Crispy Air Fryer Apple Pie Egg Rolls: A Quick & Healthy Dessert!
Transform your dessert routine with these delectable Apple Pie Air Fryer Egg Rolls! They offer a delightful blend of classic apple pie flavor with the irresistible crispiness of an egg roll, all prepared easily and quickly in your air fryer. This ingenious method significantly reduces calories by eliminating the need for traditional butter-laden pie crusts and deep-frying oil, making it a truly guilt-free indulgence. It’s a win-win: you get to savor the sweet taste of apple pie and a wonderfully flaky pastry without the added fats.
The best part is that you don’t sacrifice any of the beloved apple pie taste! The golden, crispy egg roll wrapper provides a fantastic texture that rivals any traditional butter and flour crust, offering a satisfying crunch with every bite. Furthermore, these air fryer apple pie egg rolls are perfectly portioned and easy to pick up, making them an ideal handheld dessert for parties, family gatherings, or a sweet treat on the go. Forget forks and plates; these are designed for convenient enjoyment!
(By the way, if you’re looking for savory options, I also have fantastic air fryer vegetable egg roll recipes that are just as easy and delicious!)
Why Air Fryer Apple Pie Egg Rolls are a Must-Try Dessert
Air fryer recipes have soared in popularity as more people embrace healthier eating habits without wanting to forgo their favorite foods. The air fryer allows you to enjoy traditionally fried dishes, like crispy chicken or french fries, with significantly less oil, making them a much healthier alternative. This clever cooking appliance leverages hot air convection to create a crispy exterior and tender interior, mimicking the results of deep frying but without the excessive fat.
Taking this culinary innovation a step further, these apple pie egg rolls bring the air fryer’s magic to the dessert table. Why not use this brilliant appliance to prepare a classic American dessert in a new, lighter format? It’s a fresh take on a timeless favorite, offering all the comforting flavors of apple pie encased in a uniquely crispy, golden wrapper.
Understanding Your Air Fryer: How it Delivers Crispy Perfection
Air frying is essentially a modern adaptation of an ancient cooking principle: hot air convection. An air fryer operates much like a powerful, compact convection oven. It rapidly circulates superheated air around your food, cooking it quickly and evenly, achieving a crispy, golden-brown finish that closely resembles traditional deep frying. The high-speed circulation of hot air helps to crisp up the exterior of the food while maintaining moisture inside.
The key advantage of air frying over traditional oil frying lies in its health benefits. Deep frying with superheated oil introduces various concerns related to triglycerides, cholesterol, and unwanted free radicals. Air, on the other hand, poses none of these issues. In this context, being “full of hot air” is undeniably a great thing, offering a healthier way to enjoy your favorite crispy textures.
Air fryers also provide exceptional temperature control, allowing you to easily achieve perfectly cooked interiors and beautifully browned, crisp exteriors without the common worries of overcooking or burning that can come with oil frying. The consistent and controlled heat ensures predictable and delicious results every time.
While an air fryer and a convection oven both use circulating hot air, their main difference is their design: one is shaped like a conventional oven, and the other resembles a typical hot oil fryer, often with a basket. The good news is that if you have either appliance, you’re in business! You can successfully prepare this delightful apple pie egg roll recipe in an air fryer or a convection oven, achieving similar fantastic results.
Dessert Egg Rolls: A Sweet Twist on a Savory Favorite
If you’ve ever explored Filipino cuisine, you might be familiar with a popular dessert called banana lumpia, or “turon.” This treat is essentially a dessert egg roll, featuring a ripe banana or plantain rolled in a thin egg roll wrapper, often with brown sugar, and then deep-fried until golden and caramelized. The concept of a dessert egg roll is not new, and it’s absolutely delicious!
Our apple pie egg roll takes inspiration from this idea, offering a delightful twist: imagine a lumpia generously filled with warm, spiced apple pie filling. But instead of submerging it in hot oil for deep frying, we simply “fry” it in the air fryer. This method delivers an incredibly crispy exterior with a fraction of the fat, making it a lighter yet equally satisfying treat.
The result is a wonderfully light and flaky crust encasing a burst of hot, sweet apple pie goodness! A typical egg roll wrapper is surprisingly thin, almost akin to delicate phyllo dough used in pastries like baklava. When air-fried, it becomes incredibly crisp and golden, providing a perfect contrast to the soft, warm filling.
Despite its delicate flakiness, the egg roll wrapper possesses enough strength and integrity to securely hold the luscious apple filling. This ensures that even as it crisps up beautifully, it remains a reliable vessel for the sweet, aromatic contents, making each bite a harmonious blend of textures and flavors.
Choosing Your Apple Pie Filling: Convenience vs. Customization
For ultimate ease and speed, the simplest approach to this recipe is to use a store-bought can of apple pie filling. These convenient fillings are readily available in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, alongside a variety of other fruit pie options. You might even find yourself inspired to experiment with cherry, peach, or blueberry pie fillings to create an array of dessert egg rolls!
However, if you prefer a homemade touch and want full control over ingredients and sweetness, making your own apple pie filling is a rewarding option. A classic apple pie filling typically consists of diced apples, sugar, a touch of butter, cornstarch (as a thickener), water, and warm spices, most commonly cinnamon. These ingredients are gently simmered together until the apples soften, the cornstarch thickens the mixture to a luscious consistency, and the sugar dissolves, creating a rich and flavorful filling.
Keeping a few cans of fruit pie filling in your pantry definitely streamlines the preparation process for these air fryer dessert egg rolls. But if you’re aiming to reduce sugar content even further than what’s found in store-bought options, crafting your own homemade filling is the perfect choice. You can adjust the spices, add a hint of vanilla, or even incorporate different types of apples for varied textures and flavors.
Serving and Storing Your Delicious Air Fryer Apple Pie Egg Rolls
These versatile apple pie egg rolls can be enjoyed warm straight from the air fryer or chilled. For a timeless dessert experience, serve them hot with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are a few ice cream ideas that pair beautifully:
- Homemade Chocolate Avocado Ice Cream: A surprisingly rich and creamy option.
- S’mores No-Churn Ice Cream: Adds a fun, campfire-inspired sweetness.
- Peppermint Ice Cream Bars: A refreshing contrast, especially during the holidays.
Beyond ice cream, consider a drizzle of warm caramel sauce, a dollop of whipped cream, a sprinkle of chopped nuts, or an extra dusting of cinnamon sugar for an elevated presentation. The possibilities are endless when it comes to customizing these delightful treats!
If you plan to store leftover apple pie egg rolls in the refrigerator, allow them to cool completely at room temperature first. Then, place them in a sealed airtight container, ideally with a layer of paper towel underneath them. The paper towel helps absorb any excess moisture, preventing the egg rolls from becoming soggy and preserving their crispy texture. Stored properly, they will remain delicious for 2-3 days.
To reheat, you have several options. A microwave can warm them up quickly, but for best results in terms of crispiness, use an oven or your air fryer. If using the air fryer, reheat at a lower temperature, around 225°F (107°C), for about 5-7 minutes, or until thoroughly warmed and re-crisped. In a conventional oven, preheat to 300°F (150°C) and bake for 8-10 minutes. However you choose to serve and enjoy them, we’re confident these air fryer apple pie egg rolls will become a new family favorite!
Ready to Create Your Own Deliciousness? Here’s the Recipe!
Apple Pie Air Fryer Egg Rolls
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Equipment
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Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 21 ounce can apple pie filling
- 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. apple pie spice
- 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 4-6 full size egg roll wrappers
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, combine the apple pie filling, lemon juice, apple pie spice, ground cinnamon, and all-purpose flour. Stir gently until all ingredients are well incorporated. This step enhances the flavor of store-bought filling and helps thicken it slightly.
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Lay an egg roll wrapper flat on a clean surface, positioning it in a diamond shape with one point facing you (like a triangle). Divide your apple pie mixture into even sections, corresponding to the number of wrappers you are using. Place one scoop of the apple pie mixture in the center of the wrapper, closer to the point facing you.
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Lightly moisten all four outside edges of the egg roll wrapper with a small amount of water. You only need about a quarter-inch border of moisture to ensure a good seal. This acts as an edible glue.
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Fold the bottom corner of the wrapper up and over the apple filling, tucking it in snugly. Then, fold in each side corner towards the center, overlapping them slightly. Press down firmly to seal these edges, ensuring the filling is completely enclosed.
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Continue rolling the egg roll upwards from the bottom until it is completely closed. Moisten any remaining open edges and press firmly to seal them shut. Repeat this process for all remaining egg rolls. Once all are rolled, lightly spray each side of the prepared egg rolls with cooking spray for an extra crispy and golden finish.
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Preheat your air fryer to 400ºF (200°C). Once preheated, carefully pull out the air fryer tray or basket and arrange the sprayed egg rolls in a single layer, ensuring they are not overcrowded. Cook in batches if necessary to allow proper air circulation.
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Air fry at 400ºF (200°C) for 8 minutes, flipping the egg rolls halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning and crispiness on all sides.
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Once golden brown and crispy, carefully remove the apple pie egg rolls from the air fryer. Immediately dust them with powdered sugar for a beautiful presentation and added sweetness. Serve them warm and enjoy your homemade, healthier dessert!
Notes
Nutrition