Satisfy your sweet tooth with Easy Apple Nachos! A delicious and quick treat, ready in minutes without any baking. Try this recipe today!
This Fruit Dessert perfectly combines my Caramel Apples and my Chocolate Covered Apples recipes. It gives it a party-worthy upgrade that a crowd can enjoy.
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 one are made in minutes using ingredients from your pantry and you don’t need an oven or stove. It doesn’t get much better 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
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
Note from Sabrina
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 Mu0026amp;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.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
I love this easy Apple Nachos recipe because of its simplicity. Crispy apple slices smothered in a microwave caramel sauce and loaded with chocolate chips and crunchy peanuts? 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!
Ingredients
- 2 Granny Smith Apples, cored and sliced into thin wedges: These apples are perfect because they are slightly sour so they pair well with the sweet caramel. Be sure to inspect your apples to make sure they are free of bruises.
- 2 Fuji Apples, cored and sliced into thin wedges: These apples are mild and sweet and a nice contrast to the Granny Smith apples tartness. They also have a red skin which provides your dish some color variation.
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice: Use to keep the apples from browning while they are sitting out. You can use fresh or bottled.
- 11 ounces Caramels: The “nacho sauce” topping for the “chips.” The creamy caramel covers the apples just like cheese would for chips.
- ½ cup Evaporated Milk: A thickened milk used to mix with the melted caramels to provide more creaminess.
- ½ cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: The perfect “nacho” topping. You can use dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or even chocolate chunks.
- ½ cup Peanuts, coarsely chopped: These add a bit of saltiness to the dish to mellow out all the sweetness. You could even use almonds or pecans if you wanted.
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. Be careful when using a mandolin!
- 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.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Make sure to cut your apples into thin slices so you are easily able to bite into your delicious treat. Try to cut the apples into 1/4-inch slices to get the perfect nacho-like apple chip.
- You want tart, crisp apples for this recipe, so I opt for Granny Smith and Fuji apples while staying away from Red Delicious, Gala, and McIntosh. If you need an alternative, use Pink Lady, Fuji, Golden Delicious, or Honeycrisp apples. These will also work, but won’t give you the crunch that makes this recipe to die for.
Pairing Suggestions
Try pairing apple nachos with Chocolate-Covered Strawberries, a Cheese Platter, and a veggie tray with Hummus for some easy, tasty options at your gatherings. The sweet apples with caramel or chocolate go perfectly with the rich strawberries, while the cheese adds a nice savory touch. Plus, a veggie tray brings in some crunch and freshness, making it a well-rounded spread that everyone will enjoy. It’s simple, fun, and sure to impress your guests!
How to 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.
Ideas to Serve
- 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.
Frequent 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.
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!
Related Recipes
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!