Healthy Air Fryer Apple Cake (No Flour, No Added Sugar)

This air fryer apple cake is soft, moist and topped with a ring of golden apples, made with just two apples and one cup of oats. There’s no flour, no eggs, no added sugar, and you don’t need an oven.

The catch with most air fryer cakes is that they dry out. The fan blows hot air straight onto the top, so the top browns long before the center is cooked. This recipe fixes that with one simple step, and I’ll show you exactly when to do it.

Quick Recipe Overview

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: about 25–30 minutes
• Rest time: 10 minutes
• Total time: about 50–55 minutes
• Servings: 6 slices
• Yield: one 6-inch cake
• Calories: about 210 per slice
• Protein: about 7.5g per slice
• Diet: no flour, no eggs, no added sugar, vegetarian; gluten-free with certified gluten-free oats

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No oven needed. It’s made start to finish in your air fryer, with oven and stovetop options below.
• No flour. Rolled oats are blended into flour right at home.
• No added sugar. Sweetness comes from the apples and monk fruit.
• No eggs. Greek yogurt holds it together and adds protein.
• Stays soft. A grated apple and the foil step keep it moist.
• Looks impressive. The upside-down flip gives you a bakery-style apple top.

Ingredients

For the apple topping

• 1 medium apple, thinly sliced: slice about as thick as a coin. Thin slices soften and caramelize; thick ones stay firm. Honeycrisp, Gala and Fuji all hold their shape well.
• 1 tsp lemon juice: keeps the slices from browning while you mix.

For the batter

• 1 cup (90g) rolled oats: blended into a fine flour. Use certified gluten-free oats if you need the cake gluten-free. Quick oats work too.
• ⅓ cup (35g) almond flour: keeps the crumb tender. Use blanched, finely ground almond flour, not almond meal.
• 2 tbsp (20g) hemp hearts: add protein and a mild nutty taste you won’t notice. Find them in the health food aisle.
• ¾ cup (180g) plain Greek yogurt, room temperature: the main protein source; it also replaces the eggs. Use plain and unsweetened; flavored yogurt adds sugar.
• 2 tbsp (30ml) milk, room temperature: any milk works.
• 2 tbsp (28ml) neutral oil: such as avocado or canola oil.
• ¼ cup (50g) monk fruit sweetener: use a 1:1 sugar-replacement blend.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 medium apple, grated: grate it with the juice; don’t squeeze it out.
• 1 tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt

Equipment

• Air fryer (basket or oven style)
• 6-inch round cake pan, at least 2 inches deep, that fits in your basket with space around it
• Blender or food processor
• Box grater
• Parchment paper and foil

How to Make Air Fryer Apple Cake

1. Make the oat flour. Blend the oats until fine and powdery, 30–60 seconds. Rub a pinch between your fingers; if it feels coarse, blend a few seconds more. Coarse flour gives a gritty cake.
2. Prep the apples. Thinly slice one apple and toss the slices with the lemon juice.
3. Prepare the pan. Grease the pan, line the bottom with a parchment circle, and arrange the apple slices in an overlapping circle. This side becomes the top of the cake.
4. Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the Greek yogurt, milk, oil, monk fruit and vanilla until the sweetener dissolves and you can’t feel any grains.
5. Add the grated apple. Grate the second apple straight into the bowl, juice and all, and stir.
6. Add the dry ingredients. Add the oat flour, almond flour, hemp hearts, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold just until no dry flour shows, then stop. The batter will be thick.
7. Fill the pan. Spoon the batter over the apples and gently smooth the top.
8. Preheat. Preheat your air fryer to 320°F (160°C) for 5 minutes.
9. Air fry covered. Cover the pan with foil and air fry for 15 minutes. The foil protects the top while the center cooks.
10. Air fry uncovered. Remove the foil. The top will still look pale, which is expected. Air fry another 10–15 minutes, until golden and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
11. Rest. Leave the cake in the basket for 10 minutes. A hot cake is fragile and can break when flipped.
12. Flip. Run a knife around the edge, place a plate on top, and flip. Lift the pan off to reveal the apples.

No air fryer? Bake at 350°F (175°C) in a conventional oven for minutes, without foil, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Tips for the Best Air Fryer Apple Cake

• Use room-temperature yogurt and milk. Cold dairy can make the oil clump, so the batter mixes unevenly.
• Don’t skip the parchment. The apples will stick to the pan without it.
• Leave space around the pan. Air needs to circulate, or the sides undercook.
• Air fryers vary. Start checking a few minutes early, especially in smaller, hotter models.
• Taste the batter for sweetness before baking (it has no raw eggs). Apples vary in sweetness.

Common Mistakes

• Dry top, raw center → hot air hits the top first → keep the foil on for the first half.
• Dense, heavy cake → overmixing after the dry ingredients go in → fold only until no flour shows.
• Gritty texture → oats not blended fine enough → blend until powdery.
• Cake breaks when flipped → flipped too soon → rest it 10 minutes first.
• Apples stuck to the pan → no parchment → always line the bottom.
• Gummy center → judged done by color → always do the toothpick test in the center.

Substitutions

• Almond flour → extra oat flour, same amount. Slightly denser crumb. Works; nut-free.
• Hemp hearts → chopped walnuts, or leave out. Small protein drop. Works.
• Monk fruit → maple syrup or honey, same amount. Adds sugar, so it’s no longer “no added sugar.” Batter will be a little looser.
• Greek yogurt → dairy-free Greek-style yogurt. Lower protein; texture varies by brand. Not tested.
• Oil → melted butter. Richer flavor. Works.

Variations

• Pear cake: swap both apples for ripe but firm pears.
• Walnut crunch: sprinkle chopped walnuts over the apples before adding the batter.
• Lemon: add 1 tsp lemon zest to the batter.

Storage

• Refrigerator: cover, or store in an airtight container, for up to days. Warm a slice for 10–15 seconds before eating, since it firms up when cold.
• Freezer: wrap slices individually and freeze for up to months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. The apples on top may soften slightly.

Make Ahead

Bake the cake a day ahead and store it covered in the fridge. Slices also pack well for breakfast or a snack.

Serving Suggestions

• Top with a spoonful of Greek yogurt for extra protein
• Serve warm with a cup of coffee or tea
• Add a drizzle of nut butter

Nutrition Information (per slice, 1 of 6)

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	~210
Protein	~7.5g
Carbohydrates	~21g
Total fat	~11g
Saturated fat	~1.3g
Fiber	~3.7g
Sugar	~8g (from the apples, yogurt and milk)
Added sugar	0g
Sodium	~240mg

Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary depending on the brands and ingredients used.
Assumptions: 2% plain Greek yogurt, whole milk, canola oil, an erythritol-based monk fruit blend (sugar alcohols not counted), two medium apples.

What’s inside: Protein comes from the Greek yogurt, oats, almond flour and hemp hearts, about 46g for the whole cake. Fiber comes mainly from the oats and apples. The only sugar is what’s naturally in the apples and dairy. Cut 4 slices instead of 6 for about 11g of protein each.

FAQ

Can I make this apple cake without an air fryer?
Yes. Bake it in a conventional oven at 350°F (175°C) for minutes. You don’t need the foil step, because an oven heats more gently from all sides.

Why did my air fryer cake dry out?
The fan blows heat straight onto the top, so it browns before the center is cooked. Covering the pan with foil for the first half prevents this.

Is this apple cake gluten-free?
Oats are naturally gluten-free but often processed with wheat. Use certified gluten-free oats to keep the cake gluten-free.

Does this cake have eggs?
No. Greek yogurt binds the batter instead.

Is it sugar-free?
It has no added sugar. Apples contain natural sugar, so it isn’t sugar-free.

How much protein is in each slice?
About 7.5g if you cut 6 slices, or about 11g if you cut 4.

What size pan should I use?
A 6-inch round pan, at least 2 inches deep, with space around it in your basket.

Can I use quick oats?
Yes, blended into flour the same way.

Can I use applesauce instead of grated apple?
Not tested. Grated apple adds moisture and texture; applesauce may make the cake denser.

Which apples are best?
Firm, sweet apples that hold their shape, such as Honeycrisp, Gala or Fuji.

Watch How to Make It {#video}

Prefer to watch the process? Here’s my step-by-step video, including the foil step and the flip.

Final Thoughts

This healthy air fryer apple cake proves you don’t need flour, eggs or an oven for a soft, beautiful apple cake: just two apples, a cup of oats and one simple foil trick. Bake it this week, and tell me in the comments how your flip turned out.