Chocolate amaretti in the air fryer are my take on the crisp Italian almond macaroons from Saronno – here with cocoa, a distinct note of bitter almond and a crunchy layer of pearl sugar on top. The dough is built on ground almonds, sugar, cocoa and whisked egg whites, so there is neither flour nor butter in it, and the cookies are naturally gluten-free.
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These are the dry, crisp amaretti that snap with a little crunch – not the soft amaretti morbidi or chocolate crinkle cookies. The air fryer is surprisingly good at the job, because the circulating heat dries the balls all the way through at a low temperature. The result is small, cracked cookies that go perfectly with an espresso after a meal.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love chocolate amaretti in the air fryer
The flavour is intense, even though the cookies are small. The cocoa adds depth, the bitter almond essence contributes the characteristic marzipan-like aroma, and the pearl sugar provides a crisp crunch that contrasts with the dense almond crumb. They are also easy to make once you have the egg whites under control, and the dough needs neither resting nor chilling before it can be shaped.
The difference between the air fryer and the oven
In a regular oven you often bake amaretti on several trays and have to swap the trays around during baking to get them even. In the air fryer, the hot air circulates closely around each ball, so the surface sets and cracks finely while the inside dries at a gentle pace. The low temperature of 150 °C is the key: high enough to dry the cookies and gentle enough that the cocoa does not turn bitter.
My kitchen test of chocolate amaretti
I have baked these amaretti in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has heating elements both above and below in the same basket. At 150 °C, 15 minutes per batch was the sweet spot for balls of about 20 g: the surface was firm with fine cracks, and the bottom released the baking paper easily – all without me touching the cookies along the way. The dough makes around 24 amaretti, so I baked them in 3 batches. In total, it takes 20 minutes of preparation, 45 minutes of baking and 20 minutes of cooling – 85 minutes altogether, with the air fryer handling most of it on its own.
What surprised me most was the difference before and after cooling. Straight out of the basket, the cookies felt almost underbaked, but after their time on the wire rack they were crisp all the way through. In my Philips XXL I could fit a few more balls on the paper at a time, as long as there was 3 cm of space between them.
Whisk the egg whites in a completely clean, grease-free bowl, and never judge the crispness while the cookies are warm – amaretti only turn crisp once they are cold.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake happens right at the mixing bowl. If there is even a little fat or egg yolk in the bowl, the egg whites will never stiffen, and the cookies spread out into flat, chewy sheets. Use a completely clean bowl and room-temperature egg whites, and whisk until the foam is stiff.
The second mistake is about the baking paper and the space. An empty piece of paper can blow up against the heating element, and if the balls are too close together, they merge when they spread a little. Place the paper in the hot basket, put the balls on straight away, and keep about 3 cm between them.
The third mistake is shaking the basket or moving the cookies while they are warm. They are soft when they come out and break easily. Lift the whole sheet of baking paper onto a wire rack and leave them alone. If they are still chewy in the middle once they are cold, give them 3-4 minutes more at 140 °C.
How to serve chocolate amaretti
Amaretti can do much more than sit on the saucer. Here are my favourites:
- With espresso, cappuccino or an ordinary cup of coffee
- With a glass of dessert wine for a festive dinner
- Crumbled over vanilla ice cream or baked peaches
- As a crunchy layer in tiramisu
- With the bottom dipped in melted dark chocolate
Storage and reheating
Amaretti stay crisp for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. Put them in the container only once they are completely cold, otherwise they absorb moisture. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container – thaw them at room temperature without opening the lid, so that no condensation forms on the cookies. If they have gone soft, crisp them up in the air fryer at 140 °C for 3-4 minutes and let them cool completely.
With ground almonds, cocoa and a couple of egg whites, you can bake a whole tin of crisp amaretti in your air fryer. Make a batch at the weekend, and have something sweet ready for your coffee in the weeks after.
FAQ
Amaretti are soft when they come out of the air fryer and only turn crisp once they are completely cold. Give them at least 20 minutes on a wire rack. If the middle is still chewy after cooling, bake them 3-4 minutes more at 140 °C and let them cool again.
Yes, the dough consists of ground almonds, sugar, cocoa and egg whites, so there is no flour in it. If you are baking for someone with coeliac disease, check the ingredient labels on the cocoa, bitter almond essence and pearl sugar.
Yes. Leave out the cocoa and use 200 g sugar instead of 175 g, and you get classic pale amaretti.
Recipe
Chocolate amaretti in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Measuring spoons
- 1 Sifter
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Electric mixer
- 1 Dough scraper
- 3 Parchment paper (for air fryer)
- 1 Cooling rack
- 1 Airtight container
Shopping list
Ingredients
- 200 g ground almonds (or almond flour)
- 175 g sugar
- 25 g cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 2 pcs egg whites (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp bitter almond essence
- 1 pinch salt
Topping
- 3 tbsp pearl sugar
How to make it
Preparation
- Sift 25 g cocoa powder into a bowl and mix it thoroughly with 200 g ground almonds and 175 g sugar until the mixture is an even colour.
- With slightly damp hands, shape the dough into about 24 balls the size of a walnut (about 20 g) and press them down slightly flat on top.
- Sprinkle the balls with 3 tbsp pearl sugar and press the sugar on lightly so it stays in place during baking.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 150 °C fan.
- Place air fryer baking paper in the hot basket and immediately set about 8 balls on the paper with 3 cm between them, so the paper does not lift. The balls spread out a little and crack on the surface.
- Bake the amaretti at 150 °C for 15 minutes, until the surface is firm and has fine cracks. Do not shake or turn them during baking, as they are soft until they have cooled.
- Check that the amaretti release from the paper and are firm on the bottom. If they are still soft on the bottom, bake them for 2-3 minutes more at 150 °C.
- Lift the baking paper with the amaretti onto a wire rack and let them cool for at least 20 minutes. They only turn crisp all the way through once they are completely cold.
- Place a new piece of baking paper in the basket and repeat with the rest of the balls – 3 batches in total, 15 minutes each at 150 °C.
Serving
- Serve the amaretti with coffee or espresso, and store the rest in an airtight container so they stay crisp.
Our notes for the recipe
Whisk the egg whites in a completely clean, grease-free bowl – even a little egg yolk will stop them from stiffening. The low temperature of 150 °C dries the amaretti all the way through without the cocoa turning bitter. They are soft when they come out of the air fryer and only turn crisp once they have cooled. Bitter almond essence varies in strength, so use a little less if yours is very strong. Crisp amaretti:
This is the crisp version, not the soft amaretti morbidi. If they are still chewy in the middle once cold, bake them for 3-4 minutes more at 140 °C and let them cool again. Variation:
Dip the bottoms of the cold amaretti in melted dark chocolate, or fold a little finely grated orange zest into the dough. Without the cocoa and with 200 g sugar you get classic pale amaretti. Serving suggestions:
Serve them with espresso, coffee or a glass of dessert wine, or crumble them over ice cream, tiramisu and baked peaches. Portion size:
The dough makes about 24 amaretti, baked in 3 batches of about 8 at a time. If you have a large air fryer, you can bake more at a time – just leave 3 cm between them.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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