Air fryer desserts are all the rage and these Air Fryer Apple Pie Chimichangas are an easy way to enjoy apple pie without all the fuss.
Similar to apple flautas, apple enchiladas or apple pie tacos, these chimichangas are incredibly easy to make and require no actual “frying” in hot oil.
Air Fryer Apple Pie Chimichangas Recipe
Air fryer apple pie chimichangas are the ultimate fall-apple season dessert or just anytime you want something deliciously homemade without all the fuss.
While we all love traditional apple pie, sometimes we don’t love making the crust and letting it rest and cutting up the amount of apples we need to make our pies mile-high.
When it comes to not having to mess with pie crust, I often make my wildly popular upside down apple pie or these mini apple crumble pies. Both desserts are so easy to put together and require very little effort for a big payoff in taste.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Apple Pie Chimichangas
Pantry Ingredients
- Cornstarch – this will keep your apple mixture from being too thin
- Granulated sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- Kosher salt
- Brown sugar – you can use light or dark
- Caramel sauce – you can always make your own, but a good quality store-bought version will work fine
Fresh Ingredients
- Granny Smith Apples – medium to large size – enough for 3 cups, diced
- Lemon juice – fresh is best
- Flour tortillas – make sure they are fresh
- Vanilla ice cream – it’s optional, but so, so good!
How to Make Air Fryer Apple Pie Chimichangas
Step one: Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F.
Step two: Whisk together water and cornstarch in a small pan until no lumps remain. Over medium heat add 3/4 cups granulated sugar, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg vanilla, lemon juice and salt to the cornstarch mixture. Cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally; mixture will begin to thicken. Add apples and turn down the heat to low for 7-12 minutes or until the apples are soft. Remove from heat.
Step three: Place one tablespoon of caramel sauce on each warm tortilla and top with 1/2 cup of the apple mixture.
Step four: Tuck the ends and roll the tortilla to create a chimichanga. Secure with a toothpick if needed.
Step five: Spray air fryer basket with cooking spray and place two rolled chimichangas, seam side down, in the basket. Air fry for seven minutes.
Step six: Combine brown sugar and remaining granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.
Step seven: Remove cooked chimichangas from basket and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Top with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce if desired.
What Kind of Apples Should I Use?
Granny Smith apples are by far the best choice for this recipe. They hold up well when cooked and their tartness creates the perfect balance with sugary ingredients.
What Size Tortilla Should I Use?
You want an extra large size for this recipe.
I found the 10-inch tortillas to work perfectly. Anything smaller and you end up with quite a mess.
How Should I Store These?
The chimichangas are obviously best when eaten right out of the air fryer.
However, store them in an airtight container if you have any leftover and air fry them for a minutes before serving them again.
What Is the Difference Between a Chimichanga and a Flauta?
Chimichangas are basically deep-fried burritos. They are short in size and fatter than a flauta, which is also deep-fried, but tends to be longer.
The words are often used interchangeably in many situations.
Recipe Tips
- Each apple should make one cup of diced apples, since each chimichanga uses a 1/2 cup of diced apples.
- Use the right-size tortillas.
- Make sure you warm tortillas in the microwave before folding them so they do not tear.
- Spices should be fresh for the best flavor.
- Do not overcook them in the air fryer or burn the outsides.
- Make sure chimichanga is rolled tight and not overfilled so it does not leak in the air fryer.
Other Air Fryer Recipes You Might Enjoy
- Perfect Air Fryer Salmon
- Crispy Air Fryer Parmesan Chickpeas
- Air Fryer Caribbean Spiced Chicken
- Low Carb Air Fryer Pickles
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ARE AIR FRYERS WORTH BUYING?
Air Fryers are really kind of ugly and this one kind of reminds me of Darth Vader’s head/mask thing, but oh my gosh, it’s the best appliance ever. Yes they are worth it! There are lots of air fryers out there, but I do particularly love my air fryer. In fact, here are the best-rated large capacity air fryers available and mine is always among them. If you can grab this air fryer for under $150, you are getting a great deal. In fact, you can read the 5-star reviews on this air fryer here.
In the air fryer, everything comes out crispier, juicier and always perfectly cooked in an incredibly short amount of time. Tatar tots in the air fryer are the best. Chicken in the air fryer, breaded or not is so juicy, tender and delicious. Even ribeye steaks are awesome in the air fryer and I can’t even believe I was willing to try that. Anyway, you get it, it’s worth every penny.
There is no preheating time and the cleanup is very minimal. The air fryer locks in all the juices so you barely have any mess to cleanup. It even makes the perfect crostini toast. I would not recommend an air fryer smaller than a 5.3 quart, it would just be too limiting.
Air Fryer Apple Pie Chimichangas
Ingredients
- 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsps fresh lemon juice
- 6 (10") flour tortillas, warmed
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 6 tbsps caramel sauce, divided, more for garnish if desired
- cooking spray
- vanilla ice cream (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Whisk together water and cornstarch in a small pan until no lumps remain. Over medium heat add 3/4 cups granulated sugar, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg vanilla, lemon juice and salt to the cornstarch mixture. Cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally; mixture will begin to thicken. Add apples and turn down the heat to low for 7-12 minutes or until the apples are soft. Remove from heat.
- Place one tablespoon of caramel sauce on each warm tortilla and top with 1/2 cup of the apple mixture.
- Tuck the ends and roll the tortilla to create a chimichanga. Secure with a toothpick if needed.
- Spray air fryer basket with cooking spray and place two rolled chimichangas, seam side down, in the basket. Air fry for seven minutes.
- Combine brown sugar and remaining granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.
- Remove cooked chimichangas from basket and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Top with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce if desired.
Nutrition
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