Desserts · Air fryer adaptation

Air Fryer Individual Apple Crumbles (John Kirkwood)

Pink Lady apples spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, baked in individual golden crumbles that come out of the air fryer warm and ready for ice cream. John Kirkwood shows you how to make six of these simple stunners, perfect autumn comfort food that tastes far better than the effort requires.

R By Richard · Adapted from John Kirkwood · Published 10 June 2026
👁 31.6k source views ❤️ 3.3k source likes
⏱Prep 25 min
🌡Temp 150°C
⏲Air fry 28 min
🍽Serves 6
6 Apple Crumbles: So Good You'll Want Seconds!

Source video by John Kirkwood on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

John Kirkwood's individual apple crumbles are an economical and simple autumn dessert. Pink Lady apples are tossed with lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, then topped with a rubbed-in butter and flour crumble. Each ramekin is finished with a sprinkle of demerara sugar for crunch and baked until golden. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or custard. Note: the original recipe is oven-baked at 160°C, adapted here for the air fryer.

Air fryer notes: Source bakes in a conventional oven at 160°C / gas mark 3 for 40 minutes. Adapted to 150°C for 25 to 30 minutes in the air fryer (lower temperature because air fryer fan is more aggressive on exposed crumble topping, shorter time because heat circulates closer to the ramekins). Bake in batches depending on basket size; most domestic baskets fit 2 to 4 standard ramekins at a time.

Ingredients

Apple Filling
  • 6 wholeeating apples (Pink Lady, or Bramley for tart), peeled, cored and diced small
  • 1 wholelemon, juice of, large, juiced
  • 3 tspsoft brown sugar
  • 0.5 tspground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tspground nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
Crumble Topping
  • plain flour
  • cold butter, cubed
  • 30 graw rolled oats
  • 45 gwhite granulated sugar
  • 45 gdemerara sugar
  • 0.5 tspground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tspground nutmeg
To Finish
  • demerara sugar, for sprinkling (add late)
To Serve
  • vanilla ice cream or vanilla custard (add late)

Method

  1. Juice the lemon into a large bowl. Peel, core and dice the apples into small pieces, tossing them in the lemon juice as you go to stop them browning.

    ~10 min

  2. Add the soft brown sugar, half teaspoon of cinnamon and half teaspoon of nutmeg to the apples. Mix well so every piece is evenly coated. Taste and adjust the sugar if needed.

    ~2 min

  3. Cover the bowl and set aside for at least 15 minutes to let the flavours soak in.

    ~15 min

  4. For the crumble, tip the flour into a bowl. Add the rolled oats now if using. Add the cold cubed butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs (about 4 minutes by hand).

    ~5 min

  5. Add the white sugar, demerara sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to the crumble. Mix gently but thoroughly so the spice and sugar are evenly through the mix.

    ~2 min

  6. Preheat the air fryer to 150°C.

    ~3 min

  7. Stir the apple mixture to redistribute the juices, then spoon it into six ramekins, filling each just over halfway.

    ~3 min

  8. Spoon the crumble loosely over the apple, do not press it down. Stop about a quarter of an inch below the rim. Sprinkle a little extra demerara sugar over each top for crunch.

    ~3 min

  9. Place the ramekins in the air fryer basket with space around each one (bake in batches if your basket will not fit all six). Bake at 150°C for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops are deep golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges.

    ~28 min

  10. Rest on a wire rack for a few minutes (the ramekins will be very hot), then serve warm with vanilla ice cream or vanilla custard.

    ~5 min

Frequently asked

Can I make these crumbles ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble the ramekins, cover and keep in the fridge for up to two days. Bake straight from the fridge, adding 3 to 5 minutes to the cook time so the centre heats through.
Do I need to preheat the air fryer?
Yes, preheat to 150°C for 2 to 3 minutes. A preheated basket helps the crumble top set and start browning straight away rather than going soggy.
What apples work best?
John uses Pink Ladies for a sweeter, firmer filling. For a more traditional tart British crumble, use Bramleys. Any firm eating apple will work; avoid very floury cooking apples if you want some texture in the filling.
Why is the air fryer temperature lower than the oven recipe?
Air fryers circulate heat much more aggressively than a conventional oven, so a topping like crumble can brown long before the apple beneath has softened. Dropping the temperature from 160°C to 150°C lets the filling cook through without burning the top.
Can I make one large crumble instead of six small ones?
Yes, but you will need an air fryer safe dish that fits your basket with clearance for air flow. Cut the apple pieces a little larger, and expect the bake time to extend to around 35 to 40 minutes at 150°C. Check the centre is hot and bubbling before serving.
Extraction notes (transparency): Source is an oven recipe adapted for air fryer. Transcript does not state flour or butter quantities for the crumble (only that 90g sugar and optional 30g oats go in). Quantities for flour and butter inferred as null. Apple count not stated; only 'the apples' shown. Adaptation temperature and time are best-estimate for air fryer ramekin bakes and should be checked on first cook. | Second-pass critique flagged 9 fabricated and 2 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.