Air Fryer Dessert Recipes

Air Fryer Banana Cake

It is irresistibly soft and fluffy, with a perfectly crusty top that adds just the right texture and flavor. With only 5 minutes of prep, it’s a foolproof air fryer cake!

Air Fryer Baked Apples

Just stuff apple halves with a simple sweet cinnamon-oat filling, then air fry until tender and crisp - Crazy good!

Air Fryer Stuffed French Toast

If you love Nutella, then you'll adore this sweet French toast - Quick, Easy, and ready in 15 minutes!

Air Fryer Lava Cake

This Air Fryer Lava Cake is rich, decadent, and has a molten chocolate center. It’s naturally gluten-free, flourless, and serves two!

Air Fryer Bread Pudding

This Air Fryer Bread Pudding turns stale bread into a delicious dessert, soaking up a rich vanilla-cinnamon custard with plump, juicy raisins.

Apple Hand Pies

These Apple Hand Pies are the perfect handheld treat — portable, mess-free, and no need to slice a whole apple pie. 

Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies are packed with melty chocolate, have a crispy golden top, and a soft, chewy center—just like your favorite bakery-style cookie! 

Air Fryer Banana Muffins

These Air Fryer Banana Muffins are soft and fluffy inside with a perfectly golden, crusty top. Ready in minutes, you might never go back to the oven! Use paper or silicone liners!

Air Fryer Apple Crisp

This Air Fryer Apple Crisp is made with oats and almond flour—gluten-free (with vegan option) and perfect for two! 

Air Fryer Apple Fritters
These Air Fryer Apple Fritters are crisp, tender, and full of cozy fall flavor. No yeast, no deep frying — just warm cinnamon, apples, and a sweet vanilla glaze on top!

Do I need to preheat the air fryer when making desserts?

It depends on what you're baking!

For cakes, muffins, and quick breads, I always recommend preheating. Just like an oven, a hot air fryer gives the batter an immediate head start, helping it rise properly and bake more evenly.

For cookies, I usually skip the preheating. Starting in a cold air fryer lets the dough warm up gradually, giving the centers time to bake through before the tops brown too quickly.

The same goes for fruit-based desserts, like baked apples. Starting them in a cold air fryer allows the fruit to heat up more slowly, so it becomes perfectly tender all the way through instead of getting too brown on the outside before the inside is cooked.

How to convert oven baking time to air fryer?

Converting an oven recipe for the air fryer is easier than you might think. Here are the two rules I follow:

Lower the temperature by about 25°F. Air fryers circulate hot air in a much smaller space, so they cook more intensely than a conventional oven. Reducing the temperature helps your dessert bake evenly without the top browning too quickly.

Start checking for doneness about 20% sooner. Air fryers usually bake faster than ovens, so don't rely on the exact baking time in the original recipe. Instead, start checking a little early to avoid overbaking.

Every air fryer cooks a little differently, so use the recipe's baking time as a guide, but let visual cues and a toothpick test tell you when your dessert is done.

What type of baking pans can I use in the air fryer?

You can use any oven-proof pans suitable for traditional ovens in an air fryer as well. This includes high-quality, heat-resistant options such as metal, silicone, glass, and aluminum pans for air frying desserts.

Make sure to check the dimensions to ensure they fit inside your specific air fryer model without blocking air circulation, which is essential for achieving even cooking in your dessert recipes.