This recipe is sponsored by ZenChef. All opinions are 100% my own.
A healthy holiday treat! Baked apples stuffed with rolled oats tossed in maple syrup and pumpkin spice, and air fried to perfection.
Pumpkin Spice Baked Apples in the Air Fryer
I love the holidays! My kid has so much fun coming up with a family Halloween costume every year, and it’s hard not to love a night when neighbors give you free candy. And don’t get me started on the holiday baking that we do together throughout the season. It’s a lot.
It’s nice to temper all of that decadence with something a little bit better for your blood sugar. Air fryer baked apples, to the rescue!
Baked apples scream, “FALL!” And it’s easy to make baked apples that are pretty healthy. Apples are so sweet on their own, you don’t need to add a ton of extra sugar for a satisfying sweet treat. And I wanted to really up the fall ante by seasoning these tasty baked apples with pumpkin spice goodness.
To make these baked apples in the air fryer, you only need a little bit of maple syrup to sweeten the filling and no oil or vegan butter at all.
The trick to making baked apples in the air fryer (or in the oven, really) is coring them without slicing all the way through. To do this, you just need to make sure your knife is at a slight angle when you pierce the apple, then work it around in a circle to make the opening for your filling.
My favorite way to do this is to make a pretty conservative cut into the apple, remove the top, then scoop out the rest of the seeds with a spoon.
Once your apples are carved, just top them up with the pumpkin spice-oat filling, and cook them up in an oven-safe pan in your air fryer.
You can use any oven-safe dish that fits comfortably into your air fryer basket. If you’re using a metal dish, like in the video, just be sure to place a silicone trivet underneath, so you won’t scratch your basket’s finish.
About My Air Fryer
Any time I share an air fryer recipe, people ask me which air fryer I recommend. Over the summer, ZenChef came on as a blog sponsor, and I am IN LOVE with their new air fryer, the ZenChef PRO XXL Air Fryer.
I’ve been experimenting with this air fryer for a few months now, and I am all in. the basket is nice and large (5.8 quarts!), and I love the way it’s designed. As you probably know, I am extremely picky about air fryers, and this basket design is the kind I like: it pops out for easy cleaning, and it has holes at the bottom (rather than mesh) for easy cleaning.
The ZenChef PRO XXL cooks things quickly, evenly and consistently. And, of course, you can use little to no oil, if that’s your thing. The Baked Apples recipe below uses no oil at all.
Pumpkin Spice Baked Apples in the Air Fryer
Ingredients
For the Baked Apples
- 4 apples - Gala or Fuji are great choices for this recipe
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice seasoning
- 2/3 cup water
Instructions
- Use a knife to core the apples, but don't cut all the way through the bottom. Cut at a slight angle, so you end up removing sort of a cone of apple core from the center. Better to start with a shallow cut, then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds than to cut too deeply and accidentally go all the way through.
- In a small bowl, mix together all of the remaining Baked Apples ingredients, except for the water.
- Pour the water into a shallow, ovenproof dish that fits inside of your air fryer basket. Arrange the apples in the dish. Air fry at 340F for 15 minutes, or until the apples feel tender when you pierce with a sharp knife. If they're not cooked through after 15 minutes (DO NOT SHAKE!), cook for another 2-3 minutes, and check on them again.
- Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.
Notes
- Use tongs to gently remove the warm, baked apples from the air fryer basket.
Kathy Hester
I didn’t think about using the air fryer this way! I bet it ended up tasting amazing and cooked evenly.
Becky Striepe
That is such a huge compliment coming from you, Kathy! Thank you so much!
Cadry
This is so much fun! I know a lot of people are all about pumpkin in the fall, but I’m waaaaaaay more excited about apples. These sound wonderful!
Sarah De la Cruz
We made these last night to go with our breakfast dinner! They were SO good—my kids loved them! And the directions were spot on. Your tips about how to hollow out the apple really helped. And….if you have any extra filling—it’s delicious with a spoon! I munched on it while our apples “baked!” We’ll definitely be making these all winter long!
Becky Striepe
Oh yay! I am so glad you dug them, Sarah!
Dianne
I’ve never thought to make baked apples in my air fryer. It’s such a great idea! I have all of these ingredients, so I think I’m going to make these tonight.