Air fryer apple crisp is crispy, sugary, delicious and simple to make. You can have all the delicious flavor of grandma’s traditional apple pie with a fraction of the calories and effort.
I don’t make dessert very frequently because I love sweets too much! But when my husband or I get a craving for a sweet treat this juicy and sugary recipe is perfect.
It is full of warm, tender apples, scented with cinnamon and topped off with a crunchy topping, so it satisfies cravings without guilt! Plus it makes just enough for 3 or 4 people, making it difficult to overindulge.
Why You Will Love this Air Fryer Apple Crisp
- Air frying the crisp means you can have this easy dessert ready in less than 30 minutes, a fraction of time it would take to bake in the oven.
- You don’t have to heat up the kitchen to bake this warm apple treat.
- It is made from only a handful of ingredients which are all basic pantry staples, so it takes little to no planning.
- Baked to perfection, this crispy dessert has a streusel style crumble topping and a delicious, classic pie flavor.
- It is healthy – for a dessert.
What Kind of Apples are Best?
Any classic baking apple will be tasty in this easy dessert. Some of my favorite varieties are Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Cortland and Snap Dragon.
A softer one will not stand up to the heat as well and will get mushy as it bakes. This includes varieties like Red Delicious and McIntosh.
Are you an apple lover? Try these air fryer baked apples or mini caramel apples for more tasty fall treats!
Other Ingredients
Brown sugar – The brown sugar flavors both the filling and the crispy topping.
Apple pie spice – You can buy a premade mixture or use my recipe for homemade apple pie spice. Or you can just substitute ground cinnamon.
Oatmeal – The oatmeal adds some of the crispiness to the topping. I used quick cooking oats. Old fashioned oats work too, but will result in a chewier topping texture.
Pecans – Adding nuts to the topping gives it an extra crunch. Walnuts also work well.
Butter – The butter is cut into the topping. It will both mix with the sugar to create a nice caramelized sauce that coats the fruit and make the crispy oat topping. Cold butter will work best.
Baking Dish for Air Fryer Apple Crisp
You can use any oven safe baking dish that fits in your air fryer. I decided to use a small oval baking dish that fits 3-4 servings of this crisp. Small ramekins are also a good choice and let you make individual apple crisps for small batch cooking.
How to Make Air Fryer Apple Crisp
1. Make the Apple Filling
Wash and dry the fruit. Then core it and slice it thinly. I peel mine because I have a slicer that peels as it turns. This is an amazing kitchen gadget that sees a lot of use in my kitchen during the fall! Using this gives me nice uniformly sized apple pieces so they cook evenly.
But you can leave the peels on if your prefer. They do add more color and texture to the final dish.
Put the sliced fruit in a medium bowl and add half of the brown sugar and half of the apple pie spice. Toss them together to mix well, then spoon the apple mixture into your baking dish.
The fruit will cook down as it air frys. So pile the dish up high to start with!
2. Air Fry
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Then put it in the air fryer basket and cook it at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
3. Make the Topping
While the apple slices cook make the topping. Combine the remaining brown sugar and pie spice in a separate bowl. Add the oatmeal and chopped pecans and stir to mix.
Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the bowl. Use a pastry cutter or forks to cut the butter into the topping mixture until it resembles small crumbs.
4. Air Fry Again
Once it finishes cooking take the foil off the top. Carefully spoon the topping mixture on top of the fruit in the baking dish, pressing it down to cover them.
Tip: Keep in mind the air fryer and air fryer basket will be hot! Use hot mitts or silicone kitchen gloves in case you accidentally touch the sides.
Put the basket back inside and air fry it again at 350 F for 5 minutes. The topping will be golden brown when it is done.
How to Serve
The air fryer apple crisp tastes best when it is still warm. Top it off with caramel sauce, whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for extra yummy goodness.
Just remember if you are trying to make this a healthy dessert all those toppings aren’t healthy! It is quite tasty without anything on top.
How to Store
Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator. It will stay good for 2-3 days.
Find More Air Fryer Recipes!
FAQ
In general you can use any oven safe dishes in your air fryer. The only possible exception is glass dishes. I personally prefer not to use glass in my air fryer, because is more likely to shatter.
But many people use glass without any issues, so make your own decision. Silicone dishes and accessories designed for the Instant Pot are great choices for using in the air fryer.
There is no difference between these two desserts. The name that you use varies depending on where you live. Crisp is more commonly used in the US while crumble is used in Great Britain.
To reheat leftovers put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. It won’t be quite as crisp as it was when it was first made, but it will still be tasty. You can also just enjoy it cold!
Find More Air Fryer Dessert Ideas
Air Fryer Apple Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large fresh apples about 2 1/2 cups apples
- 4 Tablespoons brown sugar divided
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice divided
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 4 Tablespoon butter
- pinch salt optional, if you are using unsalted butter
Instructions
Make in a small oval baking dish or individually sized ramekins.
- Core and slice the fruit. You can peel it but you don't need to.2 large fresh apples
- Put the slices in a bowl with 2 Tablespoons of the brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of the apple pie spice. Stir to mix.4 Tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
- Put the apple filling in the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Air fry at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
- While it cooks put the remaining brown sugar, remaining pie spice, pecans and oatmeal in a bowl and mix dry ingredients together.1/4 cup pecans, 1/2 cup oatmeal
- Add the butter to the bowl and use a pastry cutter to cut it into the bowl until the mixture resembles small crumbs.4 Tablespoon butter, pinch salt
- When the cook time is up spoon the topping onto the fruit in the baking dish. Air fry at 350 F for another 5 minutes to crisp up the topping.
- Serve with caramel, whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.
Notes
- If you don’t have apple pie spice you can use make some with my homemade apple pie spice recipe. Or just substitute cinnamon
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
What a sweet idea for a last-minute dessert!
This tasted really nice and I got a lot of compliments about it!
Easy and delicious
With the abundance of fresh Michigan apples right now, I am always looking for great apple recipes. Your recipe was easy and tasted great!!