These Cinnamon Apple Chips are a healthy and delicious snack, made easily in the air fryer! They’re a great way to use Fall apples, and this recipe is a family favorite!
This is one of my Air Fryer recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
We’re headed into my favorite season… Fall! While I do love pumpkin, apple recipes are some of my favorites.
Apple chips are a great way to enjoy apples year round, but they’re also perfect for any apples you pick up this Fall!
I don’t know about where you live, but here in the Midwest, there are farms that have an apple picking season, where you can go and fill up a bag of apples you pick yourself! It’s so much fun, and a great family activity.
But no matter where you get your apples from, they’ll make fabulous chips!
Sweet and crunchy, with the warmth from the cinnamon sugar… I mean they’re one of my all time favorite “chips”!
Most grocery stores sell bags of pre-made apple chips, and they’re not bad at all. But homemade is where it’s at, let me tell you.
You get to control the amount of sugar, quality of apples, level of spices, etc. So let’s make some, shall we?
How to make apple chips in the air fryer?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Slice apples. I highly recommend a mandoline for this, but a good sharp knife and some patience will also work.
- Season. Sprinkle with sugar and ground cinnamon.
- Air fry. Make sure to toss the apple slices multiple times while they cook, to ensure even cooking and prevent burning.
- Cool. Apple chips need to cool to finish crisping up.
Helpful Tip!
I find the easiest way to slice apples thinly enough to make great apple chips is to use a mandoline slicer. If you click on the bolded link, that’s the brand I use. I really love how it’s easy to clean, easy to store, and comes with cut-resistant gloves. If you’re accident prone in the kitchen like I am, you’ll want those!
Variations of this recipe
- Different apple types – I like to use red delicious apples, since they’re sweet, easily available, and inexpensive. But feel free to use your favorite variety of apple.
- No cinnamon – if you’re not a fan of cinnamon, you can reduce the amount or even omit it.
- Reduced sugar – I prefer a sweeter apple chip, but if you’d like to cut back on the sugar, feel free to.
- Oven – if you don’t have an air fryer, no worries, you can absolutely bake these in the oven instead! Detailed oven instructions will be in the “Chef Tips” section at the end of written recipe card.
FAQ’s
To peel, or not to peel; that is the question! The answer is, it’s up to you. We prefer to leave the skin on the apple before slicing and making chips.
Healthy means different things to different people, so I can’t unequivocally say they’re healthy. However, they’re mostly likely healthier than other types of chips and snacks.
Apple chips will always crisp more as they cool. If the apple slices feel a bit soft, but are golden brown, go ahead and lay them out to cool. Then they’ll be nice and crisp.
Making apple chips ahead of time
I don’t recommend making apple chips completely ahead of time. They don’t stay crisp when stored, so they’re definitely best when made fresh.
However, the sugar and cinnamon mixture can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Storage
Leftover apple chips should be stored in an airtight container and eaten within a few days. Just know, apple chips will lose their crispness as they’re stored. They’re still delicious, just not as crisp.
Other Apple Recipes:
My Favorite Air Fryer!
I love the larger, rectangular basket, and the basket is nonstick, removable, and dishwasher safe!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 large red delicious apple
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Evenly slice apple into 1/8th inch thick slices. Remove any seeds. Place in a single layer on a flat surface. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
- Sprinkle apple slices with cinnamon sugar mixture on both sides. Lightly spray air fryer basket.
- Add slices in air fryer basket, trying not to pile them on top of each other too much.
- Set air fryer to 300°F. Air fry for 15 minutes, tossing apple slices every 5 minutes (and more often towards the end of the cooking time), until golden brown and almost crispy.
- Set apple chips on a cooling rack to cool completely. Chips will continue to crisp up even more as they cool.
- Serve immediately.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- If making a larger amount than 1 apple’s worth of chips, I highly suggest cooking them in batches. Otherwise the apples won’t crisp up in an overloaded air fryer basket.
- If the apple chips are flying everywhere, I suggest topping them with a metal rack (like this one) during the cooking time.
Making Apple Chips in the Oven
- Preheat oven to 200°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Slice apples and season as directed.
- Spread apple slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 1 hour, then flip apple slices over and bake another 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Remove a single apple chip and let sit on the counter for a few minutes. Take a bite and see how crisp it is. If it’s crispy, proceed with the next step. If not, continue baking a bit.
- Leave the apple chips in the oven, but turn it off and let them sit there for another hour. This helps them cool gradually, and crisp up even more.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Connie says
Could you substitute raw honey in place of sugar? I would love to make this for my grandchildren but would prefer to use raw honey or organic maple syrup. How would the recipe be modified to use one of those sweeteners instead.
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Suzy says
Connie, your apple slices won’t dry out if you put honey on them. You might want to air fry your apple slices just as they are – with nothing added. I’d use an apple that you already know you like the flavor. I used to buy bags of apple chips & they were plain – just the apple & they tasted great.
Amanda Livesay says
I’m obsessed with these! And they’re so much cheaper than buying them!
Beti | easyweeknightrecipes says
This would be the perfect snack for fall! I LOVE it!
katerina @ diethood.com says
I could snack on these all day! They look so YUMMY!
Erin | Dinners, Dishes and Dessert says
These Cinnamon Apple Chips are mouth-watering!
Krystle says
These came out so crunchy! Finally, a snack I don’t have to feel guilty about!
Allyson Zea says
This would be amazing in the air fryer! I can’t wait to try them!
Erik says
Fruit in an air fryer? Awesome. So perfect for fall, too!
Ric says
Hi love your recipes. Do you think a dehydrated would work also
Amanda says
Hi Ric 🙂 I’m sure it would work, but I don’t have a dehydrator, so I can’t say exactly how to make these using that method.