Air Fryer Baked Apples pack all the delicious flavors of fall – apples, cinnamon, nutmeg – into a sweet and crunchy dessert that’s so delicious and yet so simple to make.
» You might also try these Air Fryer Apple Crisp or 22 Air Fryer Breakfast Recipes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Fall ingredients: This is a great recipe to help you use up all of those fall apples that you have sitting on the counter. Who knew the air fryer could make such a perfect apple dessert.
- Simple: The ingredients used in this recipe are basic and common pantry staples. If you don’t have oats use granola, don’t have cinnamon, use nutmeg. Change it and tweak it for a simple dessert.
- Delicious & nutritious: Most desserts are packed with sugar. This recipe relies on the natural sugars in the apple along with a little bit of honey for its delicious sweet tart flavors.
What Are Baked Apples
Obviously baked apples are typical “baked” in the oven, but this version is baked in the air fryer instead. That might seem strange if you’ve never baked in the air fryer before, but it’s really just a convection oven that circulates air around the food to cook it more quickly and evenly.
Baked apples can be made with any type of apple. You just need to remove the core and then either cut them in half, slice them, or dice them and bake them. In this recipe, we’ve halved the apples and use them as a vessel for sweetened oats that we put in the middle of the apples, which make them similar to an apple crisp.
Ingredients Needed for Baked Apples
- Apples – Use your favorite apples or whatever extra apples you have on hand – Fuji, golden delicious, red delicious, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp… They’re all good!
- Butter – This is for brushing onto the apples to keep them moist, and to add to the crumble filling. Remember, butter makes everything better.
- Old fashioned oats or granola – You definitely want to use oats in this recipe, but it’s okay if they are in the form of granola. You might need less honey in the filling if using a sweetened granola.
- Honey – This is the glue that holds it all together and makes it sweet.
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon (and maybe some nutmeg if you like it) give this baked apple a delicious fall flavor.
Equipment Information
- Air fryer: I use this 4-quart basket-style air fryer. It’s large enough to fit a meal for 4-6. But some things need more space in the air fryer basket, so they cook evenly.
- Kitchen tongs: It’s very easy to remove food from your air fryer with kitchen tongs. I use these kitchen tongs that are silicon coated so they don’t scratch the interior.
- Basting brush: The brush on the melted butter, you’ll need a good basting brush.
Ninja® Foodi®XL 2-Basket Air Fryer
- 2 independent XL air fryer baskets
- Integrated Foodi® Smart Thermometer
- Cook 2 foods 2 ways that finish at the same time
Expert Tips to Follow
- If you like the apple to be completely baked and mushy, cook for 15 minutes. For a slightly firmer apple, cook for 10-13.
- Don’t feel the apples before baking. The skin will help the apples hold their shape and keep the filling from falling out as it cooks.
- Use your favorite apple. I love to use cosmic crisps or pink lady apples.
- Make sure to cook the apples skin side down.
How to Make Air Fryer Baked Apples
Step1: Prep the Apples
The best way to bake apples in the air fryer is to half them and set them on their skin side. So cut the apples in half and cut out the core with a paring knife. Brush melted butter on the tops of the apple halves.
Step 2: Mix up the Filling
Mix the remaining melted butter with the oats, honey, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add some nutmeg, if you like it. It gives it a nice aroma and flavor.
Spoon the mixture evenly onto the tops of the apples. I find this easier to do outside of the air fryer, so hold an apple half in your palm and scoop in the mixture, then place it gently into the air fryer basket, one by one.
Step 3: Bake
Bake at 375º F (180º C) for 13-15 minutes. Check on them after about 10 minutes to make sure everything is coming along well. If you want there to still be bite left to the apple, you might want to take them out at this point. If you want them apple to be mostly cooked through and soft, continue cooking for 3-5 minutes.
You can eat these apples on their own, straight from the air fryer, or pile them up with whipped cream or ice cream for a more substantial dessert.
Why Use an Air Fryer
An air fryer is an incredibly easy way to cook just about anything. You place the food in a fryer-style basket and hot air rapidly circulates all around the food, making the food crisp – much like deep-frying, but without the oil. You can cook anything you’d make in the oven.
- I use a Ninja MaxXL air fryer (pictured left). If you don’t have an air fryer yet, check out these options to find one that fits your needs.
- See reviews and prices for air fryers on Amazon.
- Here’s a printable Air Fryer Cooking Times Cheat Sheet to get you started.
- Click to find more recipes to make in your Air Fryer.
- Learn how to make fun things in the air fryer, like potato wedges, pork belly bites, and chicken wings.
Questions About the Recipe
Are Air Fried Apples Healthy?
Air Fryer Baked Apples are definitely a healthy dessert. While apples do have a bit of natural sugars in them, this isn’t bad for you if you maintain a low-sugar diet. These apples taste like the best part of an apple pie, and since it doesn’t have the crust, it’s way healthier of an option.
Should I Peel the Apples Before Baking?
It’s not necessary to remove the peel of these apples. In fact, it holds them together and gives a little extra texture if you leave it on. You can peel your apples before you bake them if you don’t like the skin. However, it’s usually easier to just peel off the skin after you bake the apples, as it comes off easily.
What Apples Are Best to Use?
Use your favorite apples or whatever extra apples you have on hand – Fuji, golden delicious, red delicious, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp… They’re all good!
Super Useful Air Fryer Accessories
Once you’ve started using your air fryer more regularly, you’ll find there are so many other ways you *could* be using it, if you had a few extra useful accessories. Here are a few favorites that we use almost every day.
- 12-piece accessories kit for 3.7-5.8 quart air fryers – includes silicone cake pan, cake barrel, pizza pan, toasting/warming rack, skewer rack, silicone mat, bread rack and more
- Thermopen instant read thermometer for checking the internal temp of your meats
- Evo Oil Sprayer Bottle – BPA, latex, and dehp-free plastic, won’t clog or shatter, reusable, refillable, recyclable
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Air Fryer Baked Apples
Equipment
- Kitchen Tongs
Ingredients
- 2 apples cut in half and cored
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter melted
- 1/2 cup (41 g) oats
- 3 teaspoons (15 ml) honey
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Brush the butter on the tops of the apple halves.
- Mix the remaining butter with the oats, honey, and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Spoon the mixture evenly onto the tops of the apples.
- Bake at 375º F (180º C) for 13-15 minutes.
- Top with extra cinnamon sugar, whipped cream, or ice cream, as desired.
Notes
- If you like the apple to be completely baked and mushy, cook for 15 minutes. For a slightly firmer apple, cook for 10-13.
- Don’t feel the apples before baking. The skin will help the apples hold their shape and keep the filling from falling out as it cooks.
- Make sure to cook the apples skin side down.
- Use your favorite apple. I love to use cosmic crisps or pink lady apples.
All air fryers have different wattage and may cook at different rates. You may need to adjust the time or temp for the best results.
Nutrition
Laura is a passionate foodie and owner of Air Fry Anytime She is dedicated to sharing delicious recipes and helpful tips for using air fryers at home. With years of experience in the kitchen and a love for healthy, flavorful cooking, Laura has become an expert at using air fryers to create amazing meals that are both nutritious and delicious.