Air Fryer Apples

Warm and tender cinnamon seasoned air fryer apples are such an incredibly easy and delicious quick dessert! Picture the filling of an apple pie but portion controlled and without all the extra calories. Serve it with a little ice cream, whipped topping, yogurt and granola for a fun, no-fuss tasty dessert you'll want to make over and over!

This post contains affiliate links from Amazon and other retailers. When you click on these links, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. It helps me maintain this website and create new recipes. Thank you for your support! Please read my privacy policy for more details.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's so easy! You only need 5 simple ingredients and you most likely already have them in your pantry. You'll need to peel, core and slice the apples, then simply season them, and the air fryer will do its magic resulting in irresistible, tender, warm apples. So good!
• They only need around 10 minutes to cook which makes them a great quick dessert to put together if you have a sudden apple pie craving. And it's a great recipe to make for guests at the end of a dinner party. Adults and kids will love it, I guarantee you! And your home will smell like apple pie!
• My version has significantly lower in calories than an apple pie or apple crumble, but with the same flavor profile, leaving room for a topping like a little ice cream guilt-free! We use a touch of brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and a tad of spray cooking oil. The apples get sweeter as they cook, so they really don't need a ton of added sugar in my opinion.
• You can use pretty much any kind of apples and play around with the seasoning and toppings if you want some. Switch the cinnamon for pumpkin spice, top the warm air fryer apples with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and add some crunch with granola or nuts. You could also serve them with a sweet breakfast, added to oats, French toasts, waffles or pancakes.

Key Ingredients

• Apples: I made this recipe with Gala, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady and Fuji, and they all tasted great. You can definitely use pretty much any kind, the very tart ones like Granny Smith might need a bit more sugar.
• Cinnamon: cinnamon and apples are like peanut butter and jelly, right?!
• Brown sugar: I only use a teaspoon of sugar because apples get sweeter when they cook, but you can definitely use a little more if you wish. It helps the apples caramelize. You can also replace it with white sugar, honey, maple syrup or sweetener of your choice.
• Vanilla extract: vanilla gives the recipe a little extra flavor.
• Spray cooking oil: You'll need a little spray to make sure the apples don't stick to the air fryer basket.

How To Make Air Fryer Apples

• First, peel and core the apples. I cut each slices about ¾-inch thick, that's about 8 slices per half of the apple, for a medium apple. It doesn't have to be perfect, just try to cut them about the same size so they air fry evenly.
• Preheat the air fryer to 400° Fahrenheit.

More Air Fryer Recipes To Try

• Air Fryer Butternut Squash
• Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
• Air Fryer Edamame
• Air Fryer Diced Potatoes
• Air Fryer Delicata Squash

Tips

• Make sure to preheat your air fryer before cooking this recipe.
• Don't overcrowd the air fryer too much. But the apples won't really get crispy so you can fill it up a bit more than other ingredients like potatoes, but they might need a little more cooking time.
• Try to shake the basket to toss the apples every 4-ish minutes if you can.
• The air fried apples are amazing eaten right away, but they're also great reheated for about 20 seconds in the microwave.
• The sliced apples will shrink quite a lot when cooking so plan accordingly, 4 small apples will give you about 2 servings.
• If you wanted to prepare the apples in advance, be aware that raw peeled apples get brownish quickly. But I do have a tip that works: add the sliced apples to cold water with a little salt and let them sit for about 5 minutes. Then rinse them and add them to a airtight container refrigerated to keep fresh for a few hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

What spray cooking oil should I use?

• Stay away from nonstick sprays because most of them contain propellant or other chemicals added to them, which can damage the lining of the air fryer. I use avocado or olive oil sprays for cooking most of the time, but you can use any oil you prefer. The spray is suitable and safe for air fryers when they only contain oil and no extra chemicals. 

Do I have to peel the apples?

• Nope, it's up to your preference.

How do I know when the apples are ready?

• They should feel tender when poked with a fork. Every air fryer cook a little differently, so check for doneness around 9 to 10 minutes. Mine were perfect after 12 minutes.