Air Fryer Apple Crisp

This Apple Crisp in Air Fryer is the best gluten free air fryer dessert! Fresh chopped fruit is topped with a buttery oatmeal almond flour crumb topping that tastes divine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

This post was originally published on 11/02/2021 but modified on 10/12/2022 to add more details. However, the recipe, images and video remain the same.

Air fryer Apple Crisp

What I love about this recipe is that you get your sweet cravings satisfied, yet made with healthy ingredients. It is quick, easy, makes small batch serving for two, made with almond flour, oats and gluten free.

Baking with fruits is one of our favorite sweet treat. The fruit tends to get more sweeter and softer, making it even more delicious when paired with the crispy topping (like this baked mango).

What is Apple Crisp?

In a more simple form, it is a dessert made chopped apples, topped with a streusel topping and then baked. However, making a dish with juicy cooked fruit along with a golden crispy topping in air fryer was tricky, since air fryer cooks food fast on the top which sometimes does not enough time for the fruit to soften . So, we came up with 2 clever hacks to solve the problem.

THE SECRET

1. Chopped apples - We tried this recipe with sliced fruit, but they turned to be mostly crunchy and raw by the time the crumb was browned. However, chopping them into ¼-inch cubes, made them tender and juicy.

2. Adding water into the filling – Traditional baked crisp recipes are cooked slowly in the oven, which yields a juicy fruit along with a caramel sauce from the sugar and juices. Since air fryer cooks by blowing hot air, which inhibits that process, we used a substantial amount of water that helped in creating a steam and cooking them soft and tender.

Best Apples to use 

The best ones to use are those that are firm, sweet and crisp. We prefer fruits that hold its shape after the intense cooking like Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonagold, Braeburn, Pink Lady, or Honey crisp (refer more on this here).

To Peel or Not to Peel

Both peeled or unpeeled fruit works well for oven baked recipes, due to long and slow cooking process which helps to soften the skin. But, we recommend peeling off the skin, since air frying does not soften the skin as much when compared to oven baking.

Can I use all purpose flour instead?

Sure can! Use 1 tablespoon all purpose flour for filling and 3 tablespoons for topping.

Ingredients

1. Apple – Use your favorite like Fuji, Honey crisp, Jonagold, Braeburn or Granny smith.
2. Oats – Old fashioned oats or rolled oats
3. Almond Flour - Use super fine variety
4. Sugar – Both brown sugar and regular sugar is used, which gives a perfect balance of sweetness and caramel flavor.
5. Butter - Cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
6. Spices – Ground cinnamon

Pro tips for success

• More healthy - Use solid coconut oil instead of butter
• Almond flour - Use super fine variety and not almond meal.
• 2 large apples - Chopped measures about 2 and ¾ cups
• Do not chop them bigger - The fruit might not get cooked if cut into larger pieces.
• We used Gala variety and the sugar quantity was perfect.
• Rotating the pan half way though air frying helps in even browning.
• Use chopped walnuts or pecans instead of sliced almonds.

How to make?

1. Prepare fruit – Peel, core and chop into ¼ inch cubes.
2. Make filling – Stir chopped fruit, almond flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, water and salt together in a greased 6-inch baking pan.
3. Make topping - Mix oats, almond flour, sugar and salt together. Mix cold butter with your finger tips, until it is thoroughly incorporated. Stir in chopped sliced almonds.
4. Air fry  – Bake in a pre heated 350 degree air fryer for about 30 minutes or until the topping is golden.
5. Eat – Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

HOW TO SERVE?

Serve hot / warm / room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for an easy dessert or snack.

If serving for a light breakfast, then serve it with some greek yogurt sweetened with honey.

How to store leftovers?

Refrigerate leftover crisp (wrapped in foil) for 2 to 3 days.

How to reheat?

Place baking pan (remove foil/plastic wrap), add about 1 tablespoon water into the empty part of the pan and place in a pre heated 300 degree air fryer and cook for 5 to 8 minutes (depends on the quantity), until warmed through.

More Air fryer dessert recipes to try -

• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Bread Pudding
• Baked Apples

Follow me on INSTAGRAM, TIK TOK, FACEBOOK or PINTEREST for more delicious recipes.

Did you make this recipe? I’d love your feedback! Please let me know by leaving a comment or review below or snap a photo and share on Instagram.

All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.

Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thank you for supporting kitchenathoskins.com.