Recipe updated: April 2nd, 2024
Air fryer apples are a treat loved by all! These sweet apple slices taste like apple pie without the crust. The apple slices are coated in cinnamon and melted butter. Then they are put into the air fryer and cooked between 10 to 18 minutes. After that, you can drizzle some maple syrup on them, but that part of the recipe is optional.
These air fried apples are quick and easy to make and can be a delicious snack during the mid-afternoon hours for the kids. They are also great as a side dish with pork chops and sauerkraut. Or top your bowl of homemade ice cream with these cinnamon apple slices for an extra treat.
🍎 Key Ingredients
- 5 apples (all about the same size)
- 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter (melted)
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (optional)
👩🍳 How to Make Air Fryer Apples
These step-by-step instructions are accompanied by detailed photos for enhanced clarity and guidance.
Step 1. Preheat the Air Fryer
If your air fryer needs to be preheated, set it at 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Our air fryer is a Cosori, and we need to preheat ours. Depending on the type of apples you buy, the model of your air fryer, and how thick or thin you slice the apples, you may have to adjust the cooking time mentioned below by just a few minutes.
Step 2. Melt the Butter
Put 1 tablespoon of butter into a small bowl that is safe for the microwave. Microwave it for a few seconds just until it starts to melt.
Step 3. Add the Cinnamon to the Melted Butter
Add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together with the melted butter. Mix thoroughly. Set it aside until later.
Step 4. Wash and Slice the Apples
There are small apples, medium apples, and bigger apples you can buy, so try to get each apple as close to the same size if at all possible.
Scrub the apples under cold running water. We left the peels on our apples, but if you want to peel your apples, do that now. After that, slice the apples into eights with a paring knife, or use an 8-blade stainless steel apple slicer plus apple corer all in one. If you are using a paring knife, try to slice the apples as evenly as possible. That way when they cook in the air fryer they will cook at the same rate.
Tip: Don’t let the apple slices sit very long before doing the following steps. The longer cut and peeled apples are exposed to air, they will start turning brown.
Step 5. Put the Apples in a Large Bowl
After you have sliced the apples, put them into a large bowl. Hurry to the next step, so the apple slices won’t turn brown.
Step 6. Add the Melted Butter Mixture
Add the cinnamon and butter mixture together with the apples. Keep mixing until all the apples are coated with the mixture.
Step 7. Place the Apples on the Air Fryer Basket
Put a sheet of parchment paper (with holes in it) in the air fryer basket. Then, place the apple slices on the parchment paper in a single layer. Do not overlap the apples. If you don’t have air fryer parchment paper just spray the basket with cooking spray or your favorite vegetable oil.
Step 8. Cook the Apples
Using heat-resistant oven mitts, put the air fryer basket into the air fryer. Cook at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 18 minutes. We cooked ours for 18 minutes. With heat-resistant tongs, flip the sliced apples halfway through the cooking process. To check for doneness you can insert a toothpick into the center of the apple. Place the air fryer baked apples on a serving plate. If you prefer to do so, you can drizzle 2 tablespoons of maple syrup on the apple slices (optional). We didn’t do the maple syrup.
Note: The first batch we cooked between 10 to 15 minutes. We tested an apple slice, and it was still a little bit hard. That’s when we added about 3 more minutes to the cooking time. During that last few minutes of cooking time, check an apple for your preferred softness. An easy way to do that is to do the toothpick test. The toothpick should slide into the apple with ease.
🌟 Recipe Variations
- Instead of maple syrup, add some light brown sugar or granulated sugar to the cinnamon and melted butter.
- Sprinkle some apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice on the apples before cooking.
❓ FAQs
There are many different apples to choose from. The type of apples you choose depends on your tastes. Try to choose a crisp apple when buying them from the grocery store. Feel the apple and if it is too soft and a bit on the mushy side, look for one that feels firmer all around.
Some of the best apples that I love are Golden Delicious and red delicious apples. And then there are Granny Smith apples which are my favorite. They are crispy, crunchy, and very tart. A few more examples of apples are Honey crisp, Pink Lady, Gala, and McIntosh. But the bottom line is everyone has their own favorite apples they love, so go ahead and use what you like.
Put any leftover buttery cinnamon apple slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator. A ziplock bag works best so you can get all of the air out of it. You must eat these apple slices quickly because they will turn brown and wilt after a few hours. Try to make just enough that you know you won’t have any leftovers. I always figure about one-half to one apple per person.
Yes, you can freeze leftover apple slices. As always, put them in an airtight container. They are good in the freezer for about 4 months. I would suggest using them for pies since the texture will be different after they thaw than when they were fresh apple slices.
💭 Final Thoughts
Overall, air fryer apples are a great way to enjoy a sweet treat without consuming excessive amounts of added sugars or unhealthy fats. It is a healthy alternative to eat when craving something sweet! These air-fried apples can be served anytime. For example, serve these slices of cinnamon apples with Greek yogurt for breakfast, or for an after-school snack for the kiddos. These apple slices are also an easy dessert to fix for a tasty treat after dinner.
So the next time you are craving a big chocolate bar, or a big slice of cake and ice cream, try making some air fryer apples instead! They will satisfy your sweet tooth and give you a bonus of some added fiber into your diet, which will help you feel full!
📄 Printable Recipe Card
Air Fryer Apples
🫕 Equipment
- Apple corer (optional)
🧂 Ingredients
- 5 apples
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
👩🍳 Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl the microwave just until it starts to melt. That should only take a few seconds.
- Add the cinnamon to the melted butter. Set aside for now.
- Wash the apples.
- Peel the apples now if you don't want the skins on them. We left the apple skins on our apples.
- Slice the apples with a paring knife into 8ths or you can use an 8-blade slicer plus apple core remover that slices the apples into 8ths and removes the core all at the same time.
- Put the sliced apples into a large bowl.
- Add the cinnamon and melted butter mixture to the bowl with the apples. Set aside for now.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper with holes in it on the air fryer basket or spray the basket with cooking spray.
- Put the apple slices in the basket on top of the parchment paper in a single layer. Do not overlap or overcrowd the apple slices.
- Using the oven mitts, place the basket in the air fryer. Cook the apple slices at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 18 minutes. We cooked ours for 18 minutes. Using the tongs, flip the apple slices over halfway through the cooking process.
- Do the toothpick test. Insert a toothpick in the center of one apple slice to see if it is soft enough to your liking.
- When the apple slices are done, remove them from the air fryer basket. Place them on a serving plate and drizzle some maple syrup on them (optional).
*️⃣ Recipe Notes
- All air fryers are not the same so make sure to check on the apple slices for your desired softness.
- When cooking with an air fryer, always wear heat-resistant oven mitts and use heat-resistant tongs.
🥰 More Air Fryer Recipes You Will Love
- Air Fryer Toast – A simple recipe so you can have toast for breakfast in just a few minutes.
- Sausage Links – Air frying is a quick way to make sausage links that taste so amazing.
- Air Fryer Biscuits – In ten minutes, you will have golden brown and crispy biscuits on the outside, and soft and flaky on the inside. Perfect biscuits for breakfast with butter and your favorite jam. They taste amazing!
- Turkey Bacon – Delicious, crispy turkey bacon cooks in 9 minutes in the air fryer.
A wife, a mother to a son and a daughter, and a grandmother to three granddaughters. Flo loves sharing recipes passed down from her own mother, her mother-in-law, and her grandmother as well as new recipes created with her daughter, Tamara Ray.
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