Air Fryer Apple Fries (Refined Sugar Free & Gluten Free)

Air Fryer Apple Fries (Refined Sugar Free & Gluten Free) if apple pie and a cinnamon roll had a baby

i shared these on my stories on a whim and you all went absolutely crazy for them, and honestly fair enough they are DELISHHH! this is one of those recipes that from the first test came out so close to perfect but after a few more tweaks i landed on the only way i will be eating apples from now on. trust me once u try these once, you will be hooked! now i know they are not the cutest lil things but what they lack in looks they really do overdeliver with in taste.

these air fryer apple fries are the ultimate sweet snack to make in autumn and it literally takes 15 minutes from whole apple on the counter to sitting down and eating these apple fries fresh from the air fryer. the best way to explain the taste is as if apple pie and a cinnamon roll had a baby, this is the exact flavour profile which is what makes them so addictive.

what makes them work is the contrast between the crispy exterior and soft apple interior. the inside goes soft and jammy the way apple only does when its stewed or cooked and the outside sets into a thin crisp cinnamon sugar shell that cracks slightly when you bite in. that's the appeal in one sentence and tbh i feel like it sells itself!

coconut sugar is what gives us that crisp and sweet exterior. it has a deeper, slightly molasses-y warmth to it compared to white sugar, so once it hits the heat it goes almost caramel like against the apple. and caramel apple is a non-negotiable autumn pairing, i don't think anyone is arguing with me there so pair that with cinnamon and it is a match made in heaven.

i haven't tried these with caster sugar because i wanted the recipe to be refined sugar free, but i'd expect them to taste flatter and more one-note sweet than with coconut sugar. date sugar and brown sugar would be the most ideal substitution here, any sweetener should theoretically work ie stevia, allulose or monk fruit just make sure to reduce the amount used since they are much sweeter than coconut sugar!

on sizing it will really depend on how big your apple is so 1 large apple or 2 small ones depending on what you have on hand. i chop the whole thing, coat as many pieces as the egg yolk and cinnamon sugar will stretch to, and then snack on whatever is left raw while the rest air fries. my chocolate lab is also very happy about the leftovers, so nothing goes to waste in this house lol. cut them thick about half an inch thick, if they are too thin then they will turn into apple crisps not fries so you want enough thickness that the apple gets soft and not crispified.

onto the binder, the egg yolk. okay i know using just the yolk is so annoying and i also avoid developing recipes that only use the yolk for that exact reason. however, it is non-negotiable for this recipe to get the yummiest result. worst case you can dip them in the egg whites too but the taste is noticeably + honestly worse lol. the science behind it is that the egg yolk is fattier so it clings to the apple properly and then crisps, instead of steaming. egg white leaves you with a thinner coating that goes soggy instead of crisp. nutritionally, the egg yolk is adding in healthy fats and it's actually the most nutrient dense part of the egg where all the fat soluble vitamins and minerals live.

a note on cinnamon because i'm particular about it; please NO cassia cinnamon. this is such a simple swap that you can make that will truly benefit ur body long term. i only use Ceylon instead of cassia which contains far more coumarin (a compound that can have toxic effects in the body) so worth being mindful of if you eat cinnamon as often (and in large amounts) as i do. Ceylon is milder, sweeter and a bit floral, and in a recipe where cinnamon is half the flavour you can taste the difference putting the health effects aside. half a tablespoon sounds like a lot for one apple but it is the main flavour driver here so load up!

cooking apples does something interesting nutritionally too. the heat softens their pectin, a soluble fibre that feeds your gut bacteria. for that reason, a lot of people find cooked apples to sit more comfortably than raw apples if raw fruit tends to bloat them. apples also carry quercetin, a flavonoid studied for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and most of it sits in or just under the skin, which is one of the reasons i don't peel them + the extra crunch. cinnamon brings cinnamaldehyde, which has been looked at for blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity, useful in a recipe that does have natural sugars in it from the apple and the coconut sugar.

the arrowroot is the ingredient people want to skip but it is not optional. it's what stops the cinnamon sugar melting into syrup and sliding off the apple as it heats. cornstarch or tapioca starch both work if that's what's in ur cupboard. arrowroot just has the cleanest taste of the three and doesn't leave the faintly chalky edge cornstarch sometimes does.

these air fryer apple fries are the ideal sweet snack if you're in your romanticizing the afternoon era or as a dessert with a spoonful of yogurt or nice cream on the side. i eat them warm, slightly too soon and burning my mouth basically every time. they are refined sugar free, gluten free and dairy free making them a light and balanced sweet treat. i make mine in my K&W air fryer, which is the one i use for everything since it's non-toxic, glass and the cutest appliance ever (code DOUNIA10 if you want to try it out with a cheeky discount!)

if you're in full apple szn mode and want more apple desserts, my sugar free apple fritters are the next thing to make and they're the recipe on this blog that people message me about the most. and if you want something you can slice and leave on the counter for a few days instead or have for breakfast, my invisible apple cake is mostly apple held together by the thinnest layer of batter, also sugar free.