Colorful crabapples are an underused fruit. Crabapple recipes work them into more dishes by adding this small, tart fruit to baked goods, savory recipes, and more.
Crabapples are a striking fruit. They range in shade from green to golden with dapples of blush hues. Some even turn scarlet with purple shades. The darker varieties tend to have a more tannic, sour flavor. All these varieties will be quite sour though, enough that crabapples are seldom eaten raw.
They need to be cooked, sweetened or occasionally macerated to appreciate their true flavors.
Native to North America, crabapple trees adapt well to temperate climates, growing in various locations throughout the United States and Canada. Crabapple trees produce beautiful blossoms in spring transforming into tiny colorful fruits come fall. In winter, they provide nourishment for birds and wildlife and provide bountiful shade throughout summer.
Choosing the Best Crabapples
Crabapples ripen in fall, although some recommend waiting until winter to pick them for sweeter crabapples or until after the first fall frost.
To tell if a crabapple is ripe, select a few from the tree and cut them in half to inspect the seeds. Ripe crabapples will have dark brown seeds. If the seeds are beige, green or white, or lighter in coloring, the fruit may not be ripe yet. Some varieties do have lighter seeds, however – so take this tip with a grain of salt.
You should also check the coloring of your fruit. Once you get used to your particular local varieties of crabapple you’ll notice when the fruit looks ripe or not. Test for firmness as well – the fruit should be firm, but not hard and the flesh crisp. When tasting the fruit it should be sour and tart, but not bitter.
Crabapple Recipes
Crabapples are much more sour than regular apples from the grocery store and are usually cooked and sweetened in baked goods, or made into jams, jellies, juices and liqueurs, or even pickled.
To prepare crabapples, cut the tops and stem ends off the crabapples and then slice the flesh off of the core. For pies and breads, you can chop crab apples coarsely; chop them more finely for cookies and breakfast items like pancakes or waffles.
Preserving Crabapple
It can happen every few years that you end up with far more fruit than you know what to do with. In such cases, preservation is often your best option. Simply store the fruit now and decide how to use it later. You have a few options for storing and preserving crabapples.
You can freeze the fruit, can or dehydrate crabapples. You can also juice the apples, storing the juice for later applications via canning. Still too many crabapples? Try making a slew of crabapples into tasty jams and jellies for gifting and pantry storage.
- Preserve Crab Apples for Year-Round Enjoyment: Easy Steps (Tips on freezing, canning, dehydrating and fermenting)
- The Best Way to Juice Crab Apples
- Whole Canned Crabapples
- Canned Spiced Crabapples and Honey Cinnamon Crabapples
Jams and Jellies
- Crabapple Jelly
- Easy Crab Apple Jelly With Scotch Whisky
- Grape and Crabapple Jelly
- Fall Crabapple Jam
- Rose Hip Crabapple Jam
Fresh Crabapple Recipes
Fresh-picked crabapples can be used in several recipes from fresh salads and spreads to pies and tarts. Ripe crabapples can be cooked and sweetened to make a spiced crabapple butter or a crabapple sauce to serve over pancakes, on yogurt, or to be used as a condiment for crackers, cheese and sausages.
Fresh fruit can also be used to make a crabapple quick bread topped with nuts. Bake fresh crabapples into pies and tarts. Pair with warming spices for a cozy pie or mix with raisins, rosewater or strawberry for more elaborate flavors.
Pies & Tarts
- Crabapple Pie
- Crabapple Hand Pies
- Amaretto Raisin Crabapple Pie
- Crabapple Rose Pie
- Crabapple Strawberry Tart
Crabapple Breakfast Recipes
For breakfast, create a sweetened crabapple syrup by juicing the fruit and cooking with cane sugar to top waffles or french toast. Similarly, a crabapple compote can be made mixed with sweet, succulent pears. Use it to top breakfast items in the morning and ice cream for a late-night snack.
Finely chopped crabapples can be added to fritters, pancakes and muffins. Try grating crabapples for an even more delicate combination.
- Easy Crabapple Syrup
- Crab Apple Pear Compote
- (Crab) Apple Fritters
- Crab Apple Pancakes
- Crab Apple Muffins
- Crab Apple Crumble Muffins
Crabapple Savory Main Courses
For savory pairings, try crabapple chutney blended with chilis to serve with cheese or pork. Additionally, try brined crabapples for a pickled treat – you can even use unripe crabapples for this one!
For dinner-worthy dishes, consider roasting chicken with crabapples or glazing with crabapple jelly. Additionally, crabapples accompany pork very well. Try a crabapple sauce or roasted crabapples on the side.
Even turkey stuffing can be made with crabapples!
- Crabapple Chilli Chutney
- Best Crab Apples in Brine
- Roasted Chicken with Chestnuts and Crabapples
- Crab Apple Jelly Glazed Chicken
- Rosemary Pork Chops with Crabapple Sauce & Sweet Potato, Celery and Apple Salad
- Spiced Pork Shoulder with Roast Crab Apples
- Turkey Stuffing Salad with Arugula and Crab Apples
Crabapple Drink Recipes
A variety of drinks can be made with crabapple from simple juice to mulled cider. You can make simple crabapple juice to freeze or can. Juice can be heated and combined with cinnamon and other warming spices for a cozy drink to take the chill off on cold nights.
Crabapple whiskey and liqueurs can be made as well. Even crabapple jelly can be mixed into co*cktails and blended with other ingredients like gin and rose hips.
- How to Make Crabapple Juice
- Crab Apple Cider
- Crabapple Whisky
- Crabapple Liqueur with Cinnamon
- Rose Hip and Crabapple Gin co*cktail (from crabapple jelly)
Crabapple Snack Recipes
For family-friendly snacks, try crabapple fruit leather. You can stick with straight crabapples and sugar or blend them with other fruits to add natural sweetness to this portable snack.
You can also use crabapples for caramel-dipped apples for a sweet-tart combination. Top with peanuts or white chocolate chips for added decoration. Dehydrated crabapple slices dusted with cinnamon sugar are another option. These can be snaked on themselves or rehydrated in oatmeal or baked goods.
- Crabapple Fruit Leather
- Plum & Crabapple Fruit Leather
- Easiest Caramel Apples
- Dehydrated Cinnamon Apple Slices
Crabapple Dessert Recipes
For decadent desserts try baking and caramelizing crabapples to add to dishes – or simply devour with ice cream. Top cakes with candied crab apples or use crab apple jelly to glaze an apple cake.
For baked goods, try adding crabapples to bread puddings, bundt cakes or zucchini quick bread. Even chilled treats can be made with these tangy fruits. Try a smooth, frozen mousse or crabapple ice cream to dollop over streusel and various pies and tarts.
- Baked Caramelized Crab Apples
- Maple Syrup-Candied Crabapples with Oat-Pecan Crumble
- Apple Cake Glazed with Crabapple Jelly
- Crabapple Bread Pudding
- Crabapple Yogurt Bundt Cake
- Zucchini Crabapple Cake
- Frozen Crabapple Mousse with Black Walnut Streusel
- Crabapple Ice Cream
Cultured & Fermented Crabapples
There are quite a few fun options for fermenting crabapples. You can pickle the unripe fruit, mixing it with spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves and peppercorn to eat alongside savory dishes like pork and poultry.
Both crabapple mead and cider can be made as well – no cider press needed. This mead recipe will take about a year, the cider recipes are shorter – just a few weeks in fact!
- Spiced Crab Apple Pickles
- Spiced Pickled Chestnut Crabapples
- Crabapple Mead
- How to Make Hard Cider From Whole Apples, Without a Press
- Fermented Crabapple Cider
Seasonal Fruit Cooking Guides
Looking for more ways to use fresh seasonal ingredients?
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