15-Minute Air Fryer Cinnamon Baked Apples with Toasted Pecans
Halved apples brushed with maple, coconut oil and cinnamon, air fried tender in 15 minutes, then finished with pecans toasted separately so nothing scorches.
- Prep
- 8 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 3 min
- Serves
- 2
15-Minute Air Fryer Cinnamon Baked Apples with Toasted Pecans is a vegan dessert recipe made with firm apples (Honeycrisp, coconut oil, maple syrup. It takes 23 minutes of hands-on time, plus 3 minutes resting, serves 2, and each serving has 297 calories, 2 g of protein and 6 g of fiber.
A whole baked apple takes 40 minutes in the oven because the heat has to travel through the core. Halving the apples and cutting a shallow crosshatch into the flesh lets circulating air do the same job in about 15 minutes, and starting cut-side down caramelizes the surface before the fruit collapses. The pecans toast separately for three minutes and go on at the end, which is the whole trick: in an air fryer, a nut-and-oat crumble sitting on top of wet fruit burns long before the apple is tender.
A cooking method (air fryer in 15 minutes instead of a 40-minute oven bake, no crumble topping to burn) take on our Tahini Cardamom Vegan Baked Pears with Maple Walnut Crumble.
Ingredients
- 2 medium364 gfirm apples (Honeycrisp, Braeburn or Granny Smith), halved and cored
- 1 tbsp14 gcoconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp40 gmaple syrup
- ¾ tsp2 gground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp0.3 gfreshly grated nutmeg
- 1 pinch0.4 gfine sea salt
- 1 tsp5.1 glemon juice
- ¼ cup25 gpecan halves, roughly chopped
- ½ cup114 gthick coconut yogurt, for serving (optional)
Kit: Air fryer, Pastry brush or spoon, Melon baller or teaspoon, Small bowl
Tips
- Choose a firm variety. Red Delicious, McIntosh and other mealy apples turn to sauce and slump through the basket grate in under 10 minutes.
- Basket-style and oven-style air fryers run hot differently. Check at 8 minutes after the flip the first time you make these and note the timing for your machine.
- If your basket has wide slots, set the apples on a small piece of perforated parchment so the glaze does not drip straight onto the element.
- Do not skip the crosshatch — it is what lets the glaze and heat reach the middle of the half instead of just glazing the surface.
Swap ideas
- Walnuts or pumpkin seeds instead of pecans
- More bitter-toasty edge from walnuts, or a nut-free version with pumpkin seeds; toast pumpkin seeds only 2 minutes, as they pop and burn faster.
- Firm pears in place of apples
- Sweeter and more floral, and they cook faster — start checking at 5 minutes after the flip.
- Coconut sugar instead of maple syrup
- A drier, more caramel-like crust rather than a syrupy hollow; mix 2 tbsp coconut sugar into the melted oil and expect slightly more browning.
- A pinch of cardamom or ground cloves with the cinnamon
- Pushes the flavor warmer and more aromatic, closer to the oven-baked pear version in this family.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
297kcal per serving
Everything else · 2 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 6.5 g 33%
- Sugars
- 31.6 g
- Sodium
- 82 mg 4%
- Potassium
- 295 mg 6%
- Calcium
- 50 mg 4%
- Iron
- 0.6 mg 3%
- Vitamin C
- 10 mg 11%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Apples, raw, with skin (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Oil, coconut, Syrups, maple, Spices, cinnamon, ground, Spices, nutmeg, ground, Salt, table, Lemon juice, raw, Nuts, pecans
Method
Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (175°C). Spread the chopped pecans in the basket in a single layer and toast for 3 minutes, shaking once, until fragrant and a shade darker. Tip them onto a plate immediately — they will keep crisping as they cool, and any left in the hot basket will scorch.
Halve the apples from stem to base and scoop out the core and seeds with a teaspoon or melon baller, leaving a shallow hollow about 1 inch wide. Leave the skin on; it holds each half together in the moving air.
Score the cut face of each half in a shallow crosshatch, about 1/4 inch deep, cutting no further than halfway through. Toss the halves with the lemon juice so they do not brown while you mix the glaze.
Stir the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a small bowl. Brush about half of it over the cut faces, working it into the scored grooves.
Place the apples cut-side down in the air fryer basket, leaving space between them, and cook at 350°F for 5 minutes, until the cut faces are lightly browned.
Flip the halves cut-side up, spoon the remaining glaze into the hollows, and cook another 8–10 minutes, until a paring knife slides into the thickest part with no resistance and the edges are glossy and caramelized. Smaller or softer apples may be ready at 8 minutes.
Let the apples rest in the basket for 3 minutes — the hot syrup in the hollow will scald otherwise, and it thickens as it cools.
Transfer to plates, spoon any syrup from the basket back over the top, and scatter with the toasted pecans. Serve warm with a spoonful of coconut yogurt if you like.
Storage: Best within an hour of cooking, while the edges are still caramelized. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 3–4 minutes to re-crisp, and store the pecans separately at room temperature so they stay crunchy.
Questions
- How much protein is in 15-minute air fryer cinnamon baked apples with toasted pecans?
- Each of the 2 servings has 2 g of protein, 6 g of fiber and 297 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is 15-minute air fryer cinnamon baked apples with toasted pecans vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does 15-minute air fryer cinnamon baked apples with toasted pecans take to make?
- 8 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, so 23 minutes of hands-on time, plus 3 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make 15-minute air fryer cinnamon baked apples with toasted pecans ahead?
- Best within an hour of cooking, while the edges are still caramelized. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 3–4 minutes to re-crisp, and store the pecans separately at room temperature so they stay crunchy.
- What can I substitute in 15-minute air fryer cinnamon baked apples with toasted pecans?
- Walnuts or pumpkin seeds instead of pecans — more bitter-toasty edge from walnuts, or a nut-free version with pumpkin seeds; toast pumpkin seeds only 2 minutes, as they pop and burn faster.. Firm pears in place of apples — sweeter and more floral, and they cook faster — start checking at 5 minutes after the flip.. Coconut sugar instead of maple syrup — a drier, more caramel-like crust rather than a syrupy hollow; mix 2 tbsp coconut sugar into the melted oil and expect slightly more browning.. A pinch of cardamom or ground cloves with the cinnamon — pushes the flavor warmer and more aromatic, closer to the oven-baked pear version in this family..
- Does 15-minute air fryer cinnamon baked apples with toasted pecans contain tree nuts?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes tree nuts, in some cases as an optional ingredient you can leave out. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published September 20, 2026 ·American
