Air Fryer Apple Pie Crescent Rolls

These Air Fryer Apple Pie Crescent Rolls are easier than apple pie! All you need is one apple, cinnamon sugar, and a pack of crescent rolls to make this easy and delicious air fryer treat, perfect for breakfast, dessert or an appetizer!

Did you know you can put crescent rolls into your air fryer? YES. But don’t follow the package directions for these. I have a way better idea: Turn them into apple pie!!

I absolutely love all pies, apple pie included, but making the pie can be a bit time consuming, with the crust and the apple cutting and the baking. So here’s the shortcut of all shortcuts: use Butter flake crescent roll dough, cinnamon sugar, and one apple.

HOLY COW these taste like a delicious bite of gooey top and bottom crust with cinnamon apple slices in between. There’s not a single chance you’ll regret making these delicious little apple pie rolls 🤩

What are the ingredients in these Air Fryer Apple Pie Crescent Rolls?

This recipe is super simple and made with only 4 ingredients! The additional spices give a great flavor but they aren’t required for the delicious final result. Here’s what I used to make these Air Fryer Apple Pie Crescent Rolls:

• granulated white sugar – A combo of granulated sugar and cinnamon are spread all over the dough and once heated up in the air fryer, it becomes all sticky sweet and gooey! You could also use brown sugar if you don’t have any white sugar.
• ground cinnamon – This is the only required spice to mix in with the sugar to create that cinnamony ooey gooey goodness!
• ground nutmeg & ginger – While cinnamon is the only required spice, these two are strongly encouraged for that deeper apple pie taste. If you have ground nutmeg and ginger, definitely mix about 1/8 of a teaspoon each into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
• apple – You need just one apple to make these delicious apple pie rolls. In the photos, I used Granny Smith. Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, or any other kind you would normally use for pie or eating works great!
• Butter Flake style Pillsbury Crescent Rolls – Okay, here’s the thing: For the most realistic buttery crust gooey apple pie flavor, you want to locate the ‘Butter Flake’ version of the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. Regular Crescents will work, but definitely add a bit of melted butter to the tops of the rolls if that’s what you use!

How do you make these Air Fryer Apple Pie Crescent Rolls?

These Apple Pie rolls might look cute and fancy but they’re super easy to make! At least, easier than making a whole apple pie, in my opinion.

The first steps of the recipe include prepping all the ingredients and your workstation for efficient rolling. First, mix up the sugar with cinnamon and other spices if you’re using them, then set that aside.

For easier cleanup and so I don’t get sugar all over the counter, I like to place a large piece of parchment paper on the workspace and keep all the dough and rolling contained. You might be able to tell in my photos!

Next, cut up the apple into 8 equal slices. I love using the OXO Apple Slicer (affiliate link!) for this, since it cores the apple and gives me 8 perfect slices all in one swoop.

Then, I like to cut each piece into 3 smaller pieces. Using three smaller pieces of apple instead of one big one helps you spread the apple out further on the dough and helps the apple cook through and soften faster.

Next, it’s time to start assembling the apple pie rolls. Bust open the can and roll the dough out flat on the parchment paper. Use a knife to cut along the perforated marks, making 8 large triangles of dough.

Take the triangles of dough and arrange them so they are pointing away from you and the thickest part of the dough triangle is closest to you. This makes rolling them up much easier!

Once all the dough is laid out, use a spoon to spread cinnamon sugar onto each dough triangle. Use the spoon to spread it out all the way to the edges of the dough. Cover all 8 dough triangles with cinnamon sugar, adding about 1 heaping teaspoon to each.

Next, add 3 slices of apple to each triangle, placing them in an overlapping row on the thickest part of the dough. It’s okay if the apples go over the edge a bit.

To roll, pull the two corners closest to you over the top of the apple slices, then roll it up towards the skinny end of the triangle, wrapping up the apple as you go. Do this with all 8 apple pie rolls. If you have extra cinnamon sugar mixture, you can sprinkle it on top of the rolls before or after air fryer.

Line the air fryer basket with air fryer safe parchment paper. They make special air fryer shaped parchment paper pieces with small holes, but you can also cut a piece from a roll that fits into the bottom of your air fryer basket.

I prefer to cook 4 rolls at a time for even cooking and best air flow, but if you have a larger air fryer, feel free to fit all 8 in at once. Air fry at 320F for 8-9 minutes. The apple pie rolls are done with the outsides are golden brown and oozing gooey cinnamon sugar. I’ve found that flipping these apple pie rolls doesn’t really help anything and actually makes them look soggy and unattractive, so I don’t bother.

Using tongs, remove the apple pie rolls from the air fryer basket and place onto a cutting board or plate. For best results, flip the apple pie rolls on their sides and let them cool for 10 minutes. I know this sounds weird, but it really helps! This keeps the bottoms from getting soggy or sticking to your surface.

Best tips for making Air Fryer Apple Pie Crescent Rolls:

After testing these several times, I’ve got some tips to help you make the best Air Fryer Apple Pie Crescent Rolls!

• Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper, instead of spraying with oil. This definitely helps with cleanup, but it also helps keep some of that sticky gooey goodness on the apple pie roll instead of letting it drip through the basket holes.
• Sounds weird but when cooling, flip the apple pie crescent rolls on their sides, instead of sitting on their bottoms the way they cooked. This helps keep the bottoms from getting soggy or sticking to the cooling surface! Once the gooey sugar cools a bit, it’s a little less sticky.
• Cook only 4 apple pie rolls at a time for even cooking. If you cook all 8 at once, it will reduce air flow and there’s a chance the rolls will touch once they cook a bit and puff up.
• Definitely look for the Butter Flake variety of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. While the regular ones will still taste good, you won’t quite get the full apple pie experience. If using regular Crescents, brush with melted butter before air frying.

Can I use a different kind of apple instead of Granny Smith?

Yes, feel free to use any apples you have on hand. Granny Smith has a delicious tart flavor that contrasts well with the sweetness, but any apple will taste good in this recipe, especially ones commonly used in pie.

What should you serve with these Air Fryer Apple Pie Crescent Rolls?

These Air Fryer Apple Pie Crescent Rolls are delicious on their own, but topping them off with some whipped cream is also good plan. Vanilla ice cream would also be a perfect serving option!

What kind of air fryer do you use?

The air fryer I have currently, and the one that is pictured in this post is the Cosori XL 5.8 qt Air Fryer (affiliate link!).

If you’re going to invest in an air fryer to cook things for two or more people, you should opt for a larger size like this one, in my opinion!

I previously had a slightly smaller Philips Air Fryer with a metal grate basket which I liked, but I prefer the larger Cosori model with the nonstick coated basket instead.

Can I make these in the oven instead?

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake these apple pie rolls in the oven. Bake at 350F on a half sheet pan (affiliate link!) lined with parchment paper for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Is this recipe freezer friendly?

No, I would not recommend freezing these Apple Pie Crescent Rolls. They would definitely lose their crisp and texture after freezing and thawing. One batch makes 8 rolls and they do store well in the fridge for up to 5 days!

How to store Air Fryer Apple Pie Crescent Rolls:

Store leftover apple pie rolls in an airtight container with lid or sealing silicone bag (like a Stasher bag!) in the fridge for up to 5 days.

How to reheat Air Fryer Apple Pie Crescent Rolls:

I very much enjoy these rolls directly from the fridge – they taste like cold apple pie! If you do want to reheat, place in the air fryer basket lined with parchment paper and reheat at 320 for about 5 minutes.