Healthy Microwave Baked Apples Recipe (Ready in 10 Minutes!)

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Want a tummy-warming, healthy start to your day? These weekday-friendly microwave baked apples are ready in just ten minutes!
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When I was growing up, each day began with a good breakfast. And breakfast always began with a serving of fruit. On chilly mornings, my favorite breakfast fruit was my mother’s delicious homemade baked apples.

Originally published Oct. 5, 2017; last updated October 2020.

My mama baked apples the old-fashioned way, in the oven. Usually in individual glass serving dishes. She’d bake up a dozen at a time, enough to last a few days in our family of four. She’d carefully core, score, and season each apple individually, and then slowly bake them in the oven for up to an hour while the oven was also cooking our dinner – then reheat each apple individually before serving it.

Have I mentioned lately that my mama is, to my 21st-century parenting existence, a domestic goddess whose prowess I can never hope to emulate?

But that doesn’t mean I’ve given up my love of baked apples. I’ve just figured out a few hacks to get the same yummy taste in a fraction of the time.

And thanks to these hacks, my kiddos and I can enjoy baked apples for breakfast whenever we want!

So the next time you’re in the mood to have something tummy-warming for breakfast, and/or get your kiddos to eat more fruit, give this microwave baked apple recipe – or one of the variations at the end – a try. (P.S. If you follow the basic recipe below, your child is getting in 1-2 servings of fruit, protein and healthy fats, plus fiber and healthy carbs; add a glass of milk and a slice of whole-grain toast, and your kiddo’s off to a well-rounded start to their day!)

Microwave Baked Apples Recipe

Two preschool- to elementary-school-sized servings (see notes at end for scaling up or down)

Prep time: approx. 5 minutes; total time: approx. 10 minutes

What you’ll need for these ten-minute microwave baked apples:

  • One large or two small apples, washed and dried
  • Raisins
  • Walnuts
  • Brown sugar (or your favorite sugar-free sweetener)
  • Cinnamon
  • Water
  • Two small microwave-safe bowls, plus something to cover them with. (If you don’t have a silicone microwave-steaming cover or small bowls with lids, you can use an upside-down plate or microwave-safe plastic wrap.)

(and if you DON’T yet have a silicone microwave cover, I can’t recommend them highly enough – they’re reusable, can contain stovetop splatters as well, and go right in the dishwasher! Here are Amazon’s top picks under $15!)

Making Microwave Baked Apples – The basic idea:

  1. Core each apple, quarter it, and cut it into bite-sized chunks. If using one large apple, put the chunks from half an apple in each bowl. If using two small apples, put one apple’s worth of chunks in each bowl.
  2. To each bowl, add 2 teaspoons each of raisins and walnuts. (Break the walnuts into smaller pieces, or chop/grind if you prefer, before adding to the bowl.) Sprinkle a generous pinch of brown sugar/sugar substitute over each bowl, then top each with a dash of cinnamon.
  3. Add 2 t. of water to each bowl and cover. Microwave each bowl for several minutes total, until the apple is cooked and soft. (How long each apple takes to cook will depend on how powerful your microwave is. We have a 1100-watt oven and it takes only 2 minutes per apple, or 3-4 minutes if we cook them at the same time.)
  4. After cooking, uncover promptly and allow the apple to cool for several minutes before eating.

Mix it up:

    • If you have a good apple corer, your school-age kids can even help with the prep work. This is our corer, and even five-year-old Essie can use it safely and effectively.
    • No, you don’t have to use walnuts if your kid’s allergic to them! Or raisins, or anything else. Experiment with the flavors you like best. Dates? Craisins? Other dried fruit? Sliced almonds? Whatever sounds yummy to you-all, give it a try.
    • Likewise, feel free to experiment with the sweetening (maple syrup, agave, honey, raw sugar, etc.). The same is true for the spice; nutmeg, allspice, and pumpkin pie spice are among my favorites besides cinnamon.
    • For smaller appetites, try 1/2 of a medium apple and 1 teaspoon each of the toppings. Or, for bigger kids and grownups, use an entire medium apple and 1 tablespoon of each topping.
    • For the littlest eaters, chop raisins and nuts finely, and consider using an immersion blender on the finished product once it’s cooled. This will require a little more planning ahead, though. (If you’ve never tried an immersion blender, here are some of the ways ours has totally transformed my food prep experience for the better!)

BTW, if you don’t yet have an immersion blender, here are Amazon’s top-rated picks for immersion blenders under $30! 

For traditionalists: Old-school baking tips

When my mom used to bake a dozen apples at once, she used small glass oven-safe custard dishes like these.

  • After coring each apple and scoring the outside skin (think making cuts like you’re going to cut it into bite-sized chunks, but only cutting through the skin so the meat inside stays intact), she would place each apple in its own bowl.
  • Then she’d pour the other dry ingredients into the hole left by removing the core, put a small pat of butter on top, pour the water around the edge, and bake in a 350-degree F oven for a half hour or more, or a 300-degree oven up to an hour.
  • After letting them cool, she’d cover each bowl with foil or plastic wrap, and pop each uncovered bowl in the microwave for a minute before serving, to reheat the apple.

Scaling up baked apples for special occasions

RELATED POST: Old-Fashioned Oven Baked Apples Recipe (Easy & Healthy!)

I also do 8×8 or 9×13 glass baking dishes of apples in the oven for special occasions, like Thanksgiving or Christmas morning breakfast.

  • If you have “perfectly” shaped apples, this will work by just coring the apples, scoring the outside of the skin into bite-sized markings (which makes serving and eating the cooked apples easier), setting the apples into the pan, pouring fillings directly into each hollowed-out core, and then putting the pan into the oven.
  • But if your apples are less-than-perfect, you’ll find that they won’t sit nicely in the pan without falling over. In this case, you can cut them into either wedges or large chunks, and then sprinkle the toppings evenly over the top. For an 8×8 dish of 8 apples, I would add approximately 1/2 cup each of raisins and chopped nuts, 1/4 to 1/3 c. brown sugar, several small pats of butter scattered across the top, a good sprinkling of cinnamon and/or other spices.
  • One of the reasons I like baking special-occasion large batches in Pyrex glass baking pans is because you can just prep the apples the night before, pop a plastic lid on top, refrigerate overnight, and then bake in the morning, so they’re freshly-made for your holiday meal.

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91 thoughts on “Healthy Microwave Baked Apples Recipe (Ready in 10 Minutes!)”

  1. Clarice

    This is nice and easy to prepare. Perfect for weekdays when we really do not have much time to prepare for food and cook. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Would love to try these microwave baked apples.

    Reply
  5. Monica Simpson

    This is a great way to jazz up my oatmeal in the morning! I love apples in it but am always too lazy to cook them first.

    Reply
  8. Sherry M Lee

    I have never thought to use the microwave to cook apples before. These baked apples look delicious! I will be trying them soon. On a side note, I also realize now that I want a silicone microwave cover. 😀

    Reply
  10. Gervin Khan

    I love making an easy yet delicious and healthy recipe to my family and I am pretty sure that will love this one.

    Reply
  17. Christa

    These look so good! I love the taste of baked apples but never thought of microwaving them. It makes it so much easier to eat more often!

    Reply

  23. Pingback: How to Keep Kids Busy: Ideas for Creative Fun - Super Mom Hacks

    1. Super Mom Hacks

      That is what our house smells like pretty much every morning these days, since Essie wants “baked apple oatmeal” every morning for breakfast, so I have to make a quick baked apple first to add to the oatmeal!

      Reply
    1. Flossie

      I almost made some for my girls for breakfast this morning, exact same reason! (Made them soup for dinner instead 🙂 …)

      Reply
  27. Ellen

    So simple. I have no idea why I have never made these apples, but I will be soon. And I also need those silicone covers for the microwave.

    Reply
    1. Flossie

      Aww, thanks, Shannon! It’s so funny that you say that, because it’s only as I’ve been reading people’s comments that I’m realizing a lot of people are used to having them for dessert instead (whereas we only have desserts on holidays!). But yes, they are a GREAT way to start your day on a chilly morning! 🙂 Enjoy!

      Reply
    1. Flossie

      The cinnamon is optional – half the time I forget or can’t find our jar, and it’s just as tasty without. And if you don’t like cinnamon but DO like ginger, cloves, or nutmeg, you can experiment with those instead – I know I’ve tried a pinch of nutmeg in the past and that is also yummy. 🙂

      Reply
  33. Jennifer

    That sounds divine! And I just put those silicon mats in my Amazon cart–those look awesome. I’ll probably substitute almonds for the walnuts and forego the raisins, but I can already smell them baking! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Flossie

      OMG, I have no idea what I did before I got my silicone microwave cover. Mine is at least 10 yrs old and has a few darkened areas from getting too close to the open flame on the stove, but it’s still perfectly intact and doing its workhorse job multiple times a day, both in micro and on stovetop! (makes a great splatter shield there) – FWIW, we’ve made these with almonds and they’re just as tasty that way – really, any nuts and/or dried fruit are totally optional BUT also totally delicious 🙂 Enjoy!

      Reply
  35. Tannah

    This looks really delicious. Quick and easy is my favorite way to try new things. I will be getting some apples and make this as a healthy-ish afternoon snack for the kids.

    Reply
  36. Jamie

    There is nothing better than warm apples in the fall! Thanks so much for sharing this easy recipe. Looks delish. Pinning for later ❤️

    Reply
    1. Flossie

      I know what you mean – my in-laws are right there with ya – and that’s another advantage of making them one at a time in the microwave, vs. baking a big dish of them: no stray raisins to sneak in from someone else’s! When I do a big batch of these in the oven for Christmas breakfast, I usually make two dishes: a large one with everything, and a smaller one w/o raisins or nuts for my in-laws. Then everyone’s happy!

      Reply
  49. Falak

    This sounds delicious actually and the fact that it’s made so fast – I am totally down for trying this. I feel like I never seem to have the time to cook haha.

    Reply
    1. Flossie

      I totally know what you mean, about not having the time! But really, this is just a few extra steps before heating something up in the microwave, so it really IS quite fast from start to finish! 🙂

      Reply
    1. Flossie

      Do give it a try! My kiddos absolutely love it in the morning, and they love helping to make them as much as they do eating up the finished product! 🙂

      Reply
    1. Flossie

      Haha I know what you mean – usually I’m making these in September for my girls at some point, but this year the weather seems out of whack everywhere in the US – no baked apples for us until just this past week!

      Reply
  56. Rachel

    This sounds lovely and comforting especially on a cold winter morning. I wonder if my kids would go for it. I am trying to avoid the habit of cereal.

    Reply
  58. Angie

    This looks and sounds delicious. So easy to make too and perfect for fall. I went apple picking this week so will be using some of my apples to try this!

    Reply
  60. Jenn JG

    Oh my, this sounds and looks super yummy! Love how it is a super quick recipe, I am going to have to give this a try and get into the fall spirit!

    Reply

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