Air fryers offer multiple health benefits, according to BBC Good Food and WebMD.
Try your hand at any of these delicious desserts made in the air fryer and then enjoy a (slightly) healthier sweet treat.
Easy air fryer dessert recipes
Apple crisp
Although they’re otherwise quite similar to an apple pie, apple crisps have a crumble topping. I personally find crumble toppings more delicious than crust, and they could be a healthier alternative (depending on the flour used).
Use this recipe from Nourished by Nic to make a quick and easy apple crisp. Feel free to add a scoop of ice cream on top!
Beignets
Want a beignet without the added oil? Fabulously Frugal shares this beignet recipe for air fryers that is rated 4.82 out of 5 stars.
One person commented that the beignets were “powdery pillows of heaven.”
Blueberry scones
These scones from Love and Other Spices can be made in under 30 minutes and are great to eat for dessert, breakfast or snacks.
You can try using other fruit instead of blueberries, like raspberries, blackberries or cherries.
Cake
Cakes of all kinds can be made in the air fryer! Here are some recipes:
- Chocolate cake from Also the Crumbs, Please.
- Sponge cake from Supergolden Bakes.
- Funfetti cake from Fork to Spoon.
- Red velvet cake from Fork to Spoon.
- Angel food cake from Bitz & Giggles.
Cheesecake
Looking for a romantic dessert for two? Try this ramekin cheesecake recipe from Chocolate Moosey.
While the cooling and refrigeration takes a long time, as it does with all cheesecakes, the prep and cook time is less than an hour.
Churros
For a regular recipe, check out Plated Cravings. Their delicious churros are rated 4.95 stars and have lots of raving reviews.
If you’re wanting to spice things up, try this air fryer gingerbread churro recipe from Eating Well. Adding molasses and ginger to churros gives them a classic gingerbread spice taste without changing the regular recipe too much or creating too much extra work. Try dipping these churros in a maple cream cheese, caramel sauce or chocolate spread.
Cinnamon rolls
If your oven is broken, or you just don’t want to use it one morning, The Country Cook has an air fryer cinnamon roll recipe to share with your family.
But if you’re on a bit of a time crunch, you can just use Pillsbury. Pillsbury has both cinnamon roll bites and regular cinnamon roll (with caramel, if wanted) air fryer recipes on their website.
Cookies
Cookies are a great option for air fryers because you can make as many or as little as you want, depending on the air fryer size.
For classic chocolate chip cookies, try Jane Patisserie’s recipe. For helpful tips on baking cookies, especially chocolate chip ones, in an air fryer, read this article from King Arthur Baking.
Doughnuts
After my gallbladder was removed for health complications years ago, I’ve struggled to eat some fried foods. Having an air fryer allows me to still eat foods that are typically fried more freely, including doughnuts.
Try these doughnuts from Preppy Kitchen. Feel free to frost them instead of using a glaze.
Lava cake
My husband loves lava cakes. However, since Google always emphasizes the ways I could fail when I search for recipes, I’ve been scared of trying to bake one.
Recently, I found an air fryer lava cake recipe from Love and Other Spices. They were incredibly easy to make and took less than 20 minutes.
Do air fryers offer health benefits?
Besides desserts, air fryers can be used to cook vegetables, meats, fries, frozen foods and even something like pizza, depending on the size of your fryer and its available settings.
The benefits of using an air fryer include:
- Research has shown people can cut the calories of a dish by 70% to 80% if they use an air fryer instead of a traditional frying method, per WebMD.
- Air fryers can help you reduce your intake of unhealthy fats, according to WebMD.
- Air fryers can preserve nutrients sometimes lost in the cooking process, according to BBC Good Food.
- This cooking method can reduce acrylamide exposure. Acrylamide, which is often found in fried foods, is an unsafe chemical that could cause cancer, per BBC Good Food.