Apple Pie Tacos
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Apple Pie Tacos are a fun twist on two classics. Crispy cinnamon sugar tortillas are fried until golden brown, shaped into little taco shells, and filled with warm homemade apple pie filling. Finished with whipped cream and a drizzle of dulce de leche, they are dessert tacos that are every bit as delicious as they are fun to eat. It is the perfect dessert for any season.
This delicious Apple Pie Taco recipe has been on my website since 2014. Back then, it was a pretty common practice for us food bloggers to do guest posts for our blog buddies. It was a way to share our friends’ recipe sites and for our readers to find new blogs to follow and recipes to enjoy. These little dessert tacos were a guest post from my dear friend, Candi, from The Devilish Dish, and have been enjoyed ever since. And not only have I made them with apples, but I have also made them with peaches, too! It was high time this recipe got an update, and today I am re-releasing it to my readers. You will find the old note from Candi by the printable recipe card.
Apple Pie Dessert Tacos
These little tacos are perfect for parties and gatherings because you can make the shells and filling ahead of time and assemble just before serving. They are a unique treat for Cinco de Mayo, a sweet ending to taco night, or a fun twist on a classic apple pie recipe during the holidays. They are portable, bite-sized, and guaranteed to be a hit.
Apple Taco Recipe
Since apple season is one of the best times of the year, this recipe is a great way to use your favorite apples in something new. It has all the comfort of apple desserts like pie or crisp, but in a handheld taco shell shape. Whether you make them with fresh fruit or take a shortcut with canned filling, they are sure to become a new favorite fall dessert.
If you love these apple pie tacos, be sure to check out these other portable pie favorites: Cherry Hand Pies and Heart-Shaped Spiced Peach Pocket Pies
Ingredients in Apple Pie Tacos
For complete ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the full printable recipe card.
To make the cinnamon and sugar mini taco shells:
- Flour tortillas: Cut into circles to form the base. Gluten-free tortillas also work if needed.
- Vegetable oil: Used for frying to achieve that golden brown crunch. Canola or avocado oil are a good alternative.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the shells. Coconut sugar can be used if preferred.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warm spice to the coating. Saigon or Vietnamese cinnamon will give you a bold flavor.
- Cookie cutter or Biscuit Cutter: Helps create even circles for a proper taco shell shape.
For the homemade apple pie filling
- Apples: Granny Smith are tart and firm and my first choice for apple pie, but Honeycrisp, Gala, or your favorite apples will work too.
- Lemon juice: Keeps the apples from browning and adds brightness.
- Melted butter: Creates a rich, flavorful base for the filling. Dairy-free butter can be used if necessary.
- Brown sugar: Sweetens and deepens flavor. Coconut sugar makes a great substitute.
- Cinnamon: Brings warmth and spice.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce. Arrowroot or tapioca starch can be swapped in for a gluten-free option.
- Water: Helps dissolve the cornstarch and form a glossy sauce.
Tip: This pie filling comes together quickly, but if you need a shortcut, bypass the homemade filling and use a can of apple pie filling for this recipe.
Optional Garnishes:
Garnishes are easy to switch up based on your taste.
- Whipped cream: Fresh whipped cream makes these tacos taste extra indulgent. Coconut cream can be used as a dairy-free alternative. These are also delicious served with cinnamon vanilla ice cream!
- Dulce de leche: Rich and luscious with apples. Use store-bought or make your own homemade Dulce de Leche. Caramel sauce works too if that is what you prefer.
- Heavy cream: Used to thin the dulce de leche for drizzling. Coconut cream is a good substitute.
How to Make Apple Pie Dessert Tacos
These come together quickly and easily. You will be eating them in no time!
Start by making the taco shells. Cut circles from the tortillas using a round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter. Heat oil in a skillet until a scrap of tortilla sizzles right away. You’ll want the oil about 350-365 degrees F. for frying.
While the oil heats, stir the cinnamon and sugar together in a shallow bowl and line a platter with paper towels. Fry one tortilla circle at a time until it is lightly golden brown but still pliable. Flip it, fold it in half with tongs, and hold it in that taco shell shape until crisp.
Transfer to paper towels, sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar inside and out, and let cool completely. Repeat with the rest.
For the homemade apple pie filling, toss diced apples with lemon juice so they stay fresh. In a saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the apples and cook until they begin to soften. Mix cornstarch with water until smooth, then stir it into the pan. Let it all cook together until the apples are tender and the sauce has thickened. Set aside until you are ready to assemble.
Make the garnishes next. Beat cream with a little powdered sugar and vanilla until thick and fluffy for fresh whipped cream. Warm the dulce de leche on the stove and stir in a splash of cream so it drizzles easily.
Now for the best part. Spoon a little apple filling into each cooled taco shell, add whipped cream, and finish with a drizzle of dulce de leche. Serve immediately while the shells are crisp. For an extra treat, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
Storing Your Apple Pie Tacos
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or in the fridge for up to 3 days. The shells will soften a bit, but they’re still tasty. For the best texture, keep the taco shells and homemade apple pie filling separate and assemble before serving.
You can also make the filling ahead and freeze it for up to 3 months. Just thaw, reheat, and spoon into fresh shells. To crisp things back up, pop assembled tacos in the oven or air fryer for a few minutes until golden brown.
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If you love this recipe for Apple Pie Tacos, make sure that you don’t lose it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!
Tips and Tricks
- Fry the tortillas just until golden brown so they stay crisp but not too hard to bite.
- The shells and filling can both be made in advance, making these the perfect dessert when entertaining.
- If you want a lighter version, bake the tortilla circles brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar until crisp instead of frying.
- You can also add a pinch of nutmeg or allspice to the filling, or use my Apple Pie Spice for even more flavor.
- While these dessert tacos are best eaten the same day, you can store the shells and filling separately and assemble just before serving.
More Apple Recipes to Love
I absolutely love apple season, and I have so many ways to enjoy apples right here on my website. The first thing I make every fall is a batch of my Homemade Apple Pie Spice. It’s delicious on apples anytime you bake them, but is incredible in things like oatmeal, pancakes, or even sprinkled on porkchops!
Now, if the idea of portable apple desserts is intriguing, you need to check out my Air Fryer Apple Pie Eggrolls, Puff Pastry Apple Tarts, Apple Bars, and my Apple Pie Crumb Bars.
Or give these amazing recipes a peek: Crockpot Apple Sauce (pictured above), Apple Chicken Salad, Apple Crostata, Lattice Topped Baked Apples, Snicker Apple Salad, this great apple pie recipe, and this Easy Caramel Apple Dip recipe. And if you’re still hungry for all things apple, find all of my apple recipes here.
Apple Pie Tacos have all the cozy flavors of a classic apple pie recipe in a fun, handheld form. They are simple to make, endlessly adaptable, and guaranteed to impress. Whether you serve them during apple season with your favorite apples, make them a new favorite fall dessert, or enjoy them year-round as a playful twist on apple desserts, they are always perfect for sharing with friends and family.
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Apple Pie Tacos
Equipment
- 1 4" round cookie or biscuit cutter
Ingredients
For the taco shells:
- 8 burrito-sized flour tortillas
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the apple pie filling:
- 3 large Granny Smith apples peeled and finely diced
- 1 lemon juiced
- ½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ cup water
Optional Garnishes:
- whipped cream
- dulce de leche thinned with a little heavy cream for drizzling and dunking.
- vanilla ice cream
Instructions
Prepare the Cinnamon Sugar Taco Shells
- Use the cookie or biscuit cutter to cut circles from the flour tortillas. (If you’re careful and cut them close to the edge and close together you can get 5 circles out of each tortilla.) Cut these out and set aside.
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. Line a large platter with paper towels.
- Heat about 3" of oil in a small pan over medium heat. When the oil reaches a temperature of 350-365 dgrees F, you are ready to fry! Place a tortilla circle into the hot oil using tongs. Allow to brown on one side for a few seconds, until light golden brown but still pliable. Turn the tortilla over and carefully fold in half using the tongs. Hold the circle in the folded position with the tongs and allow tortilla to crisp to a lightly golden brown.
- Remove tortilla shell and drain on paper towel-lined platter. Generously sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture inside and out. Cool completely on paper towels. Complete task with remaining tortillas.
For the apple pie filling:
- Toss diced apples in lemon juice.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Add apples. Cook about 5 minutes. Meanwhile whisk together cornstarch and water until well-combined. Add to apple mixture. Continue cooking until the liquid has cooked out of the mixture and the apples are a dark golden and soft. Set aside.
Optional garnish:
- Prepared whipped cream, whipped topping or real whipped cream. IMake real whipped cream by combining one pint of heavy whipping cream with 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar and beat with a mixer until stiff.
- A can of Dulce de leche topping can be found in the Mexican food section of your grocery store. Heat it on low in a saucepan on the stove. Add about 1 Tablespoon of heavy whipping cream to it to thin it wout to make it easier to drizzle over the tacos.
To assemble the tacos:
- Place warm apple pie filling in each taco shell. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a generous drizzle of dulce de leche sauce. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
A Note from My Friend Candi
Hi, I’m Candi from The Devilish Dish!
When Michaela asked me to guest post, I said yes right away. We go way back to a scrapbooking party in Nebraska, where she sold me a single blue pencil for $1.99 and somehow still decided to be my friend. I’m so glad she did.
Since then, we’ve shared a love of tailgating (she’s a Husker, I’m a Sooner), raising kids, and swapping recipes nonstop. So when I was planning a birthday dinner for my mom and aunt, and the menu included Apple Pie Tacos, of course, I ran it by Michaela. She was just as excited as I was.
Cinnamon sugar shells filled with apples, whipped cream, and caramel… what’s not to love? A dessert as fun and sweet as my friendship with Michaela. Here’s to you, my friend, and to Apple Pie Tacos!
This recipe was originally posted on July 2, 2014. It has been updated to enhance the user experience and was reshared on August 27, 2025.
Wow this is am awesome idea and so easy to make! Who would of thought of making these wonderful ingredients as a taco at home!! Great job will definitely give this a whirl!!!
Love! This dessert has my name all over it. Yum!!!
I’m so making this, I wish it was early in the day so I could I’d make these ‘Now – definitely making this for the weekend. Everyone will love them. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it’s so easy to make. Pinned/shared.