Learn how to keep apples from turning brown for school lunch box or on fruit trays. It is extremely easy! Do not waste money buying cut apples from the store where they have been sprayed with chemicals to keep them from browning. Apple slices can stay looking great for days with just two simple ingredients: water and salt! Read on to learn all about this easy lunchbox hack, along with the pros and cons of each method.
Why I Tested How to Keep Apples From Turning Brown
If I were the Pinterest Perfect Mom, I would share how sad the start of school makes me every year, but that isn’t me and I would never try to pretend to be. The last few weeks of summer vacation are nothing short of an extreme test of my patience as a momma to six kiddos. The kids are DONE with each other. I am DONE with their lack of interest in anything that doesn’t revolve around electronics.
Have I mentioned that I believe our teachers should be some of the highest-paid professionals out there?
In our house, there is no buying of school lunches. When you have 6 kids, that comes to $18/day, or $90/week, or $4,860/school year. I’d rather keep that $5K and take my kids on vacation, not to mention that school lunches here suuuuuuuuck!
Now, I know that an apple in its natural state is the perfect fruit to toss in lunch boxes, but I’ve discovered that if I pack a whole apple, I will often get a whole apple back. When I pack apple slices, I get zero apples back.
Over the years, I’ve tried all the different “hacks” to learn how to keep cut apples from turning brown but nothing came close to working as well as the salt method, plus I always have the needed ingredients: water and salt!
This winning method will last for 4-5 days in the fridge sealed in a container, so make a big batch for the whole week to save even more time! And to answer the question I know you are thinking, no….they do not taste like salt after they are finished soaking 🙂 Read on to find out why!
Why Cut Apples Turn Brown
Apples turn brown fairly quickly after their interiors are exposed to oxygen. This change in color is due to enzymatic browning, which happens when the enzymes on the surface of the newly sliced flesh begin to react with their first exposure to oxygen. These enzymes begin to oxidize and change into an iron-containing compound that has a brown color. Think of it as the apple starting to rust, but technically it is called polyphenol oxidase.
Apples are not the only fruits that undergo oxidation when cut or bit into. Pears, bananas, and eggplants also have this quick oxidation process and browning. But of course, science is working its magic to cure this very first-world problem. There is currently a genetically modified apple variety going through government approval that won’t produce the browning enzyme, even when you cut it into slices or take a bit of it.
Are Brown Apple Slices Safe to Eat?
Yes, despite their unappealing brown appearance, apple slices that have already begun to turn are perfectly safe to eat. However, just because it is safe doesn’t necessarily mean they are enjoyable to eat. The oxidation process does begin to change both the texture and the flavor of the exposed apple flesh. The longer you expose your apple to oxygen, the browner it becomes so use the color as your cue on how long is too long.
Ranking 6 Methods to Keep Apples from Turning Brown
There are six available methods to keep apple slices bright white. I’ve tested them all and included below are their rankings from best to worst, and why they received that ranking.
#1 – The Salt Water Method
Not only was this method the most effective in keeping apple slices from browning, it was also the easiest and lasted the longest out of all 6 methods. Our cut apples stayed good for 5-7 days after a quick soak in the salt water solution. The salt water method also gets bonus points for only needing ingredients that everyone will have on hand at all times.
#2 – The Honey Method
Similar to the salt water method, you mix honey and water together and let the slices soak. While the honey method didn’t perform quite as well as the salt, it was pretty darn close. The main reason this method comes in second place is that not everyone will have honey in their pantry. And for those that do, honey is a lot more expensive than salt.
#3 – The Water-Only Method
While the apple slices stay bright while they are in the water, they begin to brown shortly after sitting on a plate or lunch box container. No one wants to serve apple slices floating in a bowl of water, or send their kids to school with a container of apples bobbing around in water. Practicality is what put this method in third place.
#4 – The Rubberband Method
Just like it sounds, this method holds together the slices in the original apple shape with a rubber band. It has a few major downfalls. First, it works best if you can put the pieces of the apple back together in the exact same order they were on the whole apple. When I’m slicing 6 apples, not the most convenient. Second, they still get brown in the center unless you keep the core inside, which my kids do not like. Plus, I am never a fan of sending rubber bands to school that I will never get back because they are being shot across the cafeteria by my kid 🙂
#5 – The Lemon Lime Soda Method
Similar to the honey method, the cost, and availability of ingredients are the biggest downfall of this method. Most people don’t keep soda in the pantry for soaking apples. The results were good enough to last 4-6 hours after soaking in the soda, but became brown pretty quickly after that.
#6 – The Lemon Juice Method
This last-place method comes in two different versions, neither of which I would recommend:
Brushing lemon juice straight on the surface of the slices – very time-consuming and while effective at keeping away the brown, ruins the taste of the apple.
Soaking in lemon juice and water mixture was better on the flavor aspect, but worse on keeping the apples white. While it does leave behind a sour flavor, it is a big improvement from the straight lemon juice.
FAQs on How to Keep Apples from Turning Brown with Salt Water
Salt naturally contains sodium, which acts as a natural preservative keeping the oxygen away from the flesh of the apple slices. It reduces the amount of water (apple juice) on the cut surface of the apple, allowing less exposure to the oxygen, and less oxidation occurs. When less oxidation occurs, there is less browning of the apple.
Salt naturally contains sodium, which acts as a natural preservative keeping the oxygen away from the flesh of the apple slices. It reduces the amount of water (apple juice) on the cut surface of the apple, allowing less exposure to the oxygen, and less oxidation occurs. When less oxidation occurs, there is less browning of the apple.
No, the apples do not require rinsing before eating them. In fact, doing so actually removes the sodium, which is the chemical doing all the work! If the salt is bothering you for some reason, simply wash them right before serving them, not before storing them. Otherwise, the salty soak will be useless, resulting in rusty apples anyways.
What is the best way to store sliced apples?
After soaking the apples in salt water, store them in any airtight container inside the refrigerator. For lunch boxes, package them directly into Ziplock bags or small airtight containers. Makes it super easy for the kids to grab from the fridge when packing their lunches before school.
Will the salt water method work on all types of apples?
Yes! This method is how to keep apples from turning brown for all varieties. Some fresh apples naturally turn brown faster than others because they have different enzyme levels. Granny Smith apples have the ability to stay bright white the longest, while others like Red Delicious and Gala are much quicker to head for that color change.
Watch How to Keep Cut Apples from Turning Brown
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Print
How to Keep Apples from Turning Brown
A simple way to keep apple slices from turning brown in your lunch box overnight or for days!
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 5 apples 1x
Instructions
Dissolve the salt into the cold water and stir well. Add the apples and immerse them in the solution.
Soak apples for 5 minutes, then drain away the water. Do not rinse them.
Package your apples into individual or one large airtight container then store in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
Notes
You can do this on a smaller scale with just one apple as well, just reduce the water and salt in half.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Fresh
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 large apple
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: how to keep apples from turning brown, lunch box, apple slices
Patricia @ ButterYum says
Don’t you just love teenager’s logic – not! When my 17 year old starts one of her explanations, I smile and roll my eyes.
Anyway, great tip. I’ve tried lemon juice and fruit fresh (vitamin c), but I’ve never tried salt. I’ll give it a go. Thanks for sharing!
Noel Stamper says
Are you using regular table salt, kosher or sea salt?
Any type of salt works
Suzan Wood-Young says
Why can’t your 17 year old make her own lunch?
Carole says
She does Suzan. I still have to provide the food for her to pack however. 🙂
Lainaholo 'Ohana says
This is awesome :). Found this post via Pinterest, Thank you very much! My little kindergardner starts school this Thursday, & I wanted to pack apple slices for school :). Have you noticed the apple slices turning brown at all? If not, totally going to try this out!
Lainaholo 'Ohana says
Scratch that last comment…just read the post again 🙂 Thanks again for the awesome tip!
Charlene says
I use powdered vitamin C powder instead of salt. Works wonderfully! and gives a bit of added vit c boost
Anonymous says
Soak your apple slices in Sierra Mist, they won’t turn brown.
Jacqueline says
Genius!!! You solved a big dilemma for me. I thought about sprinkling lemon juice, but probably not the best taste. This is great!! Now I can send fresh apples not the pre-packaged kind in my grand-daughter`s lunch. Thank you so much!!
So glad you love this idea Jacqueline! I use it ALL the time, at least a couple times a week
Wanda says
Worked like a charm! Wonder if it would work for avocado slices as well?
Glad it worked for you Wanda! I have no idea about avocado but now I am curious!
Chan says
Avocado slice you can cover with olive oil
Lolita says
Hi there! Such a wonderful article, thanks!
Donald says
I loved this so much! I’ve seen a lot of different versions of this but I love how this only uses salt and water because I definitely always have those two ingredients.
I agree! You can soak them in lemon lime soda or lemon juice, but I don’t always have those on hand.
Alesha says
I did lemon juice today and the smell that came back was the worst ever, my poor little grade 1 had quite the lunch aroma going on! I will try the salt though.
It works so well!
India says
Thank you! I don’t have kids but I was researching this for myself. I’m a mental health therapist and I see clients back to back for hours with about 10mins in-between. I love slices apples with peanut butter but they turn brown before I can enjoy them. So thank you soooooo much for this tip and keeping me alive and energized for my clients
So happy to help out!
Kim says
this may be a silly question, but when you soak the apples in the salty water they’re salty, so do you rinse the salt off the apples when you are ready to eat them?
Hey Kim! Not a silly question at all. They actually aren’t salty 🙂 If you are worried about it, you can certainly rinse them but it isn’t necessary.
Terra says
Thank you so much for sharing! The only fruit/vegetable my son will eat is apples and raspberries! Raspberries can be messy, so I stick to apples. I can’t wait to try this- I love that I don’t have to spend extra money!
You are very welcome Terra!
KImberley Fredericksen says
Can you make a fruit tray with the apples after soaking them for 5 minutes? How long are they able to stay open to the air before they start browning?
Hi Kimberley! Yes, you bet this will work for a fruit tray. Im the fridge, they last for days. Out in the air, about 4-5 hours before they begin to get a tinge of brown to them.
Lisa S says
Can you peel the apples and soak them? I don’t eat the skin and was wondering if it still would work?
Hi Lisa! Yes, I ‘m sure that would work well.
Rhionan says
This worked like a charm, finally one more lunch option for my fussy eater!
Stacey says
You say you don’t need to rinse them before you put them in the lunchbox but my son came home saying they tasted like nothing but salt. Only used a little bit of salt for 1 apple. It does work but I think I’ll let them soak overnight and rinse right before they go in my sons lunchbox.
Andy says
I tried this for my grandkids lunch this week and it worked so well. Mine were still looking great after 4 days.
Thanks for coming back and leaving your review!
Sofia says
Just found this brilliant idea while preparing my kids’ lunch boxes in the morning (was not panicking at all while googling!). What a great and super simple idea. I have some sliced apples soaking in salt water in the fridge right now and this will be in their lunch boxes tomorrow.
Thank you for sharing. Have a great day ahead!
You are very welcome Sofia! Thanks for leaving your review
Sima says
Does this work for any type of Apple and do you have to dry them off?
Yes, it works for any type of apple and no, you do not need to rinse or dry them off.