Little sweet and tart, apples have taste ranging from mild to overpowering depending on the variety, weather and harvest conditions. From yellow to red and green, the color of apple determine the balance of sugars and acids.
Not only do varieties include both sweet and tart level, apple tend to be crisp and juicy due to water, sugar, acids, and aromatic esters. Therefore, pairing foods with apples can become interesting in culinary terms.
What to eat with apples? Regardless the color and harvest technique, apples pairs wonderfully with granola, yogurt, cream cheese, lemon, and walnuts to make into healthy and quick snacks.
Typically, raw apples go well with nut butters. For instance, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, cashew butter, and even cookie butter.
On the other hand, you can transform apples into different items such as apple pie, sautéed apples, applesauce, and crispy apple chips.
However, apples are not fond of mixing with acidic fruits like grapefruits and strawberries due to harsh indigestion.
Apples are the world’s most portable, ready to eat, hearty snack. Their juicy, sweet-tartness and crunchy texture pair perfectly with almost anything.
Wondering what else to serve with apples besides peanut butter? Well, let’s explore the endless possibilities with the following flavor matchups.
What goes well with apples?
Apples go well with vegetables, spices, other fruits, sweeteners, nuts, proteins, and other pantry items. Examples of excellent pairings include.
- Protein: duck, chicken, seafood, pork, and beef
- Fruits: figs, apricots, blueberries, cranberries, cherries, lemon, pears, raspberries, mango, quince, plums, bananas, raisins
- Vegetables: kale, carrots, celery, cabbage, cucumbers, beets, chili, jicama, lettuce, winter squash, zucchini, onions, pumpkin, endive, horseradish, watercress
- Grains: farro, kasha, millet, oats, quinoa
- Seeds and nuts: cashews, almonds, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, chestnuts
- Herbs and spices: black pepper, lavender, fennel seeds, nutmeg, mint, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, rosemary, mace, sage, coriander, mustard seeds, sumac
- Cheese: cheddar, cottage, ricotta, cream cheese
- Condiments: peanut butter, brandy, vanilla, wheat berries, sauerkraut, caramel, custard, maple syrup
- Sweeteners: maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, molasses
What to dip apples in?
An impeccable partner to apples is a fluffy and smooth dip to balance the sweet and tart taste.
In general, apples go with peanut butter or any other nut butter to complement that nutty taste. Even better, sprinkle some cinnamon powder on top to give apples an extra sweet and inviting taste.
Yogurt lends a tangy contrast to apples without being too overpowering, and plain yogurt is the preferred over flavored choices for contrasting the; sweet taste.
More dips to try with apples include:
What goes good with apples for a snack?
Many snacks go well with apples as long as they complement or contrast their flavor. For quick snack ideas, simply slice apple and use a dipping sauce.
For more thoughtful snacks, add to oatmeal or serve as a dessert, bake whole apple with vanilla ice cream or make into applesauce to use in various ways.
If you need ideas that pair well with apples for a snack, here are a few go-to.
What flavor goes well with apples?
Coating apples with spices and herbs can turn a plain slice into a sophisticated meal. Anise candy flavor is all you need to transform basic apples into a unique dessert.
When it comes to savory snacks with apple, try caraway seeds for a bitter note that marries perfectly with the tartness and sweetness of apples.
In addition, ginger and apples brings out a spicy, sweet, and sour flavor. This combo is as old as time with the sourness and bitter under-notes of ginger used to even out the singular sweetness of apples.
For citrusy, zesty notes, be sure to add sage. Drizzle in some vanilla to give the apples that deep, soothing, and sweet feel, especially when making desserts with apples.
Here are classic flavor combination ideas that go well with apples:
- apple + cheddar cheese
- apple + plain yogurt + honey + cinnamon
- apple + arugula + bacon
- apple + cream cheese + lemon zest + pistachios
- apple + balsamic vinegar + brown sugar + ground pepper
- apple + prosciutto + mustard
Eat with Apples: Conclusion
Just like turkey steals the show at the thanksgiving table, apples are the star of many desserts or snacks because they are easily complemented by a myriad of ingredients and flavors.
Everything comes down to excellently pairing when the textures and tastes are allowed to speak for themselves.
Always dress apples with dips or pair them with nuts, cheese, proteins, fruits, veggies, and pantry items to make them even tastier.
As healthy snack, serve with granola, yogurt, cream cheese, lemon, and walnuts. Otherwise, simply dip slices apples in nut butter, honey, yogurt, caramel, chocolate sauce, cottage cheese, and pumpkin puree.
With apples, the possibilities are endless, from crackers to chocolate and biscuits, there are many ways to serve a variety of apples. Use these flavor combination and healthy snack ingredient ideas to experiment freely.