Apple Fries with Caramel Cream Dip

Here's a tasty treat out of your air-fryer. The apples get warm and just a little tender and soft on the inside, but can hold their own when you dip them. You can also try dipping into just caramel sauce if you want to keep it dairy free.

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Close up of apple fries with two apples behind it.

Air Fryer Apple Fries

How would you describe apple fries? I would say they are a cross between an apple pie and an apple fritter – soft and delicious on the inside with a crispy sweet coating on the outside. This recipe, however, will have you dreaming of apple cheesecake. You’ll know why when you taste it.

Ingredients on a counter - apples, cream cheese, caramel sauce, eggs, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and flour.

Simple Ingredients

You don’t need any fancy ingredients to make apple fries, but you do want to pick the right apple for the job. I like a sweet apple that will hold its shape and maintain some texture to it even when cooked, so I recommend Honeycrisp or Fuji apples for this task. You’ll also need Graham cracker crumbs, which you can make yourself by grinding up Graham crackers in your food processor or blender, OR you can just buy them already ground up (much easier!). Finally, for the dip, you just need your favorite caramel sauce and some cream cheese.

Breaded apple wedges on a air frying basket with tray underneath.

How to Coat Apple Fries

The key to great apple fries is coating them properly. To do that, you’ll follow the rules of dredging and breading which I explain in this cooking school article on the subject. The coating for the apple fries is made up of Graham cracker crumbs and sugar. That coating is glued to the apples with beaten egg, but the egg needs something to hold on to, so the apples are tossed in flour to start. Make sure you completely coat the apple wedge with flour so that the egg sticks to it, and that the flour also gets completely coated in egg. If there are any dry patches of flour, the crumb coating won’t stick. Take the time to do this step right and you’re ensured a perfect apple fry.

Apple fries cooking in an air fryer.

Air-Fried Apples

The air fryer is the perfect tool for this job because the fan really does help to get the apples completely brown and crispy on all sides in a short amount of time. You could try this recipe in the oven by baking the apples on a rack over a baking sheet at 400ºF for about 12 to 15 minutes, but the challenge is the apples could cook through too far before the exterior crisps up. In the air fryer, they are perfect. In the photo above, I’m using an air fryer oven which allows me to do more at one time, but whichever you use, don’t try to cheat by overcrowding the pan – it will only slow you down in the end. 

A hand dipping an apple fry into caramel cream dip.

Caramel Cream Dip for Apples

One of the most delicious parts of this recipe is the caramel cream dip that comes at the end. It’s super simple to put together – just beat room temperature cream cheese and caramel sauce together – but it satisfies and is a perfect dip for these fries. All together, the soft and tender sweet apples, the crisp and delicious Graham cracker coating and the smooth and creamy caramel dip are so reminiscent of something… that’s right, it’s the perfect apple cheesecake that you can eat with your hands.

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Apple Fries with Caramel Cream Dip

  • Prep Time: 25 m
  • Cook Time: 7 m
  • Total Time: 32 m
  • Servings:
    8

Ingredients

  • 3 Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges
  • ½ cup flour
  • 3 eggs beaten
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 8 ounces whipped cream cheese
  • ½ cup caramel sauce plus more for garnish

Instructions

  1. Toss the apple slices and flour together in a large bowl. Set up a dredging station by putting the beaten eggs in one shallow dish, and combining the crushed graham crackers and sugar in a second shallow dish. Dip each apple slice into the egg, and then into the graham cracker crumbs. Coat the slices on all sides and place the coated slices on a cookie sheet.
  2. Pre-heat the air fryer to 380ºF. Spray or brush the bottom of the air fryer basket with oil.
  3. Air-fry the apples in batches. Place one layer of apple slices in the air fryer basket and spray lightly with oil. Air-fry for 5 minutes. Turn the apples over and air fry for an additional 2 minutes.

  4. While apples are cooking make caramel cream dip. Combine the whipped cream cheese and caramel sauce, mixing well. Transfer the Caramel Cream Dip into a serving bowl and drizzle additional caramel sauce over the top.
  5. Serve the apple fries hot with the caramel cream dip on the side. Enjoy!
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Comments (10)Post a Reply

  1. Can this be made WITHOUT egg? My great granddaughter would love these, but she is allergic to eggs!

    1. Hi Joan. You can try omitting the eggs AND the flour. Brush a little honey on the apple slices and the honey will act as the glue for the crumb coating.
      ML

  2. Your recipes all look so delicious but I don’t have an air fryer. I am assuming they can be baked in the oven but at what temperature. Thanks in advance for your response.

  3. Are you using store bought Carmel sauce? Any chance you have a recipe for home made to reduce additives and ingredients that aren’t good for my lengthy allergy list..? Lol

    1. They don’t hold very well, I’m afraid because the apple inside makes the outside soggy over time. Best to eat them all up!

    1. Hi Crystal. You can do either. I find that peeling the apples gives you an apple fry that is easier to bite through once cooked.

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