mum says
I’m so pleased to hear that!