Crème brûlée, molten brownie, golden churros… Most people don’t realize that their air fryer can turn into a true oven for pastry! Here are 7 terribly indulgent desserts that will make you see this appliance in a completely new light.
For a few years now, the air fryer has proudly taken up residence on the countertops of almost every kitchen. We love it for its crispy fries with very little oil, its express nuggets, roasted vegetables in a quarter of an hour… But where many haven’t yet ventured, the curious have also adopted it to make desserts. And it is just as convenient as an oven!
Its convection heat circulates evenly all around the food, producing exactly the same effects as a fan-assisted oven. Much faster, with no long preheating, without turning your kitchen into a sauna and consuming far less energy. A reason to definitively embrace the air fryer for dessert as well! But which sweet preparations can really be made in the air fryer? We’re sharing our 7 favorite recipes and you’re going to be surprised.
1. The fudgy-centered brownie
We start with a classic: the brownie. Achieving a molten center and a slightly crackled crust on top is often a miracle in a traditional oven. Overcooked on one side, undercooked on the other. It’s hard to get right… In the air fryer, the even heat solves this problem. Make a quick batter based on melted chocolate, butter, eggs, flour and sugar, pour it into a small pan, and you’re done in about 15 minutes at 160°C. The result is crispy on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth gooey in the center. A fast dessert for chocolate cravings that won’t wait.
2. Crème brûlée (yes, really)
That one, nobody believed it until they tried it. Crème brûlée in the air fryer? But trust us, it’s stunning! The gentle, evenly distributed heat of the device yields a smooth, silky texture, without the edges that sometimes get overcooked in a water bath. We make vanilla custard, pour it into ramekins, and cook at a low temperature. The torch remains indispensable if you want a beautiful caramelized crust; the air fryer doesn’t solve everything! But the texture of the custard itself is perfect.
3. Cookies in 10 minutes flat
It’s 4 p.m., snack time is looming and you don’t want to wait 20 minutes for the oven to heat. That’s exactly the scenario for which air fryer cookies were invented. Mix the basic ingredients (flour, butter, eggs, brown sugar and add-ins of your choice), then shape small balls and flatten them quickly on parchment paper. Then, 8 to 10 minutes at 160°C are enough for cookies that are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside! Hard to beat in so little time.
4. Golden, crispy churros
Churros are one of those desserts you usually reserve for the fair. The smell of frying and handling hot oil can discourage many. In the air fryer, nearly all the oil is eliminated: you’ll still need a light brush of oil. You’ll obtain churros that are golden, crispy and wonderfully fluffy! First, you’ll make a slightly sweet choux pastry, pipe it into sticks, and brush them with oil quickly. When they come out of the air fryer, dust with a bit of sugar and cinnamon and dip them in melted chocolate. These quick churros will disappear in minutes.
5. Seasonal fruit crumble
The crumble is undoubtedly the most suitable dessert for the air fryer, yet the least adopted. In a few minutes, we make our flour-butter-sugar mix to obtain that lovely crumbly, golden crust while the fruits gently caramelize underneath. Apples and cinnamon in autumn, peaches and raspberries in summer, pears and ginger in winter… The crumble adapts to all seasons and cravings and bakes in 15 to 18 minutes at 180°C. It can be served warm or cold, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for example, it’s addictive.
6. Perfectly fluffy muffins
What often makes your muffins fail in a traditional oven is uneven heat: some spill over, others stay flat and the baking isn’t uniform enough. In the air fryer, the circulating heat envelops each little mold identically and the muffins rise consistently, turning golden on top and moist in the middle. Chocolate-hazelnut, blueberry-lemon or banana-nut versions, all variations work in under 15 minutes to please everyone.
7. Honey-spiced roasted apples
The simplest dessert on the list, and perhaps the most impressive, are these apples cut into wedges, drizzled with a drizzle of honey, scented with a pinch of cinnamon or vanilla, and sprinkled with sliced almonds, ready in just 12 minutes in the air fryer at 180°C. The apple pieces caramelize slightly at the edges while keeping a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. The aromas that waft from the appliance during cooking will fill the whole kitchen! It’s a healthy, quick and indulgent dessert, perfect for finishing a meal without fuss.
The real advantage of the air fryer: speed without compromising on taste
What makes this appliance so handy for desserts is that it dramatically reduces cooking time compared with a traditional oven, often by half, while delivering the same result! No preheating, no constant monitoring, and lower energy consumption will also make you want to take action.
The only thing to watch out for is that each air fryer model heats a little differently depending on the brand. So remember to check your cooking times two to three minutes before the indicated finish, especially if you’re making a recipe for the first time. Small silicone molds will be your allies because they adapt more easily to the dimensions of the basket and make unmolding easier.
So, are you ditching the oven in favor of the air fryer too? We approve!
