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Air Fryer Apple Fries

Air fryer apple fries are golden, lightly battered apple sticks coated in cinnamon sugar, then served like French fries with a caramel dipping sauce. This easy air fryer dessert delivers a crunchy exterior with tender apple centers in under 25 minutes.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Apples
  • 3 large apples Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, peeled, cored, and cut into fry-shaped sticks
  • 0.25 caramel sauce for dipping
Batter
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 0.5 cup sparkling water or club soda
Cooking spray
  • 1 cooking spray
Cinnamon sugar coating
  • 0.333 cup granulated sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp butter melted, for tossing

Equipment

  • 1 air fryer

Method
 

Preheat and make the batter
  1. Preheat the air fryer to 380°F so it’s hot and ready for crisping.
  2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, granulated sugar, salt, and sparkling water until a smooth batter forms, with no dry flour pockets.
Coat the apples
  1. Pat the apple sticks completely dry, then dip them in the batter letting excess drip off so they crisp instead of steaming.
Air-fry
  1. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and place battered apple sticks in a single layer, leaving space for airflow.
  2. Spray the tops with cooking spray for even browning.
  3. Air fry for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crispy with visible caramelized edges.
Toss and serve
  1. Immediately toss the hot fries in melted butter so the coating clings.
  2. Then toss in cinnamon sugar until evenly coated and glossy-looking.
  3. Serve hot with caramel sauce for dipping in a small cup beside the fries.

Notes

For the crispiest fries, pat the apple sticks as dry as possible and work quickly after battering so the surface stays tacky. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 2 days, then re-crisp in the air fryer at 350°F for 3-4 minutes. Freezing: not recommended for best crunch. Dietary swap: use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in the batter for a gluten-free version.