This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Looking for ideas about what to do with old apples? This post is packed with ideas, so I hope you find something fun, delicious, or sweet-smelling to do with your extra apples!
Did you know they can be baked into a dessert or dried for a tabletop potpourri? Slow cook those wrinkly, mealy apples into applesauce (or jam or jelly or cider) or press them for juice!
Apples are such amazing, versatile, long-lasting fruits. Ripe ones can be enjoyed straight off the tree or cut off the core and dipped into something creamy, like our Fruit Dip!
But old apples, the kind that have been sitting in the bowl on your counter for -cough- weeks can often still be used! Make sure the skin is unbroken and that bruises haven’t gone moldy, and you might be surprised that even when a super old apple is mealy, it can cook down into something amazing.
Blend old apples into hummus, or slice and shred a ⅓ c of apple into a grilled cheese sandwich, or knead into some burger for meatloaf or meatballs in place of eggs (apple is versatile like zucchini).
Old apple recipes often include finely diced apples on top of an entree like mac and cheese or folded into rigatoni with Italian sausage. Savory apple recipes are great too! Or add old apples to a birdfeeder or dehydrate them into chips!
When considering what to make with apples, a facial mask/skincare is one interesting idea, and they can be cut into shapes and used with paint for stamping! Talk about using every bit: Try making apple scrap vinegar with your old apple peels!
And if apple-picking season has come and gone, and your fruit bowl STILL overflows, it’s time to process, dehydrate, cook and bake your way with (practically) zero-waste options! (Here’s our favorite countertop compost bin! affiliate links)
So let’s bite into a few ideas of what to do with old apples, should you find yourself with a few too many!
1. Apple Fritter Monkey Bread
This Apple Fritter Monkey Bread brings together everything you love about classic apple fritters in an easy pull-apart bread format. Sweet cinnamon-coated apple pieces nestle between tender biscuit dough, all baked together with a rich brown sugar sauce.
WANT TO SAVE THIS?
Don't lose this! Enter your email and we'll send it instantly.
2. Apple Dapple Cake
One of our most popular recipes, this caramel-like glaze oozes into the rich, apple cake and in every bite! Moist, flavorful, and topped with a rich brown-sugar glaze, this Apple Dapple Cake is the ultimate easy dessert for apple lovers.
3. Apple Pie Dip + Cinnamon Sugar Chips
Sometimes I just find a slice of apple pie too rich, or just too much, and I just want that luscious flavor without all the heavy crust. Enter: Apple Pie Dip + Cinnamon Sugar Crisps. It’s warm, gooey, cinnamon-spiced magic—basically the inside of an apple pie, just made for dipping. And those crispy cinnamon sugar tortilla chips make the best sweet snack sidekick.
5. Apple Rose Tarts
I’ve been excited to show you this recipe for Apple Rose Tarts—little treats that look like delicate roses! I’ve seen some with powdered sugar, but I love these with caramel.
6. How to Sauté Apples
Old apple recipes usually involve cooking or baking. This recipe is so simple, so delicious and so multi purposeful! Four simple ingredients of apples, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon cooked in a skillet, create a fantastic dessert which can stand alone or be added to the top of something else.
8. Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops
So what to do with old apples when it comes to dinner? Juicy apple cider glazed pork chops seared and coated in a sweet-tangy cider reduction. An easy 30-minute fall dinner the whole family will love.
9. Simple Air Fryer Baked Apple Chips
Apple chips are exactly what to do with leftover apples! This recipe keeps it simple. Slice the apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon. These bake at a low temperature for a long time.
10. Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Soft, tender apple cinnamon muffins packed with fresh apples and topped with a thick cinnamon crumb. A simple two-temperature bake gives them tall, bakery-style tops.
11. Apple Cranberry Turkey Salad
This lovely apple cranberry turkey salad usually makes an appearance when turkey needs to be used up, but today it fits in perfectly with what to make with apples! This savory and sweet salad is fantastic as a sandwich served on croissants or even on a bed of lettuce!
12. Apple Crisp
Let’s say you have six apples and are debating what to do with extra apples, this apple crisp is coming to your rescue! Fabulous step by step pictures show each step clearly! These apples should be peeled and my vote is for serving this crisp warm with ice cream on top!
15. Air Fryer Baked Apples with Cinnamon Oats
When someone asks what to do with old apples, a delicious answer would be to bake them! And the air fryer makes quick work of this. Cut out the core leaving the bottom intact and spooning out a bit more. Then fill them with a stuffing mix of brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, pecans.
16. Homemade Mulled Apple Cider
Nothing says ‘Welcome Fall’ like a mug full of slow cooker apple cider. You can start with a gallon of store-bought or make your own. Then add whole cloves, whole allspice, whole cinnamon sticks and brown sugar!
17. 3 Ways To Dehydrate Apples
If you have old apples and need old apple recipes to help you use them up, dehydrating them is a great way to hang onto them for future enjoyment. Three different ways are explained in this post: air-drying, oven drying and using a food dehydrator. Your choice to peel or not to peel!
18. Kids’ Favorite Broccoli Apple Salad
A veggie and fruit loaded salad: Broccoli slaw, diced apples, dried cranberries, sliced almond and topped off with a poppyseed dressing. And if you want it to be a meal, simply add chicken or turkey!
19. Upside Down Apple Cinnamon Roll Cake
An upside down apple cinnamon roll cake is a dream come true for what to do with extra apples! A cream cheese filling, a gooey homemade caramel sauce, fresh apples, and refrigerated crescent dinner rolls bring this recipe to life!
20. Baked Brie Cheese Appetizer With Apples & Bacon
For fantastic savory old apple recipes, look no further than this recipe for baked brie cheese appetizer with apples and bacon. That’s a mouthful for an appetizer, full of butter, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon!
21. Apple Butternut Squash Soup
A couple old apples on hand and a butternut squash and you are in business to make apple butternut squash soup! It’s a home run with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and just a bit of half and half to give it that amazing creaminess!
24. Apple Crisp Shortbread Bar
If you love apple crisp but want it in a finger friendly form, some old apple recipes can help out like this one! It is everything you love from the shortbread crust to the apple filling to the buttery crumb topping! After baking, cool and then chill completely before cutting into bars.
26. Apple Spinach Smoothie
On a smoothie kick? I got you covered with several old apple recipes to choose from, but this one is delish! Five ingredients blend into this creamy smoothie, namely spinach, banana, red or green apple, non-dairy milk and hemp hearts!
27. No-Bake Mini Apple Cheesecakes
Lastly, old apples can be used up in this no-bake mini apple cheesecake recipe. Different layers of a walnut mixture, cream cheese mixture and cooked apples combine for a slightly savory but mostly sweet flavor profile. Three delicious layers are spooned into clear glasses for a stunning presentation!
28. Stovetop Apple Potpourri With Fresh Apples
You can practically smell the fragrance of apple, orange, cinnamon, cloves (and pine!) wafting up from the image here for stovetop apple potpourri! As Cranberry’s Biggest Fan, I can tell you that this one will be as pretty to look at as it is to smell.
CookingChew tip: Cut your old apples width-wise (across the fat part) to get the star-shape of the core to show. Not necessary, but a simple extra-pretty step.
29. Homemade Dry Potpourri For Your Home & Gifting
I do love the holidays, so I’m a sucker for homemade gifts that time of year. But I also love pretty things year-round, especially the ones that smell good! This dried apple potpourri recipe creates lovely jars of stacked dried apples, dried oranges and more. Kept tightly covered when not in use, these may last for months.
(You can also replenish these dry potpourris with drops of your favorite essential oils too, when the original scent has run out.
The bottom line
My hope in writing this post is to give lots of ideas for what to do with extracapples in an effort to help keep them from being discarded. Old apples still have life left in them!
We love using the air fryer for snacks and treats. Use up apples with these air fryer apple recipes, too!
On such a tight budget! Was given a lot of older apples! So really looking forward to your recipes. Thank you!
We had a lot of fun working with our old apples. Let us know what you ended up making! –Andi