Air Fryer Peaches

Mackinaw Peaches, Jerry. The Mackinaw Peaches.

This time every year, I am like Kramer from that one episode of Seinfeld—I LOVE peaches. I love eating them, and I love finding the perfect ones at farmers’ markets; it becomes my entire personality. Well, here we are again: PEACH SEASON! If you’re wondering what you can do with this sweet and tart stone fruit, this is the recipe for you. These air fryer peaches take them to a whole other level (if that’s even possible). Done in under 15 minutes, they are cooked until tender and soft, slathered in brown sugar butter, and begging for some vanilla ice cream and granola. If peaches aren’t your favorite fruit yet, they are sure to become it.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR AIR FRYER PEACHES

• Yellow Peaches – You can make this recipe with any type of peach, but yellow peaches will give you the best results. The tart flavor of yellow peaches intensifies when they are cooked, making this dessert truly exceptional.
  
  Your peaches NEED to be ripe for this recipe, but not mushy. Gently poke or squeeze the peach; if there is some give and the peach is slightly soft, then it is ready. When buying peaches, make sure to choose ones that are free from bruises. Bruises look like dimples or soft spots on the fruit.
• Butter
• Brown Sugar – Light or brown sugar both work.
• Ice Cream – It’s your choice, but I love using classic vanilla bean ice cream to pair with these sweet and tangy peaches. Choose something that won’t overpower the peach flavor.
• Granola – Surprisingly, one of the best parts of this dish is the granola. You don’t need much, but the crunch and sweetness of the granola, combined with the creamy ice cream and the soft, buttery brown sugar peaches, is… chef’s kiss.

TOOLS NEEDED

• Air Fryer – As the title suggests, you need an air fryer for this recipe. To make these soft peaches, you need to use a basket air fryer rather than an oven air fryer. I’m pretty convinced those oven air fryers aren’t true air fryers. As someone who has both, I have never been able to get the same results, which is why I don’t even attempt to make them in the oven anymore. For reference, I have the Ninja AF101, which can comfortably fit three peaches, or six halves.
  
  So, why air fry these peaches instead of baking or grilling? With other cooking methods, to achieve that super soft, luscious texture, you have to blanch them first. I don’t know about you, but I do not want to do that, especially if this is a last-minute idea.

HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER PEACHES

Prep the Peaches – Cut the peaches down the middle and twist to break them apart. If the peaches are super ripe, the pit should be easy to remove and might even fall out on its own. However, if the peaches are not super soft (yet still ripe), you may need to put in a little effort. I like to press in from the top with my thumb and pull the pit out.

Start the Air Fryer – Preheat your air fryer to 350°F. For this recipe, I like to line the basket grate with parchment paper (NOT WAX PAPER). The parchment paper ensures that the peaches don’t stick during the first phase of cooking and provides easy cleanup once we add the brown sugar butter. After the air fryer has been preheating for 2-3 minutes, place the parchment paper down, followed by the peaches face down. Close the air fryer and cook for 3 minutes.

Coat + Cook – While the peaches are cooking, melt the butter in the microwave, which should take around 10 seconds. Add the brown sugar and mix to combine. If you have issues combining it, pop it back in the microwave to heat it up once more.

Pause the air fryer and remove the basket. Carefully, using tongs, flip the peaches so they are face up. One by one, ladle the brown sugar butter on top of each peach, dividing it equally among them. Place the peaches back in the air fryer and cook for 5-6 more minutes, until soft and bubbly.

The 5-6 minutes is enough time to get those peaches melt-in-your-mouth soft, with a slight caramelization on the brown sugar. Many other recipes take this further and cook the peaches until the sugars caramelize and become a bit bitter. That is not what we are aiming for here.

SUBSTITUTES AND OTHER VARIATIONS

You now know the few ingredients needed for this recipe, and you know how to make it. Now it’s time to go over some possible substitutions or additions. The best part of this recipe is its simplicity, allowing for endless variations. Here are some ideas to switch things up:

CHANGE THE FRUIT

Any peach-like stone fruit works in this recipe. Swap yellow peaches for nectarines, plums, or even apricots.

ENHANCE THE BROWN SUGAR BUTTER

I kept the brown sugar butter simple because this should be an easy, under-15-minute dessert you can make on a whim. However, there are many additional ingredients you can add to the brown sugar butter. A sprinkle of cinnamon or cardamom would be great options. If you want to add a vanilla flavor, a splash of vanilla extract will enhance the taste of the fruit.

SWAP OUT THE ICE CREAM

While I love this dish with ice cream, there are other options. Make this a true peaches and cream dessert by topping these sweet air fryer peaches with homemade whipped cream. Or take it even further by making a sweet mascarpone cream.

KEEP THEM NAKED

Want to make this as healthy as possible? Ditch the ice cream altogether and just enjoy the peaches as they are.

STORING/REHEATING

These air fryer peaches are best enjoyed immediately, but you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. When ready to enjoy again, simply place them back in a 350°F air fryer for a few minutes until warmed throughout.

Are you surprises to see dessert on this site? Yeah me too. If you are looking for more options check out my Peanut Butter Nicecream Bars!