Growing up, Sunday dinners at Cracker Barrel were a family tradition, and nothing compared to their famous fried apples. The sweet, tender apple slices swimming in brown sugar and warm spices created pure comfort food magic. After years of experimenting, I’ve cracked the code to recreate these beloved fried apples at home.
This easy copycat recipe delivers the same nostalgic flavors you remember, whether you’re serving them as a classic Southern side dish or a comforting dessert topped with vanilla ice cream.
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Delight your family with a delicious fried apple recipe from Cracker Barrel.
These Southern-fried apples are delicious side dish when served with pork chops, but they become my easy apple dessert recipe when it is apple season. I know you will love serving this up just like the Cracker Barrel restaurants do, and when you make it at home, you can serve it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This copycat Cracker Barrel recipe is an easy recipe. Who doesn’t love a delicious treat from your favorite restaurant?
What makes this the best copycat Cracker Barrel restaurant recipe?
Hands down, this is one of my family’s favorite apple recipes. These apples have the perfect blend of spices. Tender apple slices are perfectly cooked and wonderfully seasoned. These delicious fried apples can be served as a great side dish or as a dessert with a dollop of whipped cream. This is our go-to recipe for enjoying apples when it is apple season.
Cracker Barrel Fried Apples Ingredients
For the Fried Apples:
- Bacon drippings or butter – Provides rich flavor and prevents sticking while cooking
- Golden Delicious apples – Maintain structure when cooked and offer mild sweetness
- Lemon juice – Prevents browning and adds bright acidity to balance sweetness
- Brown sugar – Creates the signature caramelized coating and syrup
- Salt – Enhances all flavors and balances the sweetness
- Ground cinnamon – Adds warm, classic apple pie spice
- Ground nutmeg – Provides subtle complexity and traditional fall flavor
How to Make Fried Apples Cracker Barrel Style
- Core, peel, and slice the apples into 3/8-inch wedges.
- In a large skillet, melt bacon drippings or melt butter.
- Spread sliced apple evenly over the skillet bottom.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar and salt over the apple mixture.
- Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, and stir them occasionally. Cook until the apples are fork-tender and juicy.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg, and serve.
- You can add a squeeze of lemon at the finish for enhanced flavor.
- Serve these with a slotted spoon.
To Peel or Not to Peel Apples
You can leave the peels on the apples or take them off, which is entirely up to you. I think you can deviate from the recipe a bit if you want to use different types of apples in the recipe. You can get a delicious flavor by using a couple of other apples.
Please note the video below features apples that are not peeled. You can peel the apples if you want them exactly like they are at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurant.
What are the best apples to use for cooked apples?
Cracker Barrel uses the Golden Delicious type of apple, but many other apples have a better flavor when you cook them. I recommend different kinds of apples over golden delicious. Here are a few of my recommendations.
- Granny Smith apples have a citrusy-tart flavor and are very firm, so they don’t get mushy when cooked.
- Jonagold apples have a sweet honey flavor that holds up well when baked.
- Honeycrisp apples are sweet and tart with a hint of berry.
- Pink lady apples are sweet, and tart apples, they are also slow to brown.
Want to get the best flavor imaginable? Make this recipe with a few different types of apples
Storage & Reheating Instructions for leftovers
- Refrigerator Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Apples will continue to soften slightly when chilled.
- Reheating Method: Reheat gently in skillet over low heat for 3-5 minutes, or microwave on medium power for 2-5 minutes, depending on quantity.
- Freezing: Can be frozen for up to 3 months, though texture becomes softer after thawing.
Love Cracker Barrel? Check out these copycat recipes!
- Broccoli and Cheddar Chicken
- Hash Brown Casserole Cracker Barrel
- Easy Meatloaf Recipe with Ritz Crackers
- Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad
- Cherry Chocolate Cobbler
- Coca Cola Cake Cracker Barrel
- Cracker Barrel Southern Fried Chicken
Here are a few more easy apple recipes your family will love!
- Dutch Apple Pie Recipe
- Low Sugar Apple Pie
- Apple Pie made with Ritz Crackers
- Apple Cider Pork Roast
- Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
- Best Apple Crisp
- Caramel Apple Bread Pudding
Be sure to take a look at my all-time favorite fall recipes and the best Cracker Barrel copycat recipes.
Cracker Barrel Fried Apples Easy Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 golden delicious apples cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Spread the apples evenly over the bottom of the skillet and sprinkle with lemon juice, brown sugar, and salt.
- Cover and cook over low heat until tender and juicy, about 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, and extra lemon juice if desired.
Just made them and took my first bite. I have found a new comfort food for a chilly autumn day. I’m sure they will taste just as good in hot weather. I’m going to try them out on the family and see if they all say “Cracker Barrel”.
How do u Make stewed tomatoes like Buckners family restaurant in Jackson, ga?
Just had cracker barrel this past weekend and the apples were not peeled. Recipe calls for peeled.
Thank you for noting.
Just saw this recipe and can’t WAIT to make it. When you say tart apples, do you mean Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp or something else?
I have made this with granny smith for tart apples, I loved them with granny smith apples. I have also done with this Opal apples, and honey crisp. I honestly like to mix a couple of different apples in here when I make this. I think it brings out the best flavor.
I typically stay away from the red and the golden delicious apples, I think you can get other apples with better flavor.
apple charlies recommends empire and jonathan for cooking!!
bacon butter and apples. Sign. Me. Up.
Ohhh Cracker Barrel Apples are one of our favorites there! Love that you used bacon drippings. Totally my kind of recipe!
I love their fried apples!
5 min is too long mine are always over cooked how do they get them s ceisp? they also sell them in a jar! enevn though they are canned so good!
Why are you adding salt to this recipe? I don’t see the need for it in apples.
There’s an old rule that says when you make anything sweet, just a dash of salt brings out the taste of all the ingredients. even the apples in this case. It isn’t necessary but it is more tradition. Some cooks wouldn’t leave it out and others don’t even notice! It is entirely up to the cook, as everything really is! I don’t think you could hurt this recipe if you tried…it is just that good!
This looks wonderful and perfect for the coming fall season!
Thank you very much! I can hardly wait for fall.
Apple and bacon drippings?! I’m drooling over here, Stephanie!
These apples look great!
I never thought to use lemon juice on my apples. I must try it some time. This is a lot like my mom use to make. If she was using bacon drippings, she would first make her bacon, then use that pan for her apples. Yummy…
Do these reheat well if I make them the night before?
I think this would work well, if you slightly undercook the apples the first time. This way they will finish the cooking during the reheating.
I can’t wait to try this!
Let me know how it goes.
These would be so good with pork chops! Yummy!
That’s the way my grandmother always served them.
This is to funny as I work for cracker barrel for 15 year and these are so wrong.
Diane: Everybody who says they worked for Cracker Barrel and gives the copycat recipe give ingredients that are not on the 28-oz. jar you can buy at Cracker Barrel. The ingredients on the jar have corn syrup and none of theirs do. Also the Golden Delicious peeling does not get soft like Cracker Barrel’s does. As a former employee, can you shed some light on that?
Just tried this recipe. Although they are good, I wouldn’t rank them up there with Cracker Barrel. I can definitely taste the bacon grease. I found another recipe that uses apple juice and then thicken it with flour or corn starch. I think I’ll try that one.
This one does taste a bit different. They actually reheat prepared apples, so this is what it tastes like when you use fresh apples. I hope you enjoyed the recipe.
Directions in video and written instructions do not match. In video apples are unpeeled and cooked without a lid. And I don’t remember salt being added in video and lemon was added to apples in a bowl before adding to skillet. Not sure which directions to follow.
Great point.
Yes, I did not peel the videos in the apple. This was an oversight on my part. We did not film the recipe with the lid on, this was a poor choice in editing. And I did squeeze a lemon in the video. I will modify the recipe online for the modifications I made. Video has been a learning process for me, and now that I have shot 200+ videos since this one, I do things differently. I’ll will see if I can reshoot this one in the future.
Please follow the written instructions. I had a film editor at the time that would cut out things from time to time. We will see if we can’t reshoot this one sometime in the future.
corn starch will thicken the syrup
Great receipe. In the South we use bacon grease to season everything but had not thought about it with apples.