Name: Cinnamon Apple Chips
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 120 min
Ingredients: 6 medium apples; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

These thin and crispy cinnamon apple chips are a great snack when you are craving something sweet and crunchy. Learn how to make homemade apple chips in an air-fryer or oven.

dried cinnamon apple chips in a bowl

Apple chips are made from thinly sliced apples, sprinkled with cinnamon, and slowly baked or air fried until crispy. Low heat removes moisture, caramelizes the natural sugars, and crisps up these thin apple slices. A light dusting of cinnamon gives these apple chips a warm flavor.

Homemade apple chips make a great snack as is right out of the jar, or crumbled on top oatmeal, yogurt, salads, and granola.

How to Make Apple Chips

You can use any type of apples to make apple chips, both sweet and tart. Fresh fall apples offer the best flavor when dried. Dehydrating concentrates the apple flavor. Feel free to add a bit of sugar to the cinnamon if your apples are tart.

A full printable recipe can be found at the bottom of the article, but here are the illustrated steps to making apple chips either baked in the oven or in an air fryer.

Step 1: Prepare the Apples

Preheat your oven or air fryer to 200˚F. Wash the apples well and dry with a clean kitchen towel.

The key to getting crispy apple chips is to slice the apples very thin… 1/8-inch thin. Use your sharpest knife, place the apple on its side, and carefully slice horizontally through the apples. A mandoline slicer is perfect for the job of cutting the apples into thin even slices. Don’t forget to use the slicing guard that comes with it.

If you are using an air fryer, only prepare one apple at a time to fit the air basket.

Step 2: Dust the Slices with Cinnamon

Once the apples are sliced, sprinkle each side with cinnamon. If you have one, use a tea or fine mesh strainer to sift the cinnamon evenly on the apples. If not, just sprinkle the cinnamon on and spread it out with your fingers. Be sure to coat both sides.

Step 3: Dry the Apples Low and Slow

The apples will cook gradually in low heat removing the moisture, concentrating the flavors, and crisping up the fruit to a crunchy chip.

Baked Apple Chips: Place the apple slices on parchment-lined baking sheets, pop into the preheated oven, and slow bake until crispy, about 2 hours. Flip the slices about half way through to cook evenly. Watch carefully, some apples have less moisture and cook faster than others.

Air Fryer Apple Chips: Working in batches, arrange the apple slices in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Some overlap is ok, but try to not to layer the apples too heavily. Air fry the apple slices until crispy, 20 to 45 minutes. Flip the slices part way through so they cook evenly. Air fried apple chips cook up quicker than baked, so keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

Step 4: Test for Crispness

Apples will continue to crisp up while cooling. To test for crispness, remove a couple apple chips from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Fold the cooled apple chip in half. It should snap when you bend them. If the apple chip is flexible and leathery, bake or air fry for 5 to 10 minutes more and test again.

Step 5: Let the Apple Chips Cool

Once your apple chips are done, turn off the heat and let them cool in the oven or air fryer for 15 minutes. The heat from the oven will evaporate any lingering moisture. Remove the apple chips from the oven and let them cool completely before storing in airtight containers.

Ways to Enjoy Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips

While eating right out of the jar is our preferred way of enjoying baked apple chips, here are some other ideas:

Use as a Topping: Crumble the apple chips and use to top oatmeal, fall salads, and yogurt.
Apple Cinnamon Tea: Make apple tea by steeping two apple chips in a mug with a cinnamon stick and a little honey.
Garnish Fall Dishes: Use apple chips to garnish fall soups and desserts.
Add to Granola: Toss chopped apple chips into granola for a cinnamon sweet bite.

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