This is such an easy recipe - it's the perfect side dish for French Onion Chicken or Oven Roasted Quail!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
There are a lot of ways to make cinnamon apples but I think mine is the easiest. It just takes a few minutes and once you've made them you can keep them in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in a freezer container for several months.
You can even save the syrup and use it again in a new batch!
Next time try grilled pear salad. SO good!
🧾 Ingredients
The guijillo chile is totally optional but give it a try. It adds a little extra spicy flavor.
🔪 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.
- Peel and core your apples. I use a melon baller spoon to take the cores out- so easy that way!
- Slice them and drop into lemon juice and water in a large bowl to keep them from turning brown.
- In a heavy saucepan melt the candy in the water.
- Add the prepared apples and spices and simmer briefly. Remove from heat and let the apples soak in the syrup for as long as possible.
💭 Tips
Expert Tip - CAUTION: I wouldn't try to can this particular recipe. There isn't enough acid to do it safely. Freeze for longer storage
- Use firm fleshed, tart apples like MacIntosh, Honey Crisp, or Granny Smith. You can use pears, too!
- Watch the candies carefully as you melt them down. You don't want them to stick and burn.
- The longer the apples (or pears) sit in the red syrup the more flavorful they will be.
- Keep them in glass storage containers - they will dye plastic and I think it gives it a weird taste.
- Use toothpicks to stick the apple rings to a ham when you are cooking it and use the syrup in the glaze.
- If you happen to overcook the fruit don't worry about it - process it in the food processor for apple (or pear) sauce.
- Save the red cinnamon syrup in the refrigerator. You can reuse it to make more OR you can use it in cocktails and sweet sauces. Better yet - try this candy apple pie!
- These are so good with a scoop of cinnamon gelato.
- These are great with slow cooker ranch chicken for an old fashioned dinner.
👩🏻🍳 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
After you peel and core the apple turn it on its side. Cut it in half through the middle of the fruit horizontally. Now cut in even sized rings.
Lemon juice will help cut apples to maintain their original color. In this candied apple rings recipe the lemon juice is mixed with water and you just dip the rings in the lemon water for a few minutes.
The nice thing about this recipe is because the apples are red from the cinnamon candy it doesn't show if they turn a little brown.
You can use them as a side dish, which is especially good with pork chops or ham, or you can use them as a salad course by serving them on lettuce leaves with other fruit. My mom used to put a scoop of cottage cheese or cream cheese in the center and I like them that way, too. I also like them in ham sandwiches.
🍎 Best apples to use
The best apples to use for spiced apple rings and similar recipes are apples that hold their shape when cooked or baked.
- Honeycrisp
- Granny Smith
- Jonagold
- Winesap (hard to find but these are my favorite)
- McIntosh
- Pink Lady
📖 Related Recipes
Restless Chipotle has plenty of apple recipes - here are a few of my favorites!
- Dutch Apple Pie has tender, buttery apples in a classic, flakey crust and then is topped with sweet, crunchy streusel. It's a classic that everyone needs a good recipe for. PS - this is a GREAT recipe!
- Baked Brie with Apples and Bacon is probably one of the most popular appetizers in existence - at least in the fall. This recipe is as pretty as it is yummy - get ready to be bombarded with the "how did you make this?" question.
- Bourbon Apple Pandowdy is baked right in an iron skillet which gives it a nice texture and a comforting, welcome-home kind of presentation. It's absolutely addictive.
- Cinnamon Apple Sangria is crisp, sweet, and deliciously drinkable for all your fall parties! Adjust the sweetness of the sangria by using a sweeter or drier white wine as the base.
- Apple Fritter Bread has all of the yum of apple fritters but in a sliceable quick bread.
- We love this easy apple cake!
- Grilled Pear Salad isn't apples but it IS delicious!
📞 The last word
Cinnamon apple rings were usually just fished out of the syrup and placed in a relish dish to be passed as an accompaniment to turkey or pork when I was growing up
I'd often sneak into the refrigerator and grab a slice out of the jar - not realizing that the rosy syrup left a telltale stain on my finger tips.
Try leftovers in this recipe for Ham Sliders. Incredible!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it a 5 star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spiced Apple Rings
Print Pin Recipe SaveIngredients
- ¼ cup lemon juice, keeps apples from darkening
- 2 pounds apples, MacIntosh - Granny Smith - Honey Crisp - any firm fleshed apple that holds its shape when cooked
- 3 cups water, divided use -more if needed
- 2 cups cinnamon candy, Red Hots or Cinnamon Imperials - any hard cinnamon candy
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 guijillo chile, optional - adds a little heat
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Instructions
- Add the lemon juice to 2 cups of water.
- Peel and core apples - slice into ½ inch thick rings.
- Drop the apple rings in the lemon juice as you finish each one.
- Heat ½ cup of the remaining water and the cinnamon candies in a saucepan.
- Stir often until the candy is completely melted, adding water as needed to keep the syrup from getting thick.
- Add the guijillo chile (optional), whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks.
- Drain the apple rings and pat dry.
- Gently stir the apple rings into the syrup.
- Cover and simmer, occasionally stirring gently, for 15 minutes or until apples are tender.
- Add the rings to a storage container and cover with the cooking syrup.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, or about 8 hours. Remove the cloves and cinnamon sticks before using.
- Store unused apple rings in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
- Use firm-fleshed, tart apples like MacIntosh, Honey Crisp, or Granny Smith
- Watch the candies carefully as you melt them down. You don't want them to stick and burn.
- The longer the apples (or pears) sit in the red syrup the more flavorful they will be.
- Keep them in glass storage containers - they will dye plastic and I think it gives it a weird taste.
- If you happen to overcook the fruit don't worry about it - process it in the food processor for apple (or pear) sauce.
- Save the red cinnamon syrup in the refrigerator. You can reuse it to make more spiced apple rings.
Nutrition Facts
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published October 2017. Last updated September 9, 2021 for readability and more information.
Erica
My family has always eaten spiced apple rings for holiday meals. It seemed like they mysteriously disappeared from the grocery store shelves during COVID, and never returned. I decided to give this recipe a try, and I am so glad I did - they are absolutely DELICIOUS!! Try it - you won’t regret it!!
Tara C
These are amazing and bring back memories of my granny, who made them for me. I followed the recipe but used cider instead of water since I had some. They were perfect! I like mine to still have a tiny bit of crisp to them so I used the shorter end of the cook time. Thank you for bringing the memories of a recipe back into my life that I had not remembered on my own!
Cristie
Is there anything else the can be instead of red hots? We are eliminating red dye due to allergies.
Marye
Nope. You've got to have the Red Hots. 🙂
peggue
Any directions for canning theses? I have oodles of apples. peggie
Marye
I don't suggest canning - but you can freeze them.
Mary Pabelick
How do you freeze them? I read NOT to use plastic so that eliminates a storage container and I don't freeze glass. The only other option is a disposable aluminum pie tin but I would think that would not work as the apples would only float to the top. Not staying submerged will cause freezer burn I would imagine. Please let me. This looks goo for Thanksgiving and I could make/freeze them now when apples are in and the holiday rush is still a few weeks away. Thanks!
Marye
I freeze in glass but you can use plastic - just be aware that the plastic will be pink. I don't care for plastic storage.
Hether Johnston
I just have a quick question, is it necessary to peel the apples? Thank you so much!
Marye
I prefer them that way but not essential. 🙂
Jeff Wilde
My wife and I made these for a Christmas dinner for our community, ( 54 residence). They where so good. It brought back memories for many folks. We served roast pork loin and put the apple slice on top. It made for a beautiful presentation. Thank you for a great recipe.
Karen
We were so focused on finding Red Hots, I totally forgot to get cloves and cinnamon sticks 😞 We wanted to make this because I use some of the liquid from the store bought kind to mix in cream cheese to use as celery spread. SOOOOO good.
But.... now there will be no stuffed celery for Thanksgiving unless someone has an alternative for those 2 ingredients that will still work. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. 😀
Kimberly Softich
Cinnamon spiced deliciousness! I nearly overcooked them, as I didn't slice them thick enough. Check at 8 minutes of simmering, and then every couple minutes thereafter to make sure they don't get soft. Fantastic recipe. I'll never go back to the commercial made stuff, ever.
Diane
I make Pears Rose using almost the same recipe (plus Rose Wine) at Christmas time.
Marye
Sounds delish!
David Thomas
How long do you let them simmer? You don't say in your blog or in the recipe?
Marye
#9 in the green recipe card at the bottom "Cover and simmer, occasionally stirring gently, for 15 minutes or until apples are tender."
D megan
Did you ever think about using apple juice, instead of water, to melt the red hot down? This is the sort of culinary trick that I use to bump up the flavor even another notch!
Marye
What a great idea! I'll give that a try next time!
Ellen Hanson
I did. DELICIOUS!!!