We love apples in our family but when we are short on time, this recipe for air fryer baked apples is the quickest way to go from fresh, raw apples to warm, baked apples. Nothing makes the whole house smell better than the warm smell of apples and cinnamon wafting from room to room. My mom used to make them and not tell us, until the smell reached our noses, and we all came running.
If you don’t have an apple corer, don’t worry, a sharp pairing knife and spoon work well, just be sure to leave the bottoms of the apples intact so the filling doesn’t seep out. If you have some metal measuring spoons, used the 1/2 teaspoon size. It will enable you to really dig in there to remove the core.
How to Make Air Fryer Baked Apples
- Take out of the core of the apples using a pairing knife and spoon.
- Mix together the filling.
- Stuff the apples with the filling.
- Place apples in the air fryer basket.
- Set the air fryer to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Top with ice cream, whipped cream, or caramel sauce.
Baking Apples in the Oven: An Easy Alternative
Typically, the apples take about an hour to bake. Fill an 8-inch or 9-inch baking casserole dish with warm water. Enough warm water to cover 1/4 inch of the apple bottoms. This will prevent the apples from drying out in the oven. First, fill the apples with the filling, then place them in the baking pan and cover the bottom with warm water.
Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until the apples appear slightly soft. Bake longer for softer apples.
Ingredients in Air Fryer Baked Apples
Apples: Any of the apples list below are good apples to use. I like to use pink lady apples or honeycrisp apples for the best sweet and slightly tart tasting apples. The apples will need to be cored in order to stuff them with a delicious apple crisp topping filling.
Brown Sugar: Be sure to pack the measuring cup and level it off of the top. The brown sugar adds a tasty molasses flavor that’s typical in apple crisp. I use a light brown sugar but if you’re looking for more molasses flavor, use dark brown sugar.
Oats: I always use old-fashioned oats. The oats are perfectly soft baked and not hard once it’s done cooking. The butter and brown sugar will moisten the oats which will add a ton of flavor in each bite. Old fashioned oats are pretty easy to find in most stores but feel free to use your variety that you know if foolproof for baking.
Butter: Just a little bit of butter is needed to bring the mixture together. Use soft room temperature butter or simply microwave it for 15 seconds. This will help blend it into the brown sugar cinnamon filling a little better. Mix the filling in a medium small bowl and use two forks to totally combine the ingredients well together. Another method that’s a little easier is to use your fingers to combine the ingredients. Make sure everything is moistened and crumbly.
Seasoning: Salt is such in important ingredient to bring out the flavor of these apples. Whenever I make something sweet, including a streusel topping, I like to use salt to balance out of the flavors and it makes such a noticeable difference. Start with 1/8 teaspoon salt then taste the mixture and add more if desired. Another secret ingredient I like to use with apples is cinnamon. Simply add ground cinnamon to the batter to add warm flavor. If you’re looking for more flavor, a little nutmeg is a great addition, too.
Toppings: I have made these baked apples dozens of times before. My favorite addition is to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, sauces like caramel, white chocolate, butterscotch sauce or chocolate sauce, or pie bands to the top is a great addition. To add make these into mini apple pies, cut store bought pie into stripes or shapes using a pizza cutter. Dust it with a little butter before baking in the air fryer.
Apples Varieties for Baking
There are many apple out there and I am sure you have your favorite variety. When baking apples, it is important to choose the more crisp, firm variety for the best baking experience. I would stay away from macintosh and red delicious apples unless you want a pile of mush. All of us had our favorites and my mom would buy individual apples and label the layout on the sheet of paper so we always had our favorites. Here are some of our favorite apples for baking.
- Honeycrisp: crispy but juicy, very sweet, tangy, tastes like apple cider.
- Granny Smiths: very tart.
- Galas: sweet, firm, crispy, and juicy.
- Pink Ladies: sweet and slightly tart.
- Braeburns: sweet and tart, firm, crispy, and juicy.
- Fuji: very sweet, crisp, juicy, firm.
- Rome: slightly tart, firm, crisp, juicy.
- Jonagold: mix between the tartness of a Jonathan and sweetness of a golden delicious.
Digging out Apple Cores
Using a sharp pairing knife and a spoon will help to remove the core of the apple. The core of the apple contains seeds and and a hard stem that runs throughout center core of the apple.
Cut a circle in the top of the apple a few inches down. Next, use a spoon to scoop out of the seeds and the pairing knife to sort of dig into the stem portion. Be careful not to cut it too deep. Keeping a few extra apples on hand is a good idea if you are knew to coring apples, just in case the knife hits the bottom and removes it. You won’t want to use that apple because the filling will drain out from the bottom while it bakes in the air fryer.
Does it matter which apples I use?
You want to choose an apple that is firm so it doesn’t turn to much and explode out of its skin when baking. Check out the varieties of apples listed above. Typically, I use pink lady apples or honeycrisp apples when making this recipe. Another tip is to pick apples that don’t tilt too much of the topping may seep out easier.
Should I leave the skin on the apples?
Yes, not only is it nutritious but it is pleasing to the eye. It will also help the apples from browning too much once they are baked.
How should I store the apples?
Store covered in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for up to 3 days. Warm them in the oven or microwave for a 1-2 minutes before eating.
Can I make air fryer apples in the oven?
If you don’t have an air fryer or simply want to make more at once, baking apples in the oven is a perfect alternative. Above, I have listed directions to cooking baked apples.
I ran out of the filling, should I make more?
Yes. Depending on how deep and wide the apple cores are dug out, or the size of larger apples, the filling in my recipe may not be enough. Simply half the filling recipe or double it to continue to stuff the apples. In addition, you’ll want to really pack the apples down with filling, so more filling may be needed.
Other Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love
- air fryer steak bites
- air fryer baked potatoes
- air fryer cajun steak bites and mushrooms
- air fryer salmon
- air fryer chicken bites
- air fryer donuts
- air fryer meatloaf
Air Fryer Baked Apples
Ingredients
- 4 apples I like pink lady or honey crisp
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup old fashioned oats
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
- Remove the core of the apple using a pairing knife and a spoon. Cut about a 2-inch to 3-inch circle around the stem and remove the top.
- Dig the spoon into the apple to remove the seeds and hard stem core.
- Mix together the oats, soft butter, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar until it's crumbly.
- Pack each apple tightly with filling. NOTE: Filling may be need to be doubled or halved depending on apple size and core removal size.
- Bake in air fryer at 350°F for 15 minutes. See notes for oven baking instructions.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Top with ice cream, whipped cream, or caramel sauce I have made here. https://www.swankyrecipes.com/caramel-sauce-recipe.html
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate and it’s accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.
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