Dehydrated apples are a great snack to keep around all year round. Apple slices that have been dehydrated are not only sweet in flavor but also very filling. It is now easier than ever to dehydrate apples in air fryers.
An air fryer can help you do all the work when it comes to dehydrated fruit. You can prepare your apples in the morning and by the time you are back from work, you will have a tasty snack waiting for you at home.
In this article we will explore how to dehydrate apple slices using an air fryer and some great tips to make them extra sweet.
Table of Contents
- How Do You Dehydrate Fruit In An Air Fryer?
- How To Dehydrate Apples In Air Fryer
- Do You Have To Soak Apples Before Dehydrating?
- How Do You Tell When Apples Are Done Dehydrating?
- What Are The Best Apples To Dehydrate?
- FAQs
- Dehydrating Apple Slices In An Air Fryer Is Easy!
How Do You Dehydrate Fruit In An Air Fryer?
An air fryer commonly has a dehydrate setting that can be used to dehydrate many different types of fruit. The common types of fruit that can be dehydrated using an air fryer are peaches, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries and apples. Apples are the most commonly dehydrated fruit as they make a great snack.
The key to dehydrating your apples using an air fryer is to purchase a quality air fryer that has a dehydrator setting. It is also best to get an air fryer that has a lot of space, as dehydration takes a long time, and the capacity will allow you to make a lot of dehydrated apple slices at a time.
Another tip is that you can actually flavor your dehydrated apple slices to make them even tastier. The best way to flavor your dehydrated apple slices is to sprinkle either cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice on top of the apples slices before you put them in the air fryer
How To Dehydrate Apples In Air Fryer
Dehydrated apple slices are a healthy and filling snack that works for any time of the day and most importantly, the kids’ school lunch boxes!
How do you air dehydrate apples? We have below a super simple step by step method on how to dehydrate your apple slices with an air fryer. This method is easy to achieve at home and a great activity to do as a family.
You will need:
- your chosen air fryer (with dehydrate setting and small to medium basket)
- knife
- chopping board
- mixing bowl
- 3 small to medium apples of your choice
- 1 lemon
Here is a simple step by step method on how to best dehydrate your apple slices with an air fryer:
Step 1:
Soak your 3 small to medium apples in a bowl of tap water. Allow the apples to soak for up to 10 minutes to make sure they are clean.
Step 2:
You will need to core and peel your apple before you dehydrate them. If you would like the apple peel on then ignore this step and only core your apples. To core your apples, you will want to make sure to remove the center and all of the apple seeds.
Step 3:
Use your knife and chopping board to cut the apples into thin slices. When cutting your apples you will want to make sure that every slice is even with the others in thickness so that all the slices take the same amount to time to dehydrate in the air fryer. We would suggest that you slice your apples with 1 cm width apart from one another.
Step 4:
Prep a small bowl of cold water and squeeze the lemon into the water.
Step 5:
Once you have cut your apples into thin slices, make sure to place them into the lemon water bowl so that they will not brown. Leave the apple slices in the water for up to 5 minutes.
Step 6:
Before you place the slices of apple in the air fryer you will need to dry them. Once you are ready to place the slices of apple into the air fryer, pat each slice with a paper towel to soak up the excess water.
Step 7:
To place your apple slices into the air fryer, make sure that you place the slices flat in the basket. Make sure that the apples slices to not overlap or touch each other.
Step 8:
Set the air fryer to the dehydrate setting. Each air fryer will come with its own suggestion on how long it recommends that you take to dehydrate your fruit. The temperature of your air fryer will be 135 degrees Celsius. We would recommend that you air fry your apples for 7 to 8 hours to make sure that they have dehydrated properly.
Step 9:
Once the air fryer has finished, you can check to see if your apples are ready. If you apple slices are dry to touch then they are ready to remove from the air fryer.
Watch the video below for another method of using an air fryer to dry out apples:
Do You Have To Soak Apples Before Dehydrating?
It is advised that you soak your apple slices before you dehydrate them. The best method is to soak your sliced apples in water or water with lemon. Soaking your apples, especially in lemon, will stop the apple slices from browning. When your apples turn brown, this is a natural reaction that the apple is having with the oxygen it is exposed to. If your apple slices turn brown it does not mean that the taste of your apple slices will be affected. Even though the taste of your browned apple will not be affected, it is best to soak your apple slice in lemon water as it will look more aesthetically pleasing.
How Do You Tell When Apples Are Done Dehydrating?
You will be able to tell that your apple pieces have finished dehydrating by their texture. If your pieces have dehydrated fully they will start to feel rubbery in texture. The apples will no longer be wet and juicy, but will appear to be dry to touch. If your apple pieces are feel like this, this means they are perfectly dehydrated.
There is a simple way to test if your apple pieces are fully dehydrated:
- Step 1: Fold the apple slices/pieces in half
- Step 2: If the apple pieces do not stick together then they have dehydrated and dried properly. If the apple pieces do stick together then they will need to be dehydrated for a little longer.
What Are The Best Apples To Dehydrate?
The answer to this question is a difficult one to answer with a straight fact as everyone prefers different kinds of apples. Some people love their dehydrated apples to turn out sweet, whereas some people love their dehydrated apples to turn out slightly sour.
Many people believe that sweeter apples are the best when air fried. Apples such as Gala or Fuji apples are naturally very sweet. So they are still very sweet when they have been dehydrated.
Honeycrisp apples and Granny Smith apples are also very sweet apples and always taste divine when they have been dehydrated.
If you decide that you would like to dehydrate a naturally sharp apple type then when it is dehydrated, it will become more sour in taste.
FAQs
How Long Does It Take To Dehydrate Apples?
How long to dehydrate apples in air fryer?
Most air fryers will recommend their own time for the dehydrate setting. We would recommend that the minimum amount of time you leave to air fry your apple slices is 7 hours and the maximum amount of time you leave to air fry your apple slices is 12 hours.
Does An Air Fryer Have A Dehydrator?
Most common air fryers do have a dehydrator setting that works effectively to dehydrate all different kinds of fruit. Your air fryers should have space to place cut up fruit that is ready to air fry. If you do not have an air fryer and you are only interested in dehydrating apples and other fruits, you can buy a dehydrator alone. A dehydrator will have more space for extra fruit compared to an air fryer. An air fryer is a more versatile appliance and one hundred percent worth the investment.
Dehydrating Apple Slices In An Air Fryer Is Easy!
It may take a long time, but the process of dehydrating apple slices using an air fryer is super easy. It requires little prep work that can take you under 20 minutes. Once you have prepared your apple slices, you can place them in the air fryer and let the air fryer do all the hard work.
We would recommend purchasing an air fryer with lots of space so that you can dehydrate as many apple slices as you can.
There is not one particular apple that will turn out the best but it is recommended that you choose a sweet apple type to air fry. If you choose a sweet apple type to air fryer, it will turn out to be a very sweet dehydrated snack.
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