Quick Apple Strudel in the Air Fryer
A clever idea to get a delicious apple strudel in a short time: buy ready-made shortcrust pastry, roll it out and top it with apples seasoned with melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and rum, roll up, brush with more melted butter and bake in the air fryer.
The apple strudel in the air fryer is the perfect dessert to obtain—in just a few minutes—a healthy comfort food, ideal for homemade breakfast or afternoon snack.
Instead of shortcrust pastry, you can also use puff pastry.
The advantages of cooking in an air fryer are numerous: you don’t need to preheat the oven, cooking is generally faster, cheaper and healthier (you need very little fat), you don’t dirty many pans and dishes, and there is less smoke and odors.
I should point out that temperatures and cooking times are rough guidelines, because much depends on your specific air fryer. In any case, the recipes on my blog are all tested by me beforehand, so they are well tried and true. For safety, I recommend you check the cooking from time to time to best adapt time and temperature to your fryer.
If you’re looking for air fryer recipes (sweet or savory), click on my special: “Air Fryer Recipes“.
You may also be interested in:
- Apple tart in the air fryer. Easy recipe, gluten-free, egg-free and lactose-free
- Very soft apple bundt cake! Family recipe
- Failproof apple strudel. Ortisei recipe
- Apple millefeuille with caramel. Easy and irresistible recipe. Gluten-free, egg-free and lactose-free
- Very soft Swedish apple braid with lemon glaze, step by step
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Cooking time: 35 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Air fryer, Bain-marie (double boiler)
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Winter, Spring
Ingredients for the Quick Apple Strudel in the Air Fryer
- 500 g Golden apples (about 2 apples; after coring and peeling about 200 g (≈7 oz))
- 230 g shortcrust pastry (pâte brisée) (I used Buitoni)
- 100 g granulated sugar (or 40 g granulated + 60 g muscovado (40 g ≈ 1.4 oz ≈ 3 tbsp; 60 g ≈ 2.1 oz ≈ 4–5 tbsp))
- 50 g butter (melted + 15 g for brushing the surface (50 g ≈ 3 1/2 tbsp; 15 g ≈ 1 tbsp))
- 10 ml rum (10 ml ≈ 2 tsp)
- 3 g cinnamon (≈ 1 tsp)
- 5 ml vanilla extract (≈ 1 tsp)
- 1 spritz lemon (a quick spritz to prevent browning)
- 1 pinch fine salt
- to taste vanilla powdered sugar (optional)
Tools for the Quick Apple Strudel in the Air Fryer
- Bowls various sizes
- Small saucepan for bain-marie (double boiler) – diameter 14 cm, total height 19 cm
- Apple corer with serrated sharp blade
- Mandoline adjustable, for slices of various thicknesses
- Cutting board with two built-in side trays for scraps
- Air fryer Cosori, spacious (5.7 L) for even cooking
- Rack mat reusable, scratch-resistant
- Air fryer parchment trays no-holes, very thin
Steps for the Quick Apple Strudel in the Air Fryer
Wash the apples, remove the peel and core, and slice them thinly (you should obtain about 200 g of peeled/cored apple slices).
Melt 50 g of butter in a bain-marie (double boiler).
Take a bowl and season the apples with a spritz of lemon (to prevent browning), 50 g of melted butter, 100 g granulated sugar (or all muscovado, or 40 g granulated + 60 g muscovado), the cinnamon, the rum, the vanilla extract and the salt.
Take the shortcrust pastry and roll it thin with a rolling pin on baking paper. Prick the surface with the tines of a fork (to prevent it from puffing up during baking), then pour the seasoned apples with their juices onto it (this will help caramelize the surface during cooking).
Then roll the shortcrust pastry up on itself from the bottom to the top, using the baking paper to help, seal the side ends and close tightly.
At this point, still using the baking paper, transfer the strudel onto an air fryer parchment tray (see purchase tips below) with the seam side down.
Finally, brush the entire surface of the apple strudel well with the remaining 15 g of melted butter and a little granulated sugar.
Preheat the air fryer to 392°F for 8 minutes.
Set the air fryer temperature to 374°F and bake for 35 minutes.
As the strudel bakes, open the fryer from time to time and use a spoon to collect the liquid that comes out of the pastry and brush the surface with it; at the end of cooking a delicious semi-caramelized crust will form (optional).
Once the strudel is cooked, let it cool for at least 30 minutes so the dessert can firm up and be sliced more easily.
Dust the strudel with vanilla powdered sugar (optional) and serve sliced.
Shopping Tips!!!
I remove apple cores in minutes with this handy apple corer with a very sharp serrated blade.
To get identical apple slices, I find this adjustable mandoline with various thickness settings and hand guard very convenient.
I personally get on very well with the Cosori air fryer, with a spacious 5.7 L basket and optimal hot air circulation that makes food crispy outside and tender inside.
A healthier way to cook, because it separates and captures excess fat (healthy, tasty dishes and up to 97% less fat). It halves cooking times compared to a conventional oven, with considerable savings in time and energy. The individual components are all easily removable and dishwasher safe. Highly recommended!
Very useful are these air fryer parchment trays, single-use, no holes so they don’t dirty the fryer, yet they allow hot air circulation because they are very thin.
Also very handy is this perforated perforated air-fryer parchment paper, non-stick and easy to clean; it can also be used in a regular oven.
Also, if you want to keep your air fryer clean and protected from scratches (e.g., from tongs), these reusable non-stick, heat-resistant grill mats are very useful.
You can purchase all the items I recommend above on Amazon at a great price—just click the corresponding links.
FAQ (Questions & Answers)
How do you store the apple strudel?
The baked apple strudel can be kept covered at room temperature for 1–2 days, then placed in the refrigerator (covered) for another 2 days. If refrigerated, before serving let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes or warm it in the oven. You can also freeze it (better if already portioned into slices): it keeps up to 5 months; thaw at room temperature and consume within 24 hours.
