These Air Fryer Baked Apples are quick, easy, and delicious! Just stuff apple halves with a simple sweet cinnamon-oat filling, then air fry until tender and crisp - Crazy good!
Apples can be baked whole or halved, each with its own benefits. While whole baked apples make a beautiful presentation, they take longer to cook and are more suitable for baking in the oven. Halved apples, on the other hand, cook much faster, turn tender, and still look great when served.
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Reasons to love
- Easily made gluten-free by swapping in certified gluten-free oats.
- Make it vegan and dairy-free by using melted coconut oil instead of butter.
- Go nut-free by skipping the pecans or replacing them with more rolled oats.
- Perfect as a simple cozy snack, light breakfast, or a healthier fall dessert—especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream .
- The air fryer makes it fast, tender apples with a crispy cinnamon oat topping in minutes.
- Tastes amazing hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Good Baking Apples for Air Fryer
The best apples for baking are those that hold their shape when cooked and offer a good balance of sweetness and tartness. Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Fuji, Jonagold, and Gala are excellent choices—they stay firm in the air fryer and bring a sweet-tart flavor that works well in apple desserts. Granny Smith apples are also ideal if you prefer a more tart contrast to the sweet oat filling. On the other hand, Red Delicious apples may not be the best option, as they tend to become too soft and lose their shape when air fried.
Tip: Choose fresh apples that have slightly flatter sides so they can sit upright in the air fryer basket without tipping over while opening or closing the basket.
Best Temperature for Baking Apples in the Air Fryer
I initially tested this recipe at 350°F, and the baked apple halves took about 13 minutes to cook. However, while the topping browned nicely, the apples needed a bit more time to become tender, so I had to remove them early. After some trial, I found that air frying at 330°F worked best—the apples turned out juicy and tender, and the oat topping had enough time to crisp perfectly without burning.
Air Fryer Baked Apples
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons toasted pecans chopped
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 apples
Instructions
- Make the topping - Mix together oats, brown sugar, chopped pecans, melted butter, cinnamon and salt together in a small bowl.
- Prep the apples - Cut each apple in half, then use a melon baller or small spoon to scoop out the core and seeds. I like to remove a bit of extra flesh to create a deeper well that can hold more of the oat filling.
- Spoon the oat filling evenly into all 4 apple halves, making sure to use up every bit of it.
- Place the prepared apple halves into the air fryer and air fry at 330°F for 13 to 15 minutes, until the topping id deep golden brown in color.
- Serve hot, warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream!
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Short Video
How to make baked apples in air fryer?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
Make cinnamon oat toping
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Stuff apple halves
🍎 Want more air fryer apple recipes? Try my air fryer apple crisp or some crispy air fryer apple fritters!
More Recipes with Apples for Dessert
- Healthy Apple crumble features warm cinnamon apple filling. It is straightforward to make, gluten-free and is a healthy apple dessert for fall.
- Apple Hand Pies have an irresistibly warm, spiced apple filling wrapped in a homemade buttery, flaky pie crust.
- Apple Mug Cake packs an entire apple into a small microwave cake. It is easy, ultra-soft, and fluffy, and is a must-try fall dessert for one!
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Kitchen at Hoskins on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Sandra
I was looking this however, an ad is covering part of the ingredients so I dont know how much brown sugar or butter I need
Maria Doss
Hi Sandra, We are sincerely sorry for that experience and will address the issue right away!
Here is the ingredient list -
1 large apple
Filling
1 tablespoon melted butter
3 tablespoons light or golden brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg, optional
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons old fashioned oats
Hope it helps, Maria
Karen
I made this this morning and I thought it was great!
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear, so glad you loved it - Maria ♡
Chris
Made this today and thoroughly enjoyed it. Served with Greek yoghurt delicious.
Maria Doss
Glad to hear. Have a wonderful week - Maria
LESLEY
You can't have 'more sweeter'. It is either 'sweeter' or 'more sweet'.
Maria Doss
Fixed! Thank you for bringing it to our attention hun and have a wonderful day - Maria
Marysue
I have apples that I was just looking at and thinking, ‘I need a good baked apple recipe’! I have an IP Vortex Air Fryer, but it is built like a toaster oven, having racks instead of a basket; how would I do the water? Could I put some water in a ramekin on the bottom rack, and the apple on the top rack?
Thanks; this looks wonderful!
Maria Doss
Hi Marysue, The water creates steam and helps to cook the apples slightly tender instead of being raw and crunchy. In your case, I'd recommend cooking them at a lower temperature (may be 320 degrees) for about 6 minutes, and then at 350 degrees to finish cooking. The lower temperature will allow to cook tender and then the higher temperature will finish cooking and brown the topping. Hope it helps - Maria
Dori
UM! UM! UM! Good. I have a small Walmart Air Fryer that I used. This is perfect to make when you want something sweet, but quick and easy to make, and have all the ingredients as the main staple in your home. I used Pink Lady apples (there my all time favorite) and they cooked up just right, not too mushy or to crunchy. The skins are even soft. Plus the recipe is perfect for one person to enjoy.
Thank you for such a creative way to have bake apples.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! Wishing you a very happy holidays - Maria ♡