How to Make Dried Apples in the Oven and the Air Fryer

Homemade dried apples also known as apple chips, are a tasty and healthy snack sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.  Learn how to make dried apples in the oven or in the air fryer easily, without any added sugar or special equipment.

What are Dried Apples?

Overview

Dried Apples are thin slices of fresh apples that are oven baked or air fried until perfectly crispy. Made with any type of apple, the dehydrated apple chips are sweet, tasty and crunchy. Although this delicious snack can be eaten right off the oven, you can switch things up by adding a little cinnamon or apple pie spice.

Flavor Profile

Dried apple slices or apple chips have a concentrated apple flavor. Depending on the variety of apples used, the dehydrated apple slices can be very sweet or a bit tart.

Related Content: Caramel Apple Pie Party Mix

What’s in dried apples or baked apple chips?

The main and only ingredient is – you guessed it – apples. Although, dehydrated apples are a great snack and sweet treat, the recipe doesn’t contain any added sugar. Oven-dried apples or air fryer apple chips aren’t fried in oil. The drying process is all that is necessary to achieve its perfect light and crispy texture.

Equipment or tools needed

Unlike other dried fruit recipes, this one doesn’t require a food dehydrator, special dehydrator trays or a drying rack. You’ll need:

• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Baking sheet
• Your oven or air fryer

Optional Tools:

• Apple peeler: If you decide to remove the apple skins, an apple peeler can be a very helpful tool.
• Apple corer: Dried apples can be made without removing the apple’s core however, if you decide to remove the core this is the right tool for the job.
• If you have a mandolin slicer at home, this is the time to use it! A mandolin makes even and very thinly cuts which are ideal when making crispy apple chips.
• Parchment paper

How to make dried apples?

Ingredients

What are the best apples for drying or for apple chips?

f you are wondering what apple variety is best for oven drying, the answer is – all types of apples can be dried. For a sweeter apple chip use a sweet apple variety. Crisp, tart apples or a combination of sweet and tart can be used.

Naturally sweet apples include:

• Gala apples
• Fuji apples 
• Honeycrisp 
• Cortland
• Pink Lady

Naturally tart apples include:

• Granny Smith
• Golden delicious
• Jonathan

Optional Ingredients: Ground cinnamon, sea salt, apple pie spice, cinnamon sugar.

Related Content: Apple Varieties

How to make dried apple chips?

​Before you start:

1. Choose your desired texture: The thickness of the slices will determine if your chips are extra crispy or chewy. Both ways are delicious.
2. Choose your desired apple cut: There are different ways to cut apple pieces. 

• You can slice the apple through the core, only removing the seeds but keeping the core intact.
• Apple rings, core the apples first and slice thinly.
• Apple wedges, cut into quarters, then slice thinly.

Tip: Thinner apple slices make the crispiest dry apple chips.

Prepare the apples

• Prep: Preheat the oven. Remove any stickers, wash and dry apples.
• Peel and core the apples: This is an optional step. 
• Cut the apples thinly and evenly: Slice the apples with a sharp knife or using a mandoline (which makes the job a lot easier). A spiralizer with the flat blade can also be helpful. Keeping the slices consistent in thickness will ensure even baking. We prefer 1/16-inch or 1/8th thick for crispy chips.

Oven Method:

• Place the sliced apples on a baking sheet. Don’t let the slices overlap, keep them on a single layer, 
• Dust lightly with cinnamon (or your preferred seasoning). This step is optional (but will make your house smell like autumn heaven!)
• Bake at 200ºF (93ºC) for 1 hour. Flip the slices and bake until the apples are mostly dry and crispy around the edges. About an additional hour.
• Let the apples cool in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them sit for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Test for crispiness. If they are not crispy enough, bake for about 15 more minutes.
• Remove from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. They will crisp up even more while they cool.

Air Fryer Method:

• Preheat the air fryer to 300°F. Lightly spray the air fryer basket.
• Toss the apples with cinnamon (this is an optional step).
• Place the sliced apples in the air fryer basket. Don’t let the slices overlap, keep them on a single layer, 
•  Air fry until they are dry to the touch, about 15 minutes, flipping them every 5 minutes.
• Allow the apples to cool on a cooling rack.

Crispy vs Chewy Dried Apples

If you prefer less crispy and more chewy dried apples, cut the slices a bit thicker.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t raise the oven temperature. At 200ºF the apples have time to get crunchy without tasting burnt. Low temperature is key!
• At a higher oven temperature (over 230ºF) you risk caramelizing the apple’s natural sugars risking browning the apples too soon.
• Don’t skip the cooling process.
• This easy snack can be made with any variety of apple although we prefer sweeter apples such as Gala, Fiji and honey crisp.
• Slicing the apples thinly and evenly guarantees crispy apple chips.
• For chewier dried apple rings, cut the apples a bit thicker.
• You can dust the apples with cinnamon sugar for a sweeter treat.
• Apples oxidize and turn brown when exposed to air for long periods of time. When making smaller batches work quickly. If you want to make a large batch, you may want to soak the apples in a solution of water with a little bit of lemon juice.
• Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket or sheet pan. Proper air circulation is key when baking or frying.
• When using the air fryer, you’ll need to cook the apples in several batches.

Related Content: How to keep apples from turning brown

FAQ

Are dried apples good for you?

An apple a day! Dried apples are as healthy as fresh apples and contain vitamin A and C which keeps your skin and bones healthy. They also contain B vitamins which help with brain activity.

What’s the best way to dry apples?

Having a dehydrator at home can take extra space so we prefer drying apples in the oven. Although the air fryer makes amazing apple chips, you have to cook them in several batches as the air fryer accommodate fewer slices than an oven.

A small batch of a nutritious snack

2-3 sheet pans is the most you can accommodate in a regular oven at once. This recipe makes about 30 chips which is not a big amount when you are talking about a healthy and easy snack that tastes so delicious. Plan accordingly.

Storage

Store the dry apples in an airtight container or a glass jar, at room temperature for about 5-6 days. In a resealable plastic bag, the shelf life decreases to about 2 days. The easiest way to keep these healthy apple snacks crunchy and fresh is by avoiding moist air. Humidity decreases the crunchiness of these chips.

Other Apple Recipes

• Cinnamon Apple Bread
• Apple Pie Bars
• Apple Cider Donuts
• Grain-Free Apple Pie Granola