Apple Chips – Oven or Air Fryer

Apple chips are a delicious, healthy snack simply made with two ingredients, apples and cinnamon. Learn how to make homemade apple chips in the oven or air fryer with these two easy recipes!

Baked apple chips are perfect when you want something crispy and crunchy, with a touch of natural sweetness. This healthy and naturally gluten free snack is made without a dehydrator, with minimal prep time!

Make a big batch in the oven to have on hand for midday snacks, or a crispy addition to tasty salads. But if you want just a few for a quick snack, I highly recommend the air fryer. It’s a quick way to make a few apple chips to snack on, top your morning granola or dinner salad.

I love how crispy the air fryer apple chips get in only 21 minutes. This is definitely my new favorite way to make homemade apple chips!

Ingredients

• Apples – two crisp apples that are naturally sweet, like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala or Cosmic Crisp. If you like tart apples like Granny Smith, feel free to experiment with those! Just avoid more grainy apples such as Red Delicious.
• Ground cinnamon – a dusting of cinnamon is the perfect complement to the flavor of the apples.

Instructions

Making apple chips in the oven is ideal for larger batches and when you have the time to wait.

1. Core the apples and thinly slice with a mandolin or sharp knife into 1/8″ slices.
2. Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the apple slices.
3. Lay the apple slices flat, not overlapping, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
4. Bake at 200°F for 3 hours, flipping halfway through.
5. Remove the apple slices from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool for at least 10 minutes. They will continue to crisp up during this time, so don’t skip this step!

How to make them in an air fryer

Apple chips can also be made in the air fryer in a fraction of the time. Although you won’t be able to cook as many at once, you can make them more often because it only takes 21 minutes, and let’s be honest, the apple chips are best when they’re hot and crispy, fresh from the air fryer!

1. Core the apples and thinly slice with a mandolin or sharp knife into 1/8″ slices.
2. Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the apple slices.
3. Place the apple slices in an even layer in the air fryer. Depending on the size of the apples and size of the air fryer, you will probably only be able to fit 9-12 slices in the air fryer at a time. I have a 5.8 quart air fryer and was able to fit 9 slices in the basket at a time.
4. Air fry at 300°F for 21 minutes, flipping every 7 minutes.
5. Remove the apple slices from the air fryer and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Tips and tricks

• Store apple chips in a sealed airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. For maximum crispness enjoy them as soon as possible!
• While cinnamon and apple go together beautifully, you can also switch up the seasonings, or try them plain. Try sprinkling the apple slices with sugar, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cayenne, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice.
• The thickness of the apple slices will affect the cook time and level or crispiness. Thinner slices will be more crispy and will bake faster. Thicker slices will take longer and may not crisp as much.
• Do not overcrowd the baking sheet or air fryer basket, the air needs to be able to touch the entire surface of the apple slice to crisp it properly.
• Always use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to line your baking sheet, or the apple chips will stick to the pan.
• Do not skip cooling the apple chips on a cooling rack! This allows them to reach their maximum crispy potential.
• Some people advise tossing the apple slices in lemon juice before baking to avoid browning. I have found this is unnecessary if you’re going to cook them immediately after slicing them.

Ways to use them

In addition to snacking on these delicious apple chips on their own, you can also use them in meals, for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Try any of these delicious ways to use the chips in recipes.

• Salad topper – make Panera’s Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, top a Healthy Cobb Salad, or add the apple chips to any of your favorite salad creations!
• Dips – scoop up your favorite sweet dips with these apple chips instead of crackers. They will go great with Salted Caramel Baked Brie, Slow Cooked Chocolate Dip, Cream Cheese Dip or Smoked Cream Cheese!
• Oatmeal – add them on top of your morning oatmeal or overnight oats.
• Granola – if you’re making your own homemade granola, these apple chips would make an excellent addition. You can also include them in the layers of a yogurt parfait with store-bought granola.
• Spreads – smooth on your favorite nut butter such as peanut butter or almond butter. Cookie butter would also taste great for a sweet treat!
• Grazing boards – any charcuterie board will be even more delicious with a few of these apple chips sprinkled around the board.

More kitchen tutortials

Don’t miss these other quick and easy kitchen how-to guides!

• How To Shred Brussels Sprouts
• How To Hard Boil Eggs
• 3 Ways – How To Cook Sweet Potatoes
• How To Make Roasted Red Peppers
• How To Saute Mushrooms

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