Air Fryer Recipe
Air Fryer Apple and Pear Crumble
An easy and delicious air fryer apple and pear crumble recipe with a crunchy oat topping, perfect for creating a classic British dessert.
Ingredients
- 3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 3 medium pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 100g plain flour
- 75g rolled oats
- 75g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
- 75g light brown sugar
- A pinch of salt
- Optional: A handful of chopped nuts or a sprinkle of nutmeg
Method
- Preheat your air fryer to 180°C (360°F).
- In a bowl, toss the sliced apples and pears with lemon juice and cinnamon until well coated.
- For the crumble topping, combine the flour, oats, and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Add in the diced butter.
- Rub the butter into the flour and oat mixture using your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the brown sugar and any additional flavourings like chopped nuts or nutmeg.
- Place the fruit mixture in the air fryer's baking dish or in any air fryer-safe container.
- Spread the crumble topping evenly over the fruit.
- Air fry the mixture for about 20-25 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling at the edges.
- Carefully remove the dish from the air fryer and let it cool for a few minutes before serving.
Why this works in an air fryer
The air fryer’s fast convection dries and browns the oat topping quickly while the covered fruit layer steams and collapses underneath. Chilled butter melts into the flour and oats in patches, giving crumbly, crisp clusters rather than a paste, and lemon slows browning while sharpening the pear’s sweetness.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 5–6 litre basket with a snug 18–20cm air-fryer-safe dish; in a single-drawer model place the dish centrally and check at 18 minutes, while dual-zone drawers are often narrower and less forceful, so use a smaller dish and expect 3–5 minutes longer or rotate the dish halfway if the top browns unevenly.
Common pitfalls
- Topping is dark brown but the fruit is still firm with no bubbling at the edges: the dish is too deep or the fruit slices are too thick, so cover loosely with foil and cook 5–8 minutes more, then uncover for the final 2 minutes.
- Crumble looks sandy and dry rather than clumped: the butter was too warm or over-rubbed into the flour, so chill the mixed topping for 10 minutes before cooking and use a light hand next time.
- Fruit juices are overflowing into the basket: the dish is overfilled or very ripe pears have released extra liquid, so stop at no more than three-quarters full and place a small air-fryer-safe liner or tray underneath the dish.
- Top is patchy, with pale oats in the centre and browned edges: airflow is hitting the rim more than the middle, so gently level the topping, avoid mounding it, and rotate the dish halfway through cooking.
Variations & substitutions
- Swap half the apples for Bramley apples for a sharper, softer filling; they collapse more quickly, so check the fruit at 18–20 minutes.
- Use firm conference pears rather than very ripe pears for a neater texture; they release less juice and may need the full 25 minutes to soften.
- Replace 25g of the flour with ground almonds for a richer, shorter crumble; it browns faster, so start checking the topping a few minutes earlier.
- Add chopped walnuts or pecans to the topping for extra crunch; nuts scorch easily in an air fryer, so keep them partly mixed into the crumble rather than sitting loose on top.
Storage & reheating
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in the air fryer at 160°C for 6–8 minutes, covering with foil if the topping is already well browned.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
