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Spiced Apple Rings Recipe photo by Taste Recipes

Spiced Apple Rings

Name: Spiced Apple Rings
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2 quarts
Ingredients: 3 cups sugar; 3 cups water; 3/4 cup white vinegar; 1/2 cup cinnamon candies or 6 cinnamon sticks (3 inches); 2 tablespoons whole cloves; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons red food coloring, optional; 3 pounds medium apple, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2-in. thick rings; 2 quart mason jars

Spiced Apple Rings Recipe photo by Taste Recipes

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Total Time

Prep: 25 mins. Process: 15 min./batch

By Val Goodrich

Recipe by Margaret Knoebel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Tested by Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

Taste Recipes's Editorial Process

Updated on Apr. 24, 2025

Pile spiced apple rings on all your autumnal and winter dishes, sweet or savory, for a sugary and tangy upgrade.

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Just as cranberry sauce is an essential on a Thanksgiving table, spiced apple rings are the winter holiday equivalent. These clove and cinnamon-spiced canned apples make an excellent side to the quintessential holiday foods, breaking up richness with sweet and tangy complexity.

Beyond the holidays, spiced apple rings are lovely atop autumnal breakfasts and on loaded charcuterie boards. But in the opinions of many, spiced apple rings taste best straight out of the jar.

Ingredients for Spiced Apple Rings

Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the spiced apple rings.
White vinegar: White vinegar is our acid of choice for the canning liquid. It’s really important to get the measurements just right, so don’t use more or less of the sugar, vinegar, water or salt!
Cinnamon candies or cinnamon sticks: Choose one or the other for these spiced apple rings in a jar. Cinnamon candies will help dye the apple rings red and have a spicy cinnamon flavor. Cinnamon sticks won’t dye the apples red and have more a of a sweet cinnamon flavor.
Cloves: Cloves are sweet and slightly bitter with a warming, spicy aroma.
Red food coloring: Optionally, add a few drops of red food coloring to dye the apples.
Apples: Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/2-inch-thick rings. Don’t go any thinner than that or the apples might turn into mush. If you don’t have an apple corer, slice the apple into rings, then use a large round piping tip to press the centers out.
Mason jars: To can the apple rings, you’ll need two wide-mouthed, quart-sized Mason jars with screw-top lids. Mason jars are essential canning supplies.

Directions

Step 1: Prep the Mason jars

Wash and sanitize two 1-quart canning jars, plus their lids and bands.

Editor’s Tip: Canning 101: Jars should also be heated in hot (not boiling) water to prevent them from cracking when the hot liquid is added. The lids and bands do not need to be heated since they’re metal.

Step 2: Heat the canning liquid

A hand pours a bowl of granulated sugar into a pot of red liquid with cranberries and spices, heating on a stovetop. A gray spoon rests nearby on a marble countertop. MARK DERSE FOR TASTE OF HOME

In a large stockpot, stir together the sugar, water, white vinegar, cinnamon candies or cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, salt and food coloring, if using. Heat the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture has slightly thickened, four to five minutes.

Step 3: Cook the apple rings

A pot on a stove contains round apple slices, cloves, and a red liquid, while metal tongs hold one apple slice above the simmering mixture. MARK DERSE FOR TASTE OF HOME

Add the apple rings to the canning liquid.

Sliced apples with cloves simmer in a pot of bubbling liquid on a stovetop, with metal tongs resting inside the pot. MARK DERSE FOR TASTE OF HOME

Cook and stir just until the apples are tender, three to five minutes.

Step 4: Divide into jars

A metal funnel sits on a glass jar filled with whole apples and red liquid, while more red liquid is being poured in from a pitcher. Another jar with apples and red liquid and a spoon are nearby on a marble surface. MARK DERSE FOR TASTE OF HOME

Use a slotted spoon to divide the apples into the hot prepared jars. Carefully pour the cooking liquid over the apples in each jar, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Secure the lids on the jars.

Editor’s Tip: Overfilling the jars is a common canning mistake. Overfilled jars prevent a vacuum seal, which means the apples can spoil sooner than they should.

Step 5: Process

A glass jar filled with sliced vegetables is being lifted from a large pot of hot water with jar tongs during a canning process. Another jar remains submerged in the pot. MARK DERSE FOR TASTE OF HOME

With tongs or a jar lifter, place the jars into a canner of simmering water, ensuring that the jars are completely covered with the water. Bring the water to a boil, and process for 15 minutes. Remove the jars and let them cool at room temperature.

Editor’s Tip: Label the jars with the canning date so later you can identify how old they are and if they’re past their prime.

Two glass jars filled with large, round slices of pickled watermelon rind sit on a marble surface. A lid is beside one jar, and a plate with more watermelon slices and a fork is in the background. MARK DERSE FOR TASTE OF HOME

Recipe Variations

Kick up the spice: Add a dried guajillo chili to the stockpot to create a bit of heat in the spiced apple rings.
Swap in pears for the apples: Pears make an excellent substitute for apples here. Go with types of pears that hold their shape well, like Anjou, Concorde or Bosc.

How to Store Spiced Apple Rings

Once the spiced apple rings in a jar are sealed properly, place them in a cool, dry place at room temperature. Keep them far away from direct sunlight or hot appliances like the oven. Once a jar is opened, the spiced apple rings should be stored in the fridge.

How long do spiced apple rings last?

When canned and stored properly, these spiced apple rings in a jar can last at room temperature for up to one year. After opening, store the apples in the fridge for up to one week.

Spiced Apple Ring Tips

Spiced Apple Rings in jar MARK DERSE FOR TASTE OF HOME

Which are the best apples to use for spiced apple rings?

The best apples to use for spiced apple rings are also the best apples for apple pie: tart, firm apples that will hold their shape well. Buy Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Cameo or Cortland.

How do you use spiced apple rings?

Apples, especially spiced apples like these, are particularly good with baked pork chops or an impressive glazed ham. They’re lovely on pancakes, cottage cheese, yogurt, oatmeal, vanilla ice cream and fall harvest salads too. Presented in a jar, these spiced apple rings would look nice on a holiday charcuterie board.

Do you have to use the cinnamon candies and red food coloring?

No, you don’t have to use cinnamon candies or red food coloring. If you want to keep these spiced apple rings a little more natural, omit the red food coloring and use the six cinnamon sticks option instead of the cinnamon candies.

Test Kitchen Approved