Apple nachos? We hear you asking, what are apple nachos? Are they apples smothered in cheese and hot sauce, or are they tortilla chips covered in applesauce?
In fact, apple nachos are none of the above, but they are easy to prepare, super customizable, and absolutely delicious (and sort of healthy). Apple nachos are simply sliced apples covered in your favorite toppings (sweet or savory!) - these aren't nachos in the traditional sense, but the concept is sort of the same!
Apple nachos make for a great snack, a starter, or a dessert. You can cover them in chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, marshmallows, or you could try some nacho-style cheese (let us know how that one goes!).
Keep reading, and find out all you need to know about apple nachos - the apple dessert you never knew that you needed in your life, until now!
What are apple nachos?
Apple nachos might not be what you're thinking. We'll get straight to it because this dish has zero tortilla chips in the recipe, and you're probably wondering how they are related to nachos! These are far from the traditional nachos you might be expecting because the basis for this tasty treat is a healthy quantity of apple slices and your choice of toppings.
Apple nachos are essentially dessert nachos (although they can be prepared as a sweet treat, for breakfast, or even for lunch, as well as a dessert). You take your slices of apples, lay them out on a plate, and cover them in sauce, sugar, cream, marshmallows, or any other topping.
These can be sweet or savory toppings (a personal favorite are caramel apple nachos), and they can be healthy or unhealthy. The reality is that apple nachos are not exactly the same as tortilla-based nacho dishes in terms of their ingredients or looks, but the concept is sort of the same. The apples are the tortilla chips, and you then add your sauces and toppings - apple nachos are the result!
How to make apple nachos
Because this dish is so easy to make, it's so customizable. There's no single recipe for apple nachos (although again, caramel apple nachos really are a winner) because there are literally hundreds of different combinations you can try out.
To make a basic apple nacho dessert dish, you'll need the following ingredients:
- 4 large sliced apples (we recommend the sweetest apples if you're preparing this as a dessert).
- Toppings of your choice.
The concept is pretty easy to follow, too. To make the apple nachos, you first need to use an apple peeler to peel off the skin. You then have to core and slice the apples, then arrange them on a plate (like nachos).
From here, things get even easier, but it's your opportunity to be creative. Simply layer your toppings over the sliced apples until you're happy with the results. For example, if you're making caramel apple nachos, just squeeze or spoon your caramel sauce over the apples.
Serve fresh, with any other ingredients you fancy (more on that below!)
Delicious apple nacho recipe ideas
As we said, this is a super customizable dish, and you can prepare savory or sweet recipes from scratch at home (or a combination of the two). It's an easy-to-follow formula, and you can have just two or three toppings or tens of toppings (as long as they fit on the plate).
For the perfect serving size, we suggest using 4 large apples. After this, add as much or as little of your toppings as your desire. To get you inspired, here are a few of our top apple nacho recipe ideas:
- Caramel apple nachos
- Apple nachos with peanut butter and melted chocolate
- Apple nachos with ice cream and chocolate chips
- Apple nachos with fried bananas and sugar
- Apple nachos with chocolate sauce and sprinkles
- Apple nachos with chili sauce
- Apple nachos with applesauce
- Apple nachos with chutney
- Marshmallow apple nachos with ice cream
- Apple nachos with melted cheese and hot sauce (true nacho style, go on, we dare you!)
How long do apple nachos last?
Apple nachos are best served fresh and eaten immediately. Unfortunately, this isn't a dish that you can preserve for long because the apple slices start to turn brown as soon as they are exposed to the air.
This is natural for all apples, and within one or two hours, the apple slices will become visibly brown as they begin to oxidize. While it's not dangerous, they obviously don't look quite as appetizing when they have begun to brown.
If you need to save any leftovers, then you'll need to place the apple nachos in the fridge right away. This will delay the browning process and keep them fresh for at least the rest of the day. Any longer than this and the apples will turn brown (even in the fridge).
For this reason, we recommend preparing apple nachos when you need them. You can prepare the dish in plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for one or two hours in advance of dinner, but no longer than this.
Apples can last for weeks in the fridge if they haven't been sliced, so try to only prepare as many apples as you think you'll need in one go; otherwise, you'll just create needless apple waste.
What are the best apples to use?
You can use any apples that you have in the fridge or cupboard to prepare apple nachos. As long as you enjoy the taste, it's really up to you!
If you're preparing sweet dessert nachos, then you may very well want to choose a sweet apple. These include the likes of Fuji apples, Honeycrisp, Ambrosia, or the popular Red Delicious.
If you want to take away some of the sweetness, then go for a tarter cooking apple, such as a Granny Smith, for example. You can also try a combination of sweet and tart (Granny Smith and Honeycrisp, for instance!).
Again, this recipe is super customizable. Try different apple combinations, or add other types of fruit to the mix as well!
Are apple nachos healthy?
Nachos apples can be healthy, but this really does depend on your toppings. As far as desserts go, this dish has the potential to be very healthy. After all, apples are low in calories, low in fat, high in fiber, high in vitamins (particularly vitamin A), and more.
There's no denying that apples are healthy, and you can pick green apples to prepare if you also want to cut down on sugar levels (green apples have less sugar than red apples, which is why they aren't as sweet).
But while a plate of apple nachos without any toppings is certainly a healthy alternative to an apple cake or a bowl of cheese-coated tortilla nachos, apple nachos also become unhealthy once they are stacked with unhealthy toppings!
Adding ice cream, chocolate, or marshmallow to your caramel apple nachos is doubtless going to raise the calorie count and sugar levels massively. If you're trying to prepare healthy nacho recipes, then stick to savory options, or limit the number of sweet toppings to just one or two. Better yet, try adding extra fruit to your apple nachos instead of sauces and sweets (banana and apple nachos are fantastic!).
As we said already, apple nachos are wonderfully customizable, so it's really down to you as the chef how healthy or unhealthy the finished product is going to be!
Apple nachos: the last serving
Apple nachos are a unique way to prepare your apples. Although admittedly, these are quite far removed from traditional nachos (there are no tortilla chips in this recipe!), apple nachos are a delightful way to serve up sweet or savory apple slices for you and your family.
If you're struggling to entice your kids to eat their five servings of fruit a day, then a healthy serving of apple nachos with a few little treats on top is a great way to encourage them. If you've got apples to spare, then why not try out our apple nachos recipe at home?