Apple chips are a delicious healthy snack that can be made right at home in your air fryer! They’re simple to make, perfect for kids and adults, and have no added sugar. Here’s How to Make Apple Chips in an Air Fryer!
It’s happening. Air fryers are big this year. And I’m very into it. Crispy food without submerging it in oil? No heating up the oven? Homemade chips and chimichangas and mozzarella sticks?! I’m in.
This post will show you my perfected method for Air Fryer Apple Chips, including step by step instructions, videos, and tips on what to do if your chips are burning!
Let’s turn one apple into chips!!
What type of apples are best for making apple chips in an air fryer?
The short answer is you can use any kind of apples to make apple chips. The apple chips will have the same taste as the apple that was used.
With that being said, I do have a couple personal preferences for the apples I like to use for my apple chips:
- Large apples – Large apples give you large apple chips! It makes sense. If I’m going to go to all the work to slice, prep and then air fry an apple, I’ll take one on the larger side.
- Sweeter apples – I like my apple chips sweeter without having to add any extra sweetener (they’re Whole30 friendly that way!). I like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Envy apples. But I also add so much cinnamon that I’ll do any apple!
- Cheaper apples – I found really nice looking, firm Jonagolds on sale at the store and used those for apple chips and applesauce. I seriously got a whole bag for less than $5. They’re not usually known for being super sweet, but between the cinnamon and everything being sweeter during our Whole30, they were super delicious. Try cheaper apples for your apple chips to keep costs down!
How do you get air fryer apple chips crispy?
- Dry the apple slices out first. I have a two phase system for cooking apple chips in the air fryer unlike any other I’ve seen. I did about 12 tests on these apple chips. During that time, I noticed it works best to dry the apples at a lower temperature, and then crisp them quickly at a higher temperature. That leads me to my next point:
- Watch them carefully. During the “crisping” phase, you have to watch the chips. Flip and shake often. Every 90 seconds is best. You’ll see just how quickly they cook once the temp is turned up.
- Give them each some “air time”. While cooking the apple chips, during both the “drying” and “crisping” phases, it’s important to make sure all the apples get their own time exposed to the hot air. If any apples slices are stuck together or are always in the middle of the pile, they won’t cook correctly. Give them each some “air time” by moving the apples often, and rotating them between top, bottom and middle.
For maximum crispiness, I would enjoy the apple chips 10-20 minutes after they come out of the air fryer.
They will last up to 5 days in a container at room temperature but will become soft overnight. Best crunch is when they’re fresh but cooled off!
How do you make apple chips in an air fryer?
I prep the apples by slicing with a mandoline (I use the Mueller Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link!)). I try to make the apple chips about 1/8 of an inch thick. Not super thin, but thinner than I could cut with a knife.
After slicing, I remove all seeds and stems and then toss the apple slices with a small amount of oil and some cinnamon.
As I mentioned above, I have a two phase system for making apple chips in the air fryer. The first phase is “drying” and the second phase is “crisping”.
Please remember that I use an analog air fryer so temperatures are approximate. You may have to experiment to find the right temperature settings for your air fryer.
The “Drying” Phase:
- This phase takes place at 300 degrees F. The entire apple goes into the air fryer at once.
- I recommend continuing to cook the apples at this temperature until they no longer appear “shiny” or have any “wet” spots, at least 20 minutes but up to 30 minutes for larger apples.
- The apples should be flipped and rotated every 5 minutes. Make sure apples in the middle of the pile are rotated out to the top or bottom.
- At the end of the drying phase, the apple chips will appear dried, soggy, and the edges will begin to shrivel.
- They will look like the picture on the left after 15 minutes, and they will look like the picture on the right after 22-25 minutes.
The “Crisping Phase”:
- Once the apples are dried out, up the temperature to 325 degrees F.
- Cooking will happen much faster at this higher temperature, so you must stay near the air fryer and keep your attention on the air fryer. Chips will take 4-8 minutes total in this phase, depending on thickness and amount. (If they’re cooking too slowly, up the temp by 10 degrees. If they’re cooking too quickly, lower the temp by 10 degrees.)
- Check, flip and shake the apple chips every 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
- The chips will begin to fly around the inside of the air fryer during this phase. They will begin to curl and gain color quickly.
- Remove any chips that are browning quicker than others. Again, check often. Any chips that get stuck to the top will burn.
- As the chips cool, they become more crispy.
I made this handy little graphic to show you exactly how I like my air fryer apple chips. The difference in cook time between all three of these examples is about 5 minutes, so you have to stay near your air fryer when crisping the chips.
What if my apple chips are burning?
I don’t like burnt apple chips, and you probably don’t either. So let’s work on getting you some perfect apple chips.
If your apple chips are burning, I would encourage you to try again with another apple. Just like microwaves and stoves, all air fryers are different and may be different temperatures than they say they are. You just have to keep trying and get used to your particular model.
- Try “crisping” at a lower temperature.
- Try slicing the apple chips a little thicker.
- Check even more often and have tongs ready to remove apple chips one at a time when they are done.
- Try “drying” the apple chips a bit longer.
What kind of air fryer do you use?
I (used to!) own the Philips 2.75 qt Viva Air Fryer (affiliate link!), and I absolutely love it! Frozen things that are normally baked or fried come out crispier than I’ve ever tasted. It also seems to work for drying things out (like apples for this recipe!).
UPDATE 2022: I upgraded and now I own the Cosori XL 5.8 qt Air Fryer (affiliate link!), which you can find pictured in my newer air fryer recipes like these Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Flautas.
How long do apple chips last?
For maximum crispiness, I would enjoy the apple chips 10-20 minutes after they come out of the air fryer. This is totally doable if you make one apples worth of apple chips at a time!
However, the apple chips will stay perfectly edible for up to 5 days stored in a container at room temperature. They will become softer overnight, so that’s why I recommend eating them right after they are made.
I would not recommend freezing these apple chips. They are meant to be enjoyed as they are made, one apple at a time.
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How to Make Apple Chips in an Air Fryer
Apple chips are a delicious healthy snack that can be made right at home in your air fryer! They’re simple to make, perfect for kids and adults, and have no added sugar. Here’s How to Make Apple Chips in an Air Fryer!
- Total Time35 minutes
- Yield1 serving 1x
Ingredients
- 1 large apple
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon avocado or olive oil (spray oil is best but any will work)
Instructions
- Prepping the apples: Slice an apple using a mandoline slicer (preferred method) or a knife, making slices about 1/8 of an inch thick. Remove seeds and stems from middle slices. Toss apple slices in a bowl with cinnamon and oil. I prefer to add the cinnamon in small dashes to get some on every apple slice, instead of dumping it all on one apple. In the same way, I prefer to spray the oil lightly over the top, stir, and then give another light spray to try and disperse the oil evenly. Preheat your air fryer for about 2 minutes at 300F.
- Drying the chips: Place all the apple slices into the air fryer basket. Cook at 300F for 20-25 minutes, flipping and rotating apples every 5 minutes. Make sure slices in the middle of the pile are rotated out and all slices are exposed to the hot air at some point. Continue cooking at this temperature until the apples appear completely dried out, with no more shiny or “wet” spots remaining. The edges of the chips will begin to shrivel. If your chips are burning at all during this drying phase, lower the temperature of the air fryer by 25 degrees F.
- Crisping the chips: Once the apple slices appear completely dry, increase the air fryer temperature to 325F. Check, flip and shake the apple chips every 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Chips will take 4-8 minutes total to crisp up, depending on thickness and amount. (If they’re cooking too slowly, up the temp by 10 degrees. If they’re cooking too quickly, lower the temp by 10 degrees.) The chips will begin to fly around the inside of the air fryer during this phase. They will begin to curl and gain color quickly. Remove any chips that are browning quicker than others.
- Let the chips cool for at least 5 minutes and then enjoy! For maximum crispiness, enjoy the apple chips 10-20 minutes after they come out of the air fryer. They will last up to 5 days in a container at room temperature but will become soft overnight.
Equipment
OXO 9-Inch Silicone Head Tongs
Buy Now →
Philips 2.75 qt Viva Air Fryer
Buy Now →(affiliate link!)
Notes
For more intense apple pie flavor, try using Primal Palate’s Apple Pie Spice Blend on these instead of just cinnamon. It’s SO GOOD, but I know not everyone has access to that brand, so cinnamon is recommended.
I recommend air frying one apple’s worth of chips at a time, unless you have a larger size air fryer. Please note I use a Philips 2.75 qt Viva Air Fryer (affiliate link!). Like most appliances, settings and temperature between models and brands will vary. Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 apple’s worth of chips
- Calories: 126
- Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Protein: 0g
Did You Make This?
I love seeing what you made! Leave a review below, and be sure to tag me at @ProjectMealPlan when you share a photo!
These look great!! Thanks for the photos, will definitely help as a reference when I try to make these.
Thanks so much Jessica!! Photos can be so much more helpful than a long description. I would love to know how your apple chips turn out 🙂 Enjoy!
Can you freeze the slices ahead of time and then make the chips little by little when you want them?
Hi Julia, great question. I’m honestly not sure, I’ll have to test it! I know it is possible to freeze apples, but usually they are used for pies or smoothies and such. I’m wondering if the texture of the thin slices would stay intact for air frying. I’ll have to get back to you on that!
I just made some of these. They are so good. They are very sweet and healthy. I followed the recipe exactly.
This makes me SO happy! Glad you enjoyed them. They’re such a great healthy snack! Thank you so much for your comment and rating. It means a lot to me! -Danielle
This is the first air fryer item I tried. I did bake them at 300° before air frying. That only took about 10 minutes to have them curl. I left at 300° and set on air fry. With in 5 minut3# they were browning and I removed from oven. I will try again but lower the temperature.
Can you overlap the Apple’s in the air fryer?
Hello! Yes, the apples will overlap a little bit in the air fryer. It’s important to flip and move the apple slices when you check them during cooking. Make sure the same two apple chips are not touching/overlapping the whole time or they won’t crisp up. Good luck! -Danielle