Slow Cooker Cinnamon Apples (Easy & Cozy)
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Sep 2, 2024 (last updated Jul 24, 2025) 
If you love warm, sweet cinnamon apples but want an easier, hands-off version, these slow cooker cinnamon apples are your new fall favorite! Fresh apple slices cook low and slow with brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until tender and saucy; perfect for topping oatmeal, pancakes, or enjoying by the spoonful.
5 star review
“These were perfect, and my kids loved them! Had the leftovers for breakfast with oatmeal. Will make them again!”
– Jeannie
Stewed Cinnamon Apples in the Slow Cooker! 🍎
This slow cooker apple recipe is simply the easiest out there; yet it’s elevated enough for company while being simple enough to throw together anytime. It has all the comforting, nostalgia-filled flavors of cinnamon-spiced apple pie that I happen to love, but without all the fuss of a crust, and without having to turn on the oven – making it perfect for that late summer + early fall season when you’re ready for cozy recipes but it might still be hot outside. Truly, you’ll be amazed how hands-down delicious these gooey slow cooker stewed apples are for how little effort you put in!
The crockpot does its magic cooking the apples down into a tender, sweet spiced apple mixture with an addicting buttery, silky sauce in just 2 hours (tbh, a “fast” slow cooker recipe), and at the end you’ll add the remaining butter and a touch of lemon juice for a burst of freshness and to balance all the sweetness from the sugar. The sauce is already slightly thick thanks to the cornstarch, but if you want it extra thick, you can add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch during the cook time.
One quick note on the vanilla in this recipe. I used vanilla bean pasted because I had it on hand (one of my fav Trader Joe’s finds), but it’s not essential, so if you don’t have it, vanilla extract also works very well. Annnnnnd if you happen to have extra apples around, you’ll probably love my old-fashioned apple crisp that’s super simple and a total crowd favorite. This recipe also freezes so well, so it’s a great way to preserve a bumper crop of apples.
As for serving ideas, The apples and sauce are absolutely delicious on their own (I may or may not have spooned them right out of the leftover container directly from the fridge), but here are some ideas of how to serve them:
- On top of vanilla or plain yogurt with a sprinkle of granola
- As a pancake or waffle topping
- On top of oatmeal
- Really good on top of vanilla ice cream (you simply can’t go wrong here!)
- As a smoothie or milkshake addition
- An easy apple pie filling
Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make Slow Cooker Apples
If You Want To Make Crockpot Apples with Skin
I tested this recipe with both peeled apples and apples with skin, and ultimately preferred the texture of the peeled apples. However, leaving the apples unpeeled is a fine option, so if you want to skip the peeling step, just slice the apples and proceed with the recipe.
Slow Cooker Cinnamon Apples (Easy & Cozy!)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet crisp apple (about 6), such as Fiji, Honeycrisp, Gala, Pink Lady or Granny Smith
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or pure vanilla extract)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons butter
Equipment
Instructions
- Peel the apples and cut into even slices. Add to a 6-quart slow cooker along with the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, salt, vanilla bean paste (or extract), cornstarch and 1 tablespoon butter, stirring to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, or high for 2 hours, or until the apples are tender and cooked to your liking but not mushy. Uncover and quickly stir every 2 hours on low or every 1 hour on high to check for doneness and to avoid potential burning.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, stirring to combine. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
- All slow cookers cook differently, so I recommend keeping on eye on things the first time you make this recipe, and checking on the low side of the recommended cooking time in order to avoid accidentally making apple sauce.
These were perfect, and my kids loved them! Adjusted the recipe slightly to make them in the Instant Pot instead of the slow cooker (added about 2 cups of water, an extra tablespoon of cornstarch, and set the instant pot to 10 minutes). Had the leftovers for breakfast with oatmeal. Will make them again!
Jeannie, yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, and thanks for the tip about making in the Instant Pot — I’m sure others will find it helpful! Thanks so much for leaving a review. 🙂
Delicious! Made these as a topping for my oatmeal and they were the perfect taste of fall. I didn’t have cornstarch, so I subbed for 2 tbsp of gluten-free flour and that worked well. Bonus points for the house smelling amazing!🤩
Marissa, so happy to hear this one was a hit, and great tip about subbing flour for the corn starch! Thanks so much for leaving a review. 🙂
Had this at our Thanksgiving meal. Everyone loved them. Brought home an empty cooker.
Yay, so happy to hear this recipe was a hit for Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
Do these freeze well?
Kaylen, yes, this recipe freezes well for up to three months! Just allow to cool completely first.
Super easy and delicious! I’ll be making this again. Served over oatmeal.
Meghan, so happy to hear you enjoyed and I love the idea of serving over oatmeal. Yum! Thanks for the tip and for leaving a reivew!
It was impossibles to find a recipe for the apples on Google Italy. Thak you!!!
I’m so happy you found the recipe, Vito!
can i use honey instead of brown sugar
Hi Gloria, yes, in the same amount honey works well in this recipe. It might not set up quite as thick, but it will still taste amazing!
This is fantastic! Turned out so good! I added some to my oatmeal in the morning and it elevated my breakfast with flavor! I doubled the recipe and am going to make apple blossoms for my grandkids!
Julie, ohhhh, I love this in my oatmeal as well. And great idea to make apple blossoms. What lucky grandkids you have! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
I’m terrible at conversions. If I want to make this for about 50 people, what would the conversion be?
Hi Melissa, I think you could safely triple this recipe (you’d likely need to add about 30 more minutes to the time, since there will be more volume of ingredients in the slow cooker) and that would be enough for maybe 20-25 people? So if you cooked two (triple) batches that likely would be enough…
Would I be able to use arrowroot starch?
Kayla, I haven’t tested it, but I think arrowroot would work wonderfully as a sub for cornstarch. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
How long will they keep in the refrigerator
3-4 days in the fridge (so a great make-ahead option!), or 3 months in the freezer. I hope you enjoy!
This was so easy and made my house smell great! Next time I’ll try and save some to top on vanilla ice cream, it just went too fast!
Yay, Larissa, so happy you enjoyed this one, and I agree, it makes the house smell SO good! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and leave a review!
Love this recipe can you make an apple with it
Rachel, yay, so happy to hear this one was a hit! Did you make apple pie with it? I’m so happy to know this, I’ll have to try it next time. Thanks for leaving a review!