This air-fryer apple crisp recipe makes it easy to turn a plain apple and a few pantry ingredients into a sweet, cozy treat in less than 30 minutes. Choose your favorite sweet or tart apple variety, and top it with a simple cinnamon streusel that crisps in the air fryer. When you need dessert in a pinch, this recipe is perfect, and it’s even better with a scoop of ice cream.
Desserts made with apples or other fruit, such as cobblers, crumbles, crisps and buckles, are easy to confuse. A crisp and a crumble are similar in that they each have a streusel topping and a bottom layer of sweetened fruit that gets juicy and tender once baked. The difference is in a crisp’s topping, which generally, unlike a crumble’s, includes oats, spices like cinnamon, and chopped nuts. In this apple crisp for the air fryer, we also use a touch of maple syrup—a perfect complement to apples that brings out their natural sweetness.
Traditionally, apple crisp is made as a large dessert in the oven, but this recipe, like many other air-fryer desserts, is perfectly portioned for just one or two people.
Ingredients for Air-Fryer Apple Crisp
- Apple: This single-serve recipe requires just one apple, so choose your favorite! Some types of apples that taste delightful and also hold their shape after baking are tart Granny Smiths or sweeter Fuji, Braeburn or Honeycrisp.
- Butter: We like to use lightly salted butter for most of our recipes. Here, that little bit of saltiness goes a long way with the sweetness of the apple and streusel.
- Flour: A smidge of flour in the streusel mixture helps it thicken and hold together once baked. Regular all-purpose flour is fine to use here.
- Oats: The star ingredient of this crisp topping is the oats. Look for old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats in the cereal or baking aisle. Use some for this recipe and the rest for a few oatmeal cookie recipes.
- Maple syrup: Syrup is one of two things that make this dessert so sweet (the other is the apples themselves). The best maple syrup to use is golden or amber for a light maple flavor, or dark for a stronger flavor.
- Cinnamon: Warm spices like cinnamon are a no-brainer with apple desserts (we have a ton of apple-cinnamon recipes to prove it). You need only a scant 1/4 teaspoon for this recipe.
- Vanilla ice cream: It’s optional, but why skip creamy vanilla ice cream on top of a warm apple crisp?
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the apple
While your air fryer preheats to 350°F, grease the tray that sits inside the basket. Brush both apple halves with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
Editor’s Tip: If you’re looking for the best way to peel an apple, our Test Kitchen found the best apple peeler for the job.
Step 2: Make the streusel
In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter with the oats, maple syrup, flour and cinnamon. Divide this filling between the two apple halves, spooning it into the centers.
Step 3: Bake the apples
Set the filled apples on the tray of the air fryer. Spray a little cooking spray over the tops. Place the tray in the air fryer and cook the apples for 12 to 15 minutes, until the apple halves are tender and the streusel is fragrant and golden brown.
Enjoy the apple crisp warm with a little sprinkle of cinnamon and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Recipe Variations
- Try different spices: Add a sprinkle of other ground spices that pair well with apples to the streusel mixture, like nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger and cardamom.
- Use other fruits to make a crisp: Instead of apples, add the streusel topping to halved and cored pears, and then bake as directed. Or, use ramekins that fit inside your air-fryer basket to make individual crisps with blackberries, blueberries, sliced peaches or strawberries—or a mixture of two or three fruits.
- Add nuts: For more crunch, add finely chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans to the oat mixture.
- Make a gluten-free crisp: Use gluten-free oats instead of regular oats. In place of all-purpose flour, use rice flour or your own gluten-free flour mix.
How to Store Air-Fryer Apple Crisp
Allow the leftover apple crisp to cool completely, then wrap it on a plate or move it to a small airtight container. Store the apple crisp in the fridge and, for the best texture, eat it within three days. When you’re ready to eat it, warm the apple crisp on the reheat setting in the air fryer or on a baking sheet in a low-temperature oven.
Air-Fryer Apple Crisp Tips
Can you make this apple crisp in the oven?
Yes! Set the filled apple halves into a greased square baking dish and cover the dish with foil. Bake the apples in a 375° oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake the apples for another 10 to 15 minutes until the streusel topping is browned and crisped. Another option is to make a traditional apple crisp with chopped apples and a layer of streusel on top.
What kind of apples should you use for air-fryer apple crisp?
The best apples for apple crisp depends on the texture and level of sweetness you prefer. Some folks like firmer pieces of apple, while others prefer a softer stewed-apple texture. For a tart flavor and firm texture, try Granny Smith apples. Braeburn, Honeycrisp and Fuji will keep their shape when baked but have more sweetness. For a soft texture, try McIntosh or Cortland.
Why is the top of my air-fryer apple crisp not cooking?
If your crisp needs more browning, try increasing the temperature of the air fryer to 375° and cooking it for a few minutes longer. Watch the apple crisp carefully so that it doesn’t burn. Usually getting the streusel to brown on an apple crisp in the air fryer shouldn’t be a problem. Despite their small size, air fryers are made for maximum surface browning and crisping.
How do you serve apple crisp?
The classic way to serve apple crisp is with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, but try other ice cream flavors too, like caramel swirl, butter pecan, pumpkin or blackberry. A dollop of homemade whipped cream or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce is also delicious with the crisp. Or, serve your apple crisp the New England way, with a slice of sharp cheddar.
