Crispy Chai-Spiced Air Fryer Apple Chips
Crispy air fryer apple chips with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and a little coconut sugar. Thin slices and a low 300°F heat get them crunchy in about 20 minutes.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 36 min
- Rest
- 5 min
- Serves
- 3

Crispy Chai-Spiced Air Fryer Apple Chips is a vegan snack recipe made with crisp apples, fresh lemon juice, coconut sugar. It takes 46 minutes of hands-on time, plus 5 minutes resting, serves 3, and each serving has 82 calories, 0 g of protein and 4 g of fiber.
Getting apple chips crisp in an air fryer comes down to thickness and heat. Slices about 1/8 inch thick, cooked at a low 300°F, dry out all the way before the sugar can scorch. A quick toss in lemon juice keeps the color bright, and a light chai blend of cinnamon, cardamom and ginger with a spoonful of coconut sugar gives them a warm, bakery-like flavor. They finish crisping on a rack as they cool, so take them out when they feel dry and leathery. Don't wait for them to snap in the basket.
Ingredients
- 2 medium364 gcrisp apples, such as Honeycrisp, Fuji or Gala
- 2 tsp10 gfresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp12 gcoconut sugar
- 1 tsp2.6 gground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp0.5 gground cardamom
- ¼ tsp0.5 gground ginger
- 1 pinch0.1 gground cloves (optional)
- 1 pinch0.4 gfine salt
Kit: air fryer, mandoline or sharp chef's knife, wire cooling rack, clean kitchen towel
Tips
- The thickness of the slices matters more than anything else. Slices thicker than about 1/8 inch stay chewy in the middle however long you cook them.
- Air fryers vary, so check at the 12-minute mark the first time you make these. Sugar-coated edges can go from golden to dark quickly.
- The chips don't reach full crunch until they cool, so judge doneness by how dry they look, not by whether they snap while hot.
- Choose firm, crisp apples. Soft or mealy apples fall apart on the mandoline and dry unevenly.
Swap ideas
- Maple syrup instead of coconut sugar (1 tsp, mixed into the lemon juice)
- Gives a deeper caramel note, but the chips will be a little stickier and may need 2–3 extra minutes.
- Leave out the coconut sugar entirely
- Makes tarter, fruit-forward chips that dry slightly faster and are less likely to brown at the edges.
- Granny Smith apples instead of a sweet variety
- Makes tangier chips that pair well with the warm spices. Add an extra pinch of sugar if you like them sweeter.
- A pinch of black pepper or nutmeg in the spice mix
- Adds a gentle, masala chai–style warmth and bite.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
82kcal per serving
Everything else · 3 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 0 g 0%
- Sugars
- 16.2 g
- Sodium
- 116 mg 5%
- Potassium
- 185 mg 4%
- Calcium
- 36 mg 3%
- Iron
- 0.3 mg 2%
- Vitamin C
- 7 mg 8%
- 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), Lemon juice, raw, COCONUT SUGAR (The Kroger Co., Branded; ingredients: organic coconut sugar), Spices, cinnamon, ground, Spices, cardamom, Spices, ginger, ground, Salt, table
Method
In a small bowl, stir together the coconut sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, the cloves if you're using them, and the salt. Set the spice mix aside.
Wash the apples and core them with an apple corer, or leave them whole and pick out any seeds after slicing. Slice crosswise into rounds about 1/8 inch thick, using a mandoline if you have one so every slice is the same thickness.
Toss the slices with the lemon juice in a large bowl. Spread them on a clean kitchen towel and pat the tops dry, because surface moisture slows crisping.
Return the slices to the dry bowl, sprinkle the spice mix over them, and toss gently with your hands until every slice is lightly coated.
Heat the air fryer to 300°F. Lay about half the slices in the basket in a single layer. A little overlap is fine because they shrink quickly.
Air fry for 16–20 minutes. Every 5 minutes, shake the basket or flip the slices, pulling apart any that have stuck together. They're ready when the edges curl, the centers look dry and matte with no wet spots, and the chips feel leathery to firm. Take out any thinner slices that finish early.
Move the chips to a wire rack in a single layer. Cook the second batch the same way.
Let the chips cool for at least 5 minutes, until they're crisp. If any are still bendy once cool, put them back in the air fryer at 300°F for 2–3 minutes.
Storage: Cool completely, then store airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week. If they soften from humidity, re-crisp at 300°F in the air fryer for 2–3 minutes.
Questions
- How much protein is in crispy chai-spiced air fryer apple chips?
- Each of the 3 servings has 0 g of protein, 4 g of fiber and 82 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is crispy chai-spiced air fryer apple chips vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does crispy chai-spiced air fryer apple chips take to make?
- 10 minutes of prep and 36 minutes of cooking, so 46 minutes of hands-on time, plus 5 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make crispy chai-spiced air fryer apple chips ahead?
- Cool completely, then store airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week. If they soften from humidity, re-crisp at 300°F in the air fryer for 2–3 minutes.
- What can I substitute in crispy chai-spiced air fryer apple chips?
- Maple syrup instead of coconut sugar (1 tsp, mixed into the lemon juice) — gives a deeper caramel note, but the chips will be a little stickier and may need 2–3 extra minutes.. Leave out the coconut sugar entirely — makes tarter, fruit-forward chips that dry slightly faster and are less likely to brown at the edges.. Granny Smith apples instead of a sweet variety — makes tangier chips that pair well with the warm spices. add an extra pinch of sugar if you like them sweeter.. A pinch of black pepper or nutmeg in the spice mix — adds a gentle, masala chai–style warmth and bite..
- Does crispy chai-spiced air fryer apple chips contain gluten or nuts?
- None of the ingredients are a source of gluten, tree nuts or peanuts. That is a statement about the ingredient list, not a guarantee about the brands you buy — always read the labels if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published September 26, 2026 ·American