The air fryer is a great option if you want precise cooking time, less cleanup, and crispy crunchy foods without the same high amount of oils that you would normally need for deep frying.
The hot air circulating inside of the machine gives you an even temperature all around, and many convenient time and temperature settings mean that your hands are free to prepare other parts of your meal.
1) Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
This one is simple but absolutely delicious. Season chicken thighs with your favorite spice rubs as well as a little bit of salt. The skin is going to become crispy and golden while the meat inside stays juicy and delicious because of the higher fat content of chicken thighs.
To take it up another notch, make sure you dry the surface of the skin before adding it to the air fryer if you want an extra crispy exterior. One of my favorite things to do is throw a couple potatoes and vegetables in the air fryer with them so they cook at the same time. Have it alongside some pasta or some rice and you have a full meal with less time.
2) Air Fryer Salmon
Brush salmon fillets with a little bit of oil as well as some garlic, and then they will be finished with a drizzle of lemon. The air fryer will get the exterior of the salmon golden brown while the inside should be tender and flaky. Salmon is already naturally full of healthy fats, so you don’t have to add a lot of extra oil to get a delicious result and crispy edges on the exterior.
Make sure you check on your salmon fillets often or set a timer, because the edges can become overdone very quickly if you have some fillets that are a little bit thinner than others. I like to add a piece of parchment paper or foil underneath the salmon, because once it’s cooked it’s really tender and flaky and can sometimes be difficult to get out of the frying basket.
3) Air Fryer Pork Chops
Give the pork chops a lightly seasoned bread crumb coating before popping them in the air fryer. This is going to give the exterior some crunch while the meat inside stays tender.
To get those bread crumbs extra crispy and evenly coated in oil, use a spray so that it’s able to get every little nook and cranny. You don’t need very much, and it’s going to make a big difference in the browning that you get on the bread crumbs from the air fryer. Make sure you check your timing so the pork chop doesn’t get overdone, and use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s reached a safe temperature.
4) Turkey Burgers
Ground turkey is going to be seasoned and mixed with a little bit of onion before it’s formed into patties and cooked all the way through. Turkey is often chosen as a very lean protein option, and so with a very small amount of fat, those burgers are often going to be more likely to stick to a grill or a pan if you’re frying them.
The air fryer solves this problem by cooking them all the way through and not needing to flip them halfway, because of the air that’s going to get each side of the burger. If you have some leftovers, they reheat just as easily the second time around.
5) Air Fryer Meatballs
This is a recipe that you can really make your own based on what your family prefers. Use any type of ground meat, or a combination of two, and cook it until it’s browned on the outside. These can be added to a plate of pasta, a rice bowl, a sandwich, anything you can imagine.
When I cook meatballs in the oven or in a pan, I always feel like one side is way darker than the other, but in the air fryer the hot air is going to circulate and give you a nice even browning all the way around. The browning is not just for color, it’s also going to help lock in moisture so that even if you reheat them later for a lunch, they’re still going to be juicy and fresh.
For an extra twist, you could also roll them in breadcrumbs and air fry them for more of an appetizer or snack.
6) BBQ Chicken
Prep your chicken of choice with salt and the seasonings that you prefer, and then it will get brushed with barbecue sauce at the very end for a finishing touch. Just a short burst in the air fryer is going to cook the sauce down and make it delicious and sticky without letting it char and burn from being exposed to high heat for too long.
My family loves sauces that have both the sweet and savory aspect to them, but those can burn easily with the high sugar content. Adding them towards the end of cooking means it still gets the benefits of dehydrating and getting that delicious cooked texture for the sauce, without overdoing it and having them be burnt and charred.
The final result is a sticky and caramely sauce that tastes like you’ve had it in the smoker for hours, without all of the extra scrubbing of a grill grate.
7) Shrimp Tacos
Season your shrimp and cook until it’s not see-through anymore, and then it can be added to tortillas with vegetables and a lime flavored sauce. To make sure they don’t become overcooked and rubbery, make sure you preheat your air fryer basket before you start your timer and add your shrimp.
It only takes a few extra minutes, and that’s time you would be spending preparing your seasonings anyway. There’s no oily pan to clean up afterward, which I really appreciate on a busy night. Keep the heat on a low setting and you can layer taco shells inside so that they can be warm and bend easily when you’re stuffing them.
8) Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenderloins are going to be seasoned and breaded, and then they’re going to be cooked in the air fryer until they’re golden brown on the exterior. This is a one-to-one example where the air fryer is going to be faster and use much less oil than traditional frying, and have the same delicious crispy result.
One thing that I like to do is marinate the chicken tenders before breading them, so that they have some of the delicious flavor in the meat of the chicken itself as well as extra spices in the breading. Using something acidic like apple cider vinegar or pickle juice is going to give you a huge boost of flavor that’s really interesting and unusual. I love to chop these into strips and add them on top of a caesar salad.
9) Falafel
Seasoned chickpea batter is going to be the main part of the falafels. They’re going to be cooked until the exterior is brown and crisp and solid. This is served really well with a bit of pita to make a wrap with some vegetables and creamy tzatziki sauce.
Falafel is traditionally going to be fried in a deep fryer, so this is another place where the air fryer can directly replace that option. It’s really going to reduce the amount of oil you need, plus you don’t have a big pan of frying oil to dispose of when you’re finished. That is always a messy job that I never look forward to.
I always like to make a few extra and pop them in the freezer, and have them a little bit underdone so that I can take them out and re-crisp them quickly in the air fryer, either as a side dish or to add a little bit of extra protein to a Mediterranean style bowl.
10) Stuffed Peppers
Bell peppers are going to be cut open with the seeds removed and then filled with a mixture of cooked meat and bread crumbs or rice. You want to cook them until the pepper on the outside has softened and the interior meat is cooked all the way through. Use a meat thermometer if you’re not sure about timing.
I love that the air fryer gives a little bit more concentrated heat, and if you top the filling with cheese it gets really delicious and crispy and bubbly.
11) Steak Bites
Take your cut of meat and cut it into evenly sized pieces. Make sure your air fryer is preheated and cook the pieces of meat quickly to avoid them being dry.
Just before they’re at the level of doneness you want, brush them with a little bit of herb and garlic butter. Make sure that you don’t overcrowd the basket, because that’s going to make the meat steam instead of getting a nice crisp brown exterior.
12) Chicken Parmesan
Chicken is going to be pounded thin and then lightly breaded, before tomato sauce and cheese are added near the end so it doesn’t become soggy. Making this dish in the air fryer is going to give you a delicious crunch without needing a big pan of oil and having it cool down in between.
I love that you can melt the cheese directly in the cooking for the last few minutes and still get a really good brown and crispy bubbly cheese top. The chicken, cheese, and sauce are really the star of the show here, so it doesn’t necessarily even need to go on top of pasta each time. Sometimes I like to pair it with a nice salad or some roasted vegetables.
13) Chicken Fajitas
Bell peppers, onions, and chicken are all going to be cut into evenly sized strips and cooked together with fajita seasoning. Make sure that your chicken is cooked all the way through, and it will start to take on the delicious taste of those vegetables, and the vegetables should have a little bit of browning and change in color.
To make sure this is successful in the air fryer, be careful about having each ingredient be the same size. This is going to help make sure that everything is finished at the same time in the cooking basket. The air fryer is really doing all the work here, just set the temperature and timer, and then you can focus on setting up your taco shells and toppings.
14) Eggplant Cutlets
Eggplants are going to be sliced thin, seasoned, and then given a thin breading. Give them a quick spray of oil and then cook them until the coating becomes crisp and brown, and the center should be soft.
The air fryer is really useful here because eggplant can take in a lot of oil when it’s traditionally fried this way. I love to have this as a sandwich with some nice crusty Italian bread, tomato sauce, and loads of bubbly cheese.
15) Tofu Nuggets
To take advantage of the heat of the air fryer, press your tofu to release a little bit of the water. Lightly coat it with a bit of cornstarch and cook it until it becomes crispy. This can be paired with a lot of your favorite dipping sauces or added to a rice bowl.
The inside should keep its original chewy texture, and the outside should be crispy and crunchy. The air fryer means you don’t have to be constantly turning each block to make sure each edge is browned. The convection in the air fryer is going to dry and crisp and brown each side all at the same time.
16) Veggie Bowls
This is another meat-free option that’s going to have a ton of crispy flavor and texture. Crispy chickpeas and roasted vegetables are going to sit on top of either rice or quinoa with a creamy dressing on top.
Air fryer chickpeas are a great way to add an extra crunch to a bowl without the high fat of croutons or fried onions.
17) Sausage And Peppers
Sausage is going to be cooked with peppers and onions until everything is warmed and the edges begin to brown. This can be served in a handful of different ways, for sandwiches or bowls, it’s really versatile.
The sausage has already been cooked and cured, so it doesn’t really need that much attention. Just chop up your veggies to a similar size and everything can cook in the basket at the same time and temperature.
18) Chicken Bowls
Slice your chicken into bite-sized pieces that are easy to cook and add your seasonings of choice. This is really good as a Mediterranean style bowl served over rice, with fresh cucumber and creamy tzatziki sauce.
If I’m making an individual portion, I like to toss in a few carrots or sweet potatoes as well, because I like that they add a nice roasty and sweet natural flavor to the rice bowl.
19) Mini Meatloaves
Ground beef is going to be seasoned and portioned out into individual mini loaves. Make sure your portions are fairly even if you’re cooking multiple at the same time, to make sure that they’re cooked all the way through. Double check with a meat thermometer just to be sure.
Finish it with a little bit of ketchup for that classic meatloaf style dinner. This is a recipe that traditionally is going to have a very long cooking time, but making the smaller portions really makes it much faster in the air fryer. I also like that it makes it easy to prep and put away for lunches for the rest of the week.
20) Pesto Chicken
Cook your chicken of choice until it’s tender on the inside, and then add the pesto at the very end of cooking to make sure it doesn’t scorch. The herbs and oils are going to be a little bit delicate, so you want to make sure they don’t get overcooked.
When preparing your portions of meat, make sure they’re cut into even sizes so you don’t have really thick pieces that need longer and thin pieces from the end that get overly dry and crisp. I love to have this with a little bit of pasta and a small salad on the side, and then the next day when it has cooled off I like to add it onto just a salad.
21) Stuffed Mushrooms
Remove the stems from your mushrooms and fill them with a delicious creamy cheesy mixture. Cook them just long enough that the tops will get crispy and bubbly while the mushrooms underneath stay tender.
This is a recipe where I actually do advise that you put them a little bit closer together, so that the mushroom caps can stay a little bit more tender and not dry out. The circulation in the air fryer is going to keep things moving and give you a delicious crust on top of the mushrooms. I always like to serve these alongside some meatballs and some pasta, or a nice hearty soup.
22) Fish Tacos
Lightly season your fish and cook it until it’s flaky and tender. Fish fillets do really well in the air fryer because they tend to have a short cooking time and they do well with the even heat.
Fish fillets are not always cut in the exact same shape, so sometimes they can be tricky to do in a pan to make sure all the sides get browned, but the air fryer doesn’t have this problem. The convection current is going to make sure that each side gets an equal amount of heat and that they cook really evenly. Set your timer for a little bit less than what you think you’ll need so you can check on them sooner, because the cooking time is so fast for fish.
Once you’ve pulled your fish out, let it rest for just a moment while you warm the tortillas in the same air fryer. No need to clean or switch it in between, and you can stack multiple on top of each other.
23) Chicken Wings
Dry the skin of the chicken wings and add your favorite seasonings. They can be cooked in a single layer and the skin will become crispy.
Near the end of the cooking time, add your favorite sauce and let it get bubbly. I like to use a grill brush to brush the sauce on, because then I can do multiple flavors at the same time.
24) Gnocchi
Gnocchi, a potato pasta, is going to be lightly coated in oil and then air fried until the outside turns gold. The inside texture should stay chewy while the outside has a little bit of a crispy bite.
The texture is going to be completely transformed compared to boiling it in a pot or even pan frying it. It will have a delicious crunch on every single corner of the surface. I like to add a few hearty vegetables to the same basket if there’s room, but make sure to avoid something that’s going to let off too much moisture, so that you’re not steaming them instead of crisping them.
25) Veggie Quesadillas
Tortilla shells are going to be loaded up with veggies and cheese and then cooked until the outside is crispy and golden brown. Tortillas will crisp up on their own, but a very light coating of oil will send it through the roof.
I always feel like there’s one spot in my frying pan that can never get my quesadilla to crisp evenly, and this takes that question away. The heat is going to stay even for the entire cooking time, and to make it even more mess free you can line the bottom with a little bit of foil or parchment paper if you’re afraid of cheese and veggies dripping down.
26) Buffalo Cauliflower
Cauliflower can be cooked into slabs or nuggets, and then it will be browned before being coated in buffalo sauce to finish. I always find that boiling or even steaming cauliflower makes it really, really mushy and doesn’t have a very good flavor.
The air fryer gives it a nice browning and crispy edges, so that you don’t have that problem of it falling apart.
27) Loaded Baked Potatoes
Pop the entire potato into the air fryer and let it do its magic. The center should be fluffy and baked to perfection while the skin on the outside gets crispy and tender. Make sure to give your potato a few steam vents if they’re a little bit bigger, so that they can cook evenly all the way through.
For me this is a big upgrade from the convenience of microwave baked potatoes, because I feel like the skin on the outside never tastes quite as good as taking the time to bake them in the oven. If you’re really in a time crunch, I like to do a combination of both. Microwave the potatoes first and then put them in the air fryer to get that crispy skin.
Sometimes I like to scoop out the middles and do twice baked air fryer potatoes, because the cheese just gets so delicious and crispy.
28) Rice Balls
Leftover rice is going to work better here than something that’s fresh cooked, because it has a chance to reduce moisture a little bit. Shape it around the fillings of your choice, add a little bit of breading, and then it can be cooked in the air fryer until the outside becomes golden and crispy.
My family’s favorite filling is canned tuna mixed with a little bit of sriracha and mayo to make a spicy tuna roll. Even though I’ve been cooking rice for many, many years, I always feel like there’s always a weird half serving that’s leftover. This is a great way to use that leftover rice for a snack, or make a larger batch if you want to turn them into a full meal. Make sure the size of your rice balls is consistent so that they can cook evenly and heat all the way through to the center.
29) Chicken And Broccoli
Cut chicken into smaller bite-sized pieces that can cook more evenly, and add broccoli until it’s slightly browned on the edges. Broccoli can sometimes be difficult to get a consistent texture on because the stem is so much hardier than the tender leaves on the end.
Because of the way the air moves and circulates inside, I feel like it cooks much more evenly than when you’re trying to stack a bunch of them together in a steaming basket. I like that you’re able to just set it and forget it. Make sure your time and temperature are set correctly, and then you can focus on making some rice or noodles, and you have a complete meal with minimal effort and cleanup.
30) Nachos
Tortilla chips are going to be layered with cheese, meat, beans, or any other warm toppings, and then cooked until the cheese is melted. Add some fresh toppings like pico de gallo or guacamole after it comes out of the air fryer.
The concentrated heat from the air fryer is going to be really good even if your chips are starting to go a little bit stale, because it’s constantly taking the moisture out of the air as the current circulates. I also love the crispy texture that the cheese gets each time.
