These maple-kissed Air-Fryer Apples are the perfect dessert—light, healthy, and bursting with apple pie flavor!
We’ve all had a not-so-great apple, right? Maybe an apple that was a bit past its prime, had lots of bruising, or tasted like a cardboard cutout of an apple? A few years ago, I had one of those apples. I’m not sure what type of apple it was, but boy, was it subpar. In fact, it soured me on apples for months!
I think it’s easy to forget how good a perfectly ripe apple can be. Moreover, it’s easy to forget how good they are as dessert. You don’t have to make an apple pie to turn an apple into dessert, either; all you need is a way to cook the apple.
This air-fryer apples recipe is the perfect way to turn an apple into a sweet, healthy dessert. Once cooked, the apples become soft and dense, with the right amount of cinnamon and maple syrup to sweeten the deal. If you’re soured on apples like I was, this recipe will rekindle your relationship with them!
Are Air-Fryer Apples Healthy?
Yes! Air-fryer apples include all the fiber, potassium, antioxidants, and vitamin C that come with apples. Apples are naturally low in calories and fat, too. Believe it or not, cinnamon actually contains antioxidants and other trace minerals.
The only thing you might worry about in this recipe is the saturated fat in the coconut oil and the sugar content. You could try using a heart-healthy oil like walnut oil. Maple syrup is a natural, unprocessed sweetener, but it still contains a good bit of sugar, which adds to the natural sugar content already present in the apples. On one hand, that’s why this recipe tastes so good. But on the other hand, if you’re watching your added sugar content, you may want to opt for a sugar-free maple syrup alternative to cut down the total sugar in your air-fryer apples. Overall, this recipe is vegan and gluten-free and is suitable for many types of healthy diets.
Picking Your Apples
The most important part of this recipe is choosing good apples. There are over 7,500 varieties of apples grown worldwide, so you have a lot of choices! This recipe is best when you use sweet, crispy, and firm apples, so I’ve outlined a few popular options to choose from.
Honeycrisp: Crisp and firm with an almost-floral sweetness and enough tartness to balance the flavor nicely. My favorite apple to eat and cook with!
Gala: A crisp, sweet apple with hints of pear and honey flavors. Slightly sweeter and less tart than a Honeycrisp.
Fuji: Sweet, crisp, and refreshing, without much of a tart flavor at all. Fujis are often noted as the sweetest popular variety of apple.
How Do I Store Leftovers?
Air-fryer apples taste the best when they’re eaten soon after cooking. If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I don’t recommend freezing them unless you plan to do something different with them, such as chopping them up for use in muffins or oatmeal, as freezing will change the texture of the apples.
Serving Suggestions
These apples can be eaten on their own as a healthy dessert or used as a topping in many different dishes. For example, I love them on top of vanilla ice cream! You can also put them on top of Bionicos (Mexican Fruit Bowls) or mix them up into a Yogurt Parfait with other types of fruit. These apples go great in oatmeal dishes as well, such as Carrot Cake Oatmeal, or even chop them up as a mix-in with Oatmeal Waffles or Apple-Cinnamon Pancakes.
Ingredients
- 2 medium apples such as gala or honeycrisp, cored and sliced
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
- In a bowl, toss the apple slices with melted coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, and cinnamon until evenly coated.
- Arrange the apple slices in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook for 12-15 minutes, turning halfway through, until the apples are tender and slightly caramelized.
- Drizzle the cooked apples with the remaining tablespoon of maple syrup before serving.
Nutrition Info:
Nutrition information are estimates only and may vary based on the specific brands, ingredients, and portion sizes you use. This data is provided for informational purposes only.
Leave a Comment