Bacon-fried Apples Three Ways (Whole30, Paleo)

Looking for a delicious, different kind of Whole30 snack with apples? These warm bacon-fried apples have a tinge of savory surrounding the natural sweetness of apples. Top them with one of three spices, or make some of each for a delicious variety.

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Recently I was looking for a warm, comforting snack. I was in a round of Whole30, so a few slices of cheddar cheese were out of the question. I didn’t want cold fruit or a Larabar, I didn’t want veggies or meat or eggs. Honestly, I really wanted the cheddar cheese, but refer to above. I decided to try a new take on apple slices. My son loves apples slices. He’ll go through one or two apples a day. So when he asked me to slice one for him I sliced two. One for him and one for me. To be adventurous, I decided to try frying them in some bacon grease.

Yep. You read that right. Bacon grease. Apples. Fried. Late-night snack. Delish. Seriously.

Trial and error gets the best results

It took some finessing. Slicing them too thin made them greasy and burned. Maybe I need to use a hotter pan to get those to work. But bacon grease smokes if it gets too hot, making that a challenge. Too thick and they didn’t feel like an easy snack. I found the sweet spot is about 1/4-inch thick cooked over about medium heat.

But, apple slices fried in bacon grease is just that, apples and grease. Actually it was ok, but they needed something more. They needed some spice. I tried a variety and found three that we liked a lot. I topped some with cinnamon, some with nutmeg, and some with garam masala. The cinnamon spiced ones tasted the most “traditional” since we associate apples and cinnamon with apple pie, oatmeal, etc. Nutmeg was a good topping too, just be careful not to use too much. The ones topped with garam masala were unique and our favorites. The apples are plenty sweet so I didn’t add any extra sugar.

And, they took about five minutes to make, perfect for an easy, filling snack.

Ingredients for Bacon-fried Apples

• Apples – choose a firm, tart apple. Our favorites are Honeycrisp and Pink Lady apples. I think green Granny Smith apples would work, but would be less sweet. Yellow opal apples are delicious too. But hey, whatever apples you have will work just fine. It’s not like it’ll taste terrible with Gala apples! Pretty much any apple will work.
• Bacon grease – make sure it’s no-sugar added if you’re trying to stay Whole30 or Paleo compliant. I usually save some bacon grease in the fridge to have for frying other items.
• Cinnamon – this will give you the classic cinnamon-apples flavor, highlighting the sweetness of the apples.
• Nutmeg – bring memories of winter holidays with the sharpness of nutmeg.
• Garam masala – this is a mix of ground spices traditionally used in Indian and Pakistani cooking. The mixtures vary depending on the region and the recipe. Typical mixtures include cumin, coriander, cloves, ground black pepper, cardamom and cinnamon. It’s sweet and aromatic with just a little heat from the black pepper.

Tips & Tricks for this Whole30 Snack with Apples

• Try slicing the apples about 1/4 inch thick. They’ll get crispy on the outside without burning. When I cut them thin they were soggy and greasy. (But they still tasted good. I’m a little ashamed to say that I ate them all anyway.)
• Try topping these with some chopped nuts, dried cranberries or dried coconut. I think cheddar cheese might be a good topping too, but NOT Whole30. Maybe I just really like cheddar cheese.
• Keep some bacon grease in the fridge for times like this when you want an easy snack cooked in some salty, bacon-y goodness. It lasts for a very long time when kept in an airtight container.

Other Snack Recipes

These recipes are from my pre-Whole30 days, so while they’re delicious and fun, they’re definitely not compliant.

• Pumpkin Butter Bananas
• Chocolate Cranberry Cheerios Treats
• Apple Pie Smoothie