How to Keep Apples from Turning Brown

Learn how to keep apples from turning brown so you can always keep them fresh! This is the best solution and no lemon juice is needed.

Knowing how to preserve sliced apples comes in handy when making a caramel apple bar, apple nachos and apple cranberry spinach salad.

Best Way To Prevent Apples from Browning

It’s no secret that apples brown quickly once exposed to air after being sliced. Browning not only makes them less appealing visually but they also start to become less juicy and have a softer texture.

Knowing how to keep apples from turning brown allows you to keep them on hand for snacks, send them in your kids lunch boxes or using them for my apple desserts. They stay crisp and juicy, too!

Why Apples Turn Brown After Cutting

After slicing, apples the enzyme, polyphenol oxidase, in the fruit flesh reacts with the oxygen in the air and brown pigments start to appear after the fruit is sliced and flesh exposed.

The chemical reaction of browning on the surface of the apple doesn’t necessarily make them bad to eat but it is visually unappealing! Unfortunately there is no way to completely stop or reverse browning but there are methods that can slow down oxidation.

How to Keep Apple Slices from Turning Brown

In a bowl, combine 2 cups room-temperature tap water with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let salt dissolve.

Slice the apples into wedges and cover them with the salt water for 5 minutes.

Drain cut apples in a colander (no need to rinse) to remove any lingering hint of salt then place in an airtight container lined with a paper towel in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Pat dry before snacking on or using to dip.

I promise you won’t taste the salt and they will stay fresh for hours up to even overnight!

Methods For Keeping Apples Fresh

While salt water is the best way to prevent cut apples from browning for a longer amount of time, there are a few other methods to explore that are common.

• Salt water. After exploring other methods for years, saltwater-soaked apples resist browning the best. This is also the best method to use that causes the least change to taste and texture.
• Citric acid: A common method is to use lemon juice to prevent apples from turning brown as citric-acid is a natural antioxidant. Add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to a cup of water and soak apples. This method works best if using apples within a few hours.
• Carbonation: Carbonated drinks such as lemon-lime soda or ginger also contain citric acid. Soak in beverage of choice for a few minutes. Enjoy as is if you love the added flavor from the drinks or rinse and enjoy within a few hours.
• Sweetened water. If you love a sweeter taste to your apples, soak apples in 1 cup of water with 1 Tablespoon of honey. No need to rinse the honey water but I would plan to use them within a few hours.
• Plastic wrap. If you are in a hurry and prefer to not soak apples, you can wrap apple slices tightly with plastic wrap. I don’t find this method particularly helpful for long term storage but could be a quick fix.

Apple Recipes to Try

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