These air-fryer apple chips are nutritious and delicious. They're the ultimate wholesome, crispy and crunchy snack to serve as an alternative to potato chips.

Apple Chips

If you’ve never indulged in air-fryer apple chips, you’re in for a treat. The perfect fall snack is essentially dehydrated apple slices that have a light dusting of cozy cinnamon. And, yes, those are the only two ingredients for this budget-friendly, wholesome snack. After just 15 minutes of crisping in the air fryer, you’ll have an autumnal afternoon treat that satisfies a sweet tooth with natural sugars.
Ingredients for Apple Chips
- Apples: Whether you picked apples at an orchard or bought them at the grocer, learn how to store apples to keep them crisp. Crisp apples are essential to pulling off an apple chips recipe perfectly. We don’t want any bruised, mealy apples here (those apples are best for making apple butter).
- Cinnamon: Adding spices is totally optional for this apple chips recipe, but we love how cozy ground cinnamon makes these apple chips taste.
Directions
Step 1: Slice the apples
Preheat the air fryer to 300°F. Cut the apple into 1/8-inch slices. Discard the seeds, stem and pit.
Editor’s Tip: The thinner you cut the apple, the crispier the chips will get. I suggest using a mandoline, but carefully slicing with a sharp knife works too.
Step 2: Arrange the apples
Working in batches, lay the apple slices in a single layer in the air-fryer basket and dust with ground cinnamon if desired.
Editor’s Tip: Cover the slices with a metal rack or trivet to keep the apples from flying around.
Step 3: Air-fry the apples
Air-fry the apple slices for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Editor’s Tip: Keep a close eye on the apple chips as they cook, as cooking times may vary depending on what type of air fryer you use.
Step 4: Enjoy air-fryer apple chips
Once fully cooked, remove the apple chips from the air fryer and let them cool to room temperature. They’ll continue to crisp up as they cool.
Recipe Variations
- Make them sweeter: Stir 2 teaspoons granulated sugar with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, then dust the apple slices with the cinnamon-sugar mixture before they dehydrate.
- Add more baking spices: For a more flavorful apple chips recipe, add a tiny bit of nutmeg, ginger and/or cardamom to the sliced apples. Or, use an apple pie spice blend instead for a perfectly balanced, complex flavor.
How to Store Apple Chips
Once the apple chips have cooled completely to room temperature, stash them in an airtight container or resealable bag. Keep them away from humid areas and store them in a cool, dry place.
How long do apple chips last?
When properly stored, apple chips will last for up to one week.
Apple Chip Tips
What are the best apples for apple chips?
The name of the apple chip game is crisp, crisp, crisp! To get crispy apple chips, you’ll want to start with crispy apples. Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Cortland, Crispin and Jonagold are great types of apples for apple chips.
Can I bake these in the oven instead?
You absolutely can bake apple chips in the oven instead of the air fryer. Bake the apple chips in a 200° oven for two hours, flipping the apple slices halfway through.
You may be tempted to turn up the oven temp to cut down on the cooking time, but resist the urge. You would brown the apples before their moisture evaporates, which means you’d be baking the apples instead of dehydrating them.
Do I need to core and peel the apples?
No, you don’t need to worry about peeling or coring the apple. The skin crisps beautifully and adds a lovely color, and most of the seeds will fall out during slicing with a mandoline or while cooking.
Apple Chips
Ingredients
- 1 medium apple
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
Directions
- Preheat air fryer to 300°.
- Cut apple into 1/8-in. slices; discard seeds, stem and pit. Working in batches, lay apple slices in a single layer in air fryer basket. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired. Cook 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Nutrition Facts
1 serving: 77 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 1mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (15g sugars, 4g fiber), 0 protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch.