Just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes to make the most delicious healthy-ish summer dessert: Air Fryer Peaches. These warm, juicy, sweet peaches topped with a buttery sugary cinnamon topping and cooked in the air fryer are the absolute best! Especially if serve them with a generous dollop of whipped cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Read below for all the tips for how to pick out peaches that you can easily split in half and remove the pit!
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Air fryer peaches with cinnamon topping
There is nothing better than a warm, juicy, grilled peach topped with a little bit of whipped cream. But not everyone has access to a grill year-round. So Air Fryer Peaches it is!
With this recipe, you get the same delicious, caramelized, warm juicy peach that you would get from grilled peaches... without having to set foot outside your kitchen.
These peaches have an easy topping—brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter—that caramelizes and adds so much flavor as the peaches cook.
Because of the sugar topping, this is a great recipe to keep in mind if you end up buying a bag of sub-par peaches that are just not sweet enough to eat. Air frying them will bring out their natural sweetness, and the buttery sugar topping will add flavor to a bland peach.
Add some whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream... and you've got an amazing summer dessert!
If this peach recipe sounds good to you, make sure to also check out these air fryer baked apples.
More recipes using fresh peaches: Breakfast Grits with Caramelized Peach Compote
Ingredients
- 4 peaches, halved and pitted (look for a variety of Freestone peaches, which means that the peach will easily separate from the pit... keep reading below for tips for picking out a Freestone peach)
- ¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup brown sugar (light or dark brown sugar, use whatever you have)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (you can skip or reduce this if you're not a cinnamon fan)
More peach recipes: Roasted Peach and Tomatillo Salsa
What kind of peach to use for air fryer peaches
You know how some peaches can be cut in half easily, and some have the flesh stuck to the pit and are impossible to split in two? That's because there are several types of peaches out there, two of them being called "Freestone" and "Clingstone." Freestone peaches have an easy-to-remove "stone" (aka pit), while clingstone peaches have the pit attached to the flesh.
Get these freestone peaches
For this recipe, and for any recipes where you need to cut the peach in half cleanly and remove the put, look for "Freestone" varieties of peaches. Some of the common varieties of Freestone peaches are:
- Early Amber
- Snow Beauty (a delicious white peach with sweet flesh)
- Polly (another freestone white peach)
- Elberta
- Gala
- Glohaven
- Golden Jubilee
- Loring
Make sure to ask at the farmer's market or in the grocery store what kind of peaches are being sold so you don't have to struggle trying to remove the pit from the peach.
Avoid clingstone peaches
Avoid these common clingstone peaches because it will be super hard to remove the pit from the flesh and you'll end up with a mangled peach:
- Flordaking
- Garnet Beauty
- Halford
- June Gold
- Ruby Prince
I also recommend avoiding donut peaches for air frying, simply because they will not lay flat on the side when cut in half. Read more about types of peaches here.
What to do if you can't figure out what kind of peach you have
If you can't find out the peach variety while out shopping, I recommend getting 1-2 to bring home and try slicing in half and removing the pit. If it works well, RUN DON'T WALK back to the store and get some more peaches for air frying. If not, you can try again another time.
Another option is to get several extra peaches and do your best to remove the pit if they end up being clingstone peaches. You might mangle half of them, but you can use those mangled peaches to make this peach bread, add them to a peach smoothie, or just snack on them, standing over the cutting board to catch the delicious peach juices. 🙂
More peach recipes to try: Easy Peach Tarts
Equipment
The only special equipment you need for this recipe is an air fryer! I have the Instant Pot Vortex air fryer. You can line your air fryer basket or tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil to help with cleanup.
More easy peach recipes to try: Vanilla Bourbon Peach Fizz Drink
Instructions
In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until you have a well-combined paste.
Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Check the inside of the peaches to make sure there are no sharp pieces of the pit remaining.
Place the peaches into the air fryer basket or tray with the cut side up. Top each peach with the butter mixture.
Cook the peaches in the air fryer for about 7 to 12 minutes until caramelized on top. Check on the peaches after about 6-7 minutes, the cook time will vary depending on your air fryer and how caramelized you want the peaches.
Let cool for a few minutes, then serve topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
More recipes using fresh peaches: Swai with Tomatillo Peach Relish
Air frying tips
→ Always check on the food halfway through and about ¾ of the way through cooking to check on the progress of the food, ESPECIALLY if you're cooking something with sugars that can caramelize and burn. All air fryers cook slightly differently.
→ If you prefer softer, well-cooked peaches, you can air fry a peach for 3-4 minutes, then carefully top it with the butter mixture and continue air frying. This will give the peach time to cook before adding the topping which will start to burn if left in the air fryer for too long.
More fruit desserts: Crinkle Cut Watermelon Fries with Yogurt Dip
What to serve with air fryer peaches
- Whipped cream
- Vanilla bean ice cream (or try this apricot vanilla ice cream!)
- Drizzle of bourbon caramel sauce (or regular caramel sauce)
- Sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- Crushed nuts or candied nuts, such as pecans or walnuts
More fruit desserts to try: Grape Salad with Cream Cheese Dressing
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Air Fryer Peaches
Ingredients
- 4 peaches - halved and pitted (look for a variety of Freestone peaches, see notes)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup brown sugar - (light or dark brown sugar, use whatever you have)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon - (you can skip or reduce this if you're not a cinnamon fan)
Special equipment
Instructions
- Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Check the inside of the peaches to make sure there are no sharp pieces of the pit remaining.
- In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until you have a well-combined paste.
- Place the peaches into the air fryer basket or tray with the cut side up. Top each peach half with the butter mixture.
- Cook the peaches in the air fryer for about 7 to 12 minutes until caramelized on top. Check on the peaches around 6-7 minutes, the cook time will vary depending on your air fryer and how caramelized you want the peaches.
- Let cool for a few minutes, then serve topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
- Always check on the food halfway through and about ¾ of the way through cooking to check on the progress of the food, ESPECIALLY if you're cooking something with sugars that can caramelize and burn. All air fryers cook slightly differently.
- If you prefer softer, well-cooked peaches, you can air fry a peach for 3-4 minutes, then carefully top it with the butter mixture and continue air frying. This will give the peach time to cook before adding the topping which will start to burn if left in the air fryer for too long.
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.