These delicious Air Fryer Baked Apples are tossed with lots of cinnamon and caramelized to perfection. Use them on top of pancakes, to serve alongside ham or pork, or just eat them straight out the pan topped with loads of cinnamon whipped cream!
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Welcome fall! Now let’s get down to business with our cozy apple and pumpkin recipes, shall we??!
Some people buy their air fryer and either 1) use it for “frying” things as a alternative to deep frying (for example these Air Fryer Fish Sandwiches) or 2) use it for frozen food (like these air fryer sweet potato fries or these air fryer pizza rolls!)
Both of those uses are FANTASTIC however, in addition to that, your air fryer can also double as an oven! Let’s be honest, it’s basically an un-fancy convection oven.
I LOVE using my air fryer as an oven around the holidays for side dishes and smaller items so I can have my oven free for larger things like ham or turkey! Not only that, but I LOVE not having to turn on my oven for every single thing I want to bake! The air fryer uses way less energy and cooks my stuff faster….helloooo?! WINNING!
So let’s get cracking with these air fryer baked apple slices….AKA: fall on a plate! Most recipes you’ll find for baked apples in the air fryer want you to bake apple HALVES until tender. I have two issues with that: Too annoying to eat (not a fan of eating apples with a knife and fork) and no caramelized ooey gooey goodness!
If you want an air fryer apple dessert, let’s do this thing right! Ooey gooey goodness, here we come!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Delicious, caramelized apples that scream fall coziness!!
- No need to tie up your oven! These cook in a pan right in the air fryer!
- A delicious dessert with very little effort!
- So versatile! You can use these apples as a dessert, for breakfast or as a side dish.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these delicious Air Fryer Baked Apples:
INGREDIENT NOTES
Apples: Any apples from your grocery store will do. Try using a combination of sweet and tart apples:
Sweet: Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, Red Delicious
Tart: Granny Smith, McIntosh
Corn Starch: This acts as a thickening agent. You can also use arrowroot powder.
Brown Sugar: I used dark brown sugar because I love that deep, rich color but you can use light brown sugar or a combination of light and dark brown!
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Baking Pan: The size of your air fryer will depend on the size pan you use. I used a 9 inch ceramic pie pan similar to this one, but any oven-proof pan will work! Don’t think you have to go out and buy a pan specifically for an air fryer.
If you have a super deep, “drawer” type air fryer, some pans can be difficult (but entirely possible!) to remove. In that case, you may want to invest in an air fryer gadget set like this that has easy to remove “racks” and stands. But I don’t think it’s necessary. Just try out the pan you plan to use in you air fryer before you heat it up and see if you can easily remove it.
Air Fryer: Also, an air fryer is necessary! HA!! There are a lot of good air fryers, but my personal fave is the Cosori 12 in 1 Air Fryer. It’s not a “drawer” style air fryer which I think makes it so much more versatile! It’s also big enough to cook meals for my family of 5! It’s also a toaster oven which is super handy. I literally use this thing MULTIPLE times per day! It’s a powerhouse!
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER BAKED APPLES STEP BY STEP
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Begin by cutting your apples in 1/4″ slices. Add them to a large bowl.
Step 2: To the bowl, add your sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch, lemon juice, water, vanilla and sea salt.
Step 3: Give everything a few big stirs to ensure apples are fully coated with the sugar and spices, then transfer apple mixture to your baking pan.
Step 4: Cover pan with foil, then air fry at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover, give the apples a big stir coating all the apples in the caramel-y sauce, and air fry another 10-15 minutes until apples are very tender.
Step 5 (OPTIONAL): While apples are cooking, make the cinnamon whipped cream (if using, OPTIONAL). In large bowl, with a hand mixer or with a stand mixer, whip together heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon until soft peaks form (about 3-5 minutes). Chill until ready to serve.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
This will depend on the side of your air fryer, but any oven proof pan will work! For this recipe, I used a 9 inch ceramic pie pan. Just use an oven proof pan that fits into your air fryer and that you can easily remove.
Yes, you can however, note they they may get a little mushy (but still totally edible and delish!) in the freezing/defrosting process.
To freeze, cool apples completely then store in an airtight freezer bag. Freeze for up 1 month. To defrost, use the microwave or leave in the fridge to defrost overnight. These apples are delish when they are rewarmed for about 30 seconds in the microwave.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the apples (see instructions above).
Nope. But you sure can if you want to take the extra time. I like the “rustic ease” of not peeling my apples (fine, I’m lazy, ok?!). The apples get cooked down so much that it doesn’t matter too much if you peel them or not!
There are SO MANY ways to enjoy these air fryer apples! Here are a few of my favorites:
1. Topped with cinnamon whipped cream and chopped nuts for a sweet treat.
2. On toast: top toast with cream cheese and pile on lots of apples on top!
3. Stirred into yogurt or oatmeal.
4. As a topping for pancakes or waffles.
5. Served as a side dish with pork chops or baked ham.
6. On top of vanilla ice cream.
7. Blended to make apple sauce.
9. Topped with granola for an easy breakfast.
Yes, the cornstarch is a thickening agent. You can also use arrowroot powder for the same effect.
RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS
- If you have never used your air fryer to make these apples, check on them at about the 30 minute mark, then every 15 minutes after that. Some air fryers cook a bit faster than others, so make sure to check on them. Give them a good stir, too so the apples get coated with the delicious caramel sauce in the pan!
- Chopped nuts make a great topping if you want a little crunch!
OTHER AIR FRYER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
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Air Fryer Baked Apples with Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Equipment
- Oven Proof Pan or Dish (size dependent on size of your air fryer)
Ingredients
For the apples
- 5-6 medium/large apples See Note 1
- 3/4 cup brown sugar light brown, dark brown or both!
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water (or apple juice)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- crushed nuts, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for topping optional
For the Cinnamon Whipped Cream (OPTIONAL)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees. If your air fryer doesn't have a preheat setting, just turn it to 375 and give it about 3-5 minutes to come to temperature.
- Cut apples in 1/4" slices. Add them to a large bowl.
- To the bowl, add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch, lemon juice, water, vanilla and sea salt.
- Give everything a few big stirs to ensure apples are fully coated with the sugar and spices, then transfer apple mixture to your baking pan. Cover with foil then air fry at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and give apples a big stir to make sure they are all coated in the delicious caramel-y sauce! Then air fryer (uncovered) for another 10-15 minutes until apples are super tender (See Note 2).
- While apples are cooking, make the cinnamon whipped cream (if using, OPTIONAL). In large bowl with a hand mixer or with a stand mixer, whip together heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon until soft peaks form (about 3-5 minutes on medium-high speed). Chill until ready to serve.
- When done, carefully remove pan from air fryer. Top with cinnamon whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and serve immediately!
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