Easy Apple Nachos are a fun, sweet snack with crisp slices finished with caramel drizzle and crunchy toppings. Perfect for sharing!
This recipe takes classic Caramel Apples and gives it a party-worthy upgrade that a crowd can enjoy. Plus the addition of chocolate chips is similar to my Chocolate Covered Apples.
Sabrina’s Apple Nachos Recipe
When the weather cools, and it’s time for Back to School, it’s apple season. There are tons of apple treats, and I’ve made most of them. And some of the best are made in minutes using ingredients from your pantry. Crispy apple slices smothered in a microwave caramel sauce and loaded with chocolate chips and crunchy peanuts? It doesn’t get much easier than that!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 Granny Smith apples , cored and sliced into thin wedges
- 2 Fuji apples , cored and sliced into thin wedges
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 11 ounces caramels
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup peanuts , coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Toss the apples with lemon juice.
- In a microwave safe bowl add the caramels and evaporated milk.
- Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until smooth and creamy.
- Arrange the apples around the plate in a circular pattern.
- Drizzle the caramel sauce over the apples in a circular pattern.
- Top with mini chocolate chips and peanuts.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About This Recipe
I love this easy Apple Nachos recipe because of its simplicity. There are just a handful of ingredients, and you don’t need an oven or stove. You only need a microwave-safe glass bowl to make the creamy caramel sauce. The assembly is probably the most challenging part, and how artistic you want to get is entirely optional!
Chef’s Notes: A Great Party Snack!
Apple Dessert Nachos are great for parties because guests of all ages will enjoy them, plus you can easily dress them up to fit your theme! Spookify them for Halloween with festive M&M’s candies and melted marshmallow topping “spider webs.” You can keep birthday parties simple or add rainbow nonpareils and some whipped cream. I have many topping ideas to get you started, and I’d love to hear your favorite ideas in the comments!
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Large Microwave Safe Bowl: Use a large bowl that is safe for use in a microwave oven.
- Mandolin: This kitchen tool is used to slice and cut apples evenly.
- Serving Plate: Choose a serving plate that fits the occasion.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Apple nachos are best served immediately after assembling to maintain the crispiness of the apple slices. Also the caramel will start to harden the longer it sits out and will be hard to drizzle.
How to Serve and Store
- Serve: You want to serve Apple Nachos when you make them. Apples brown after being cut and at room temperature, even though the lemon juice slows that process down.
- Store: These can be chilled after they are assembled. Remove them from the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before serving so the caramel softens. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Freeze: It’s not recommended to freeze these because raw apples won’t thaw with the same texture. Also, toppings like melted caramel are not freezer-friendly.
Frequently Asked Questions
The lemon juice will keep the apples from browning if you serve them soon after assembling them. However, if you want to prep the sliced apples ahead, the best way is to soak them in a saltwater solution. Mix 1 teaspoon of salt for every 1 cup of water, and soak the apples in water for about 10 minutes. Drain and store in an airtight container until you can use them. Rinse them or use them with a slightly salty flavor if you are baking with them.
I use a microwave and melt the caramels with the evaporated milk. You can also use a double-boiler method. Fill a medium saucepan ¼ the way with water and bring to a boil. Add the caramel candies and milk to a glass bowl that will fit over the pan and go low enough to get steam from the water without touching it. Stir as caramels begin to melt and continue stirring gently until smooth. Don’t let the water boil up and touch the caramel sauce.
The best kind of apples for caramel are tart, crisp apples. You want tartness to balance out the sweetness of the caramel, but you also want firm apples that will stand up to the warm coating. Of course, there are the classic Granny Smith apples, but also try Pink Lady, Fuji, Golden Delicious, or Honeycrisp apples.
Topping Ideas
- Marshmallow: Add mini marshmallows, bits, or topping for an easy, tasty upgrade. Warm up Marshmallow Fluff and use a spoon to whisk it back and forth over the apple slices.
- Candy: Let kids go wild and make their own delicious Candy Apple treat while using your leftover Halloween candy! Chopped-up fun-sized bars like Almond Joys and Snickers, as well as half-bags of Reese’s Pieces and M&Ms, get new life as toppings.
- Nut Butter: Warm up your favorite nut butter, such as creamy almond butter, peanut butter, hazelnut spread, or sunflower butter, until you can easily drizzle it with a fork. You can replace the caramel sauce with nut butter to make this a healthy treat.
- Fruit: For a healthy option, try adding unsweetened coconut, dried cranberries, raisins, dried cherries, or dried pineapple.
- Chocolate: Mix the chocolate with white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or chopped-up chocolate candy bars. Add a chocolate sauce on top, like Chocolate Ganache or Magic Shell.
- Toffee: Trade sweet caramel for its buttery cousin, toffee. You can drizzle toffee sauce on the nachos or top them with crushed Toffee Bits or chocolate-covered toffee.
- Spices: To add flavor, top the apples with a sprinkle of cinnamon, Apple Pie Spice, or ground nutmeg. You can also add a bit of cinnamon to the lemon juice, toss the apples in, and coat them lightly all over.
Variations
- Elvis Presley: Party like The King of Rock and Roll. Trade the caramel sauce for melted creamy peanut butter, and add banana slices with the apples. Top the apple and banana nachos with crumbled cooked bacon, crushed peanuts, and chopped banana chips.
- Pumpkin Spice Latte: For a more grown-up fall treat, toss the apple slices in a pumpkin spice and sugar mixture (like cinnamon sugar). Then top with Salted Caramel Sauce, Candied or toasted pecans, whipped cream, and chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans.
- Trail Mix: Next time you go camping, make a fun-themed dessert by topping these nachos with mini M&Ms, raisins, chopped almonds, and cashews. To make it easier, skip the caramel sauce and use chocolate syrup.
- Healthy: For healthy Apple Nachos, skip the sugary caramel sauce and use toppings like dried cranberries, granola, pepitas, and chopped yogurt-covered pretzels. Make a yogurt drizzle with ½ cup Greek yogurt and 1-2 tablespoons honey and finish with a dusting of ground cinnamon over top.
- Tropical: Use the caramel sauce and swap the other toppings for finely chopped dried mango and pineapple pieces, shredded coconut, white chocolate chips, and chopped macadamia nuts or pistachios. These would be great for pool parties!
More Delicious Apple Snacks
These photos were used in a previous version of this post
My siblings loved having this for a snack! It’s such a fun and different way to eat fruit. Super easy to put together and the result was simply marvelous. Can’t wait to do it again!