Air fryer apple fries taste just like an apple pie — but are way easier to whip up. As a bonus, your entire house will be filled with the wonderful aromas of apple, cinnamon, and sugar.
It’s no secret — we love apples here at the Stay at Home Chef! Between caramel apples, apple nachos, caramel apple cinnamon rolls, and classic baked apples, we can’t get enough of this versatile fruit. Our air fryer apple fries are such a fun snack idea. If you love pie as much as we do, you’re going to want to give these a try. We make our fried apple sticks in the air fryer, which means a lot less mess than deep frying. This method also uses next to no added oil! One of the best parts about this recipe is that it will make your entire kitchen smell spicy and fruity, thanks to the cinnamon, nutmeg, and (of course) apples. Update your snack routine with this easy recipe! You can also serve them as a light dessert.
Apple Options:
We love using Granny Smith. They are deliciously tart and also hold up really well when baking or frying. If you can’t find any at the supermarket, opt for these instead:
- Honey Crisp
- Pink Lady
- Gala
- Braeburn
How Do You Cut Apples to Make Fries?
It’s really simple to cut up fresh apples for this apple fries recipe. Start by peeling your apples — the coating won’t stick to the waxy peel. Then, cut off all four sides of the apple and discard the core. Slice the sections into half-inch sticks and you’re ready to add the flour and sugar-based coating!
Flour Options:
This recipe calls for all-purpose flour to help the coating stick to your fried apple sticks. If you have a gluten sensitivity, you can replace it with:
- Rice flour
- Millet flour
- Almond flour
- Tapioca starch
Don’t be tempted to use cornstarch for the flour as it’s not a very good substitute.
Seasonings:
Our air fryer apple fries recipe calls for a mix of seasonings that includes cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. If you really want your snack to taste like an apple pie, you can use an apple pie spice mix, which includes:
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cardamom
- Allspice
- Ground ginger
Dipping Suggestions:
No fries recipe is complete without some yummy dipping options! We recommend that you opt for a bourbon apple caramel dip or our marshmallow fruit dip. You’ll find the recipe for the caramel dip below. Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make it:
- Salted butter
- Brown sugar
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Corn syrup
- Apple bourbon
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
Troubleshooting: Why Are My Apple Fries Not Crispy in The Air Fryer?
There are a few reasons why your fried apple sticks aren’t crisping up enough in the air fryer. Make sure that you follow the cooking instructions and the indicated temperature. When the air isn’t hot enough, you’ll get mushy results. You also need to be careful not to overcrowd the air fryer basket. Leave enough room in between each apple fry so that the hot air can surround it completely. You can cook in batches if necessary!
What Oil is the Best For An Air Fryer?
One of the best parts about frying with an air fryer is that you don’t need to load up your food with a lot of excess oil. That said, you will need to lightly spray the apples to ensure that crispy and golden brown outer layer. We like to use light cooking oil from a spray bottle.
Can I Make This Dish in the Oven?
We swear by our air fryer and definitely recommend that you purchase one if you haven’t yet. That said, if you don’t have one at home, you can make this recipe in your oven. Follow the instructions as indicated on the recipe card below, but bake in the oven at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes instead.
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
If you have any leftover air fryer apple fries, you should store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will keep for 2-3 days. When you’re ready to enjoy them, you can crisp them back up by reheating them in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes.
You can also freeze your fried apple sticks. Let them cool completely before placing them in an airtight freezer-safe container. They will keep for 3-6 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the air fryer as instructed above.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious apple recipes:
- Slow Cooker Apple Cider From Scratch
- Sausage and Apple Breakfast Strata
- Easy Apple Pancakes
- Best Ever Apple Crisp
Watch the video below where Caytlin will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Air Fryer Apple Fries
- 2 Granny Smith apples
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
- Spray cooking oil
- In a sealable bag, add in flour, powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Shake to combine.
- Peel the apples. Cut 1/2 inch slices off, leaving the core behind. Cut each of these down into the shape of french fries.
- Add the apple slices to the bag of dry coating and seal. Shake and coat the apple pieces.
- Place coated apple fries in the air fryer making sure there is space in between each piece. Work in batches so there is no crowding. Lightly spritz with oil.
- Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. Flip over and spritz if needed. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the coating is more golden.
- Remove from basket. let cool and serve with dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Apple Bourbon Caramel:
1 cup salted butter2 1/4 cups brown sugar
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 cup light corn syrup
5 tablespoons apple bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, pour in sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, and add in brown sugar.
- Using a whisk or rubber spatula, stir all ingredients over medium heat until it starts to simmer. Scrape the sides and bottom regularly.
- Let the sauce simmer until the temperature reaches 200-205 degrees. We are just making a sauce and so we need to simmer it long enough to get the granulation out, but not take it to soft ball stage.
- Once it has reached temperature, remove from heat and carefully stir in the vanilla, apple bourbon, and salt. Stir it until it is all well combined.
- Let cool and then pour into jars for storage. Shelf stable for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
