10 Awesome Air Fryer Recipes to Try at Home

An air fryer is a portable, countertop version of a convection oven. It allows you to “fry” foods without oil using a system of heating elements and fans. The fans blow the hot air all around the food, which sits on a basket, allowing it to quickly crisp up. There are newer models of air fryers that let you air fry, air bake, air roast, and even dehydrate. 

Any recipe that calls for baking or frying can be modified to use your air fryer. Usually, the only thing you need to do is shorten the cooking time. Try out these air fryer recipes, and you’ll love how quickly it cooks dinner.

Air fryer main course ideas

Try a few of these popular recipes for your main course and you will definitely be coming back for seconds. 

1. Air fryer chicken thighs

These chicken thighs mimic breaded chicken without any of the added calories of frying in oil. Start by combining the buttermilk, garlic, and hot sauce in a bowl, add in the thighs, and marinate for a few hours. Prepare 1 bowl with seasoned flour, another with beaten eggs, and a third with breadcrumbs. Dip the chicken in the flour, the eggs, and then the breadcrumbs. Air fry the chicken at 400°F and flip it after 15 minutes. The chicken is finished when it hits 165°F after around 30 minutes.

2. Air fryer salmon

You can have a salmon dinner ready in just 10 minutes using your air fryer. Season 2 6oz salmon filets with salt, black pepper, and a vinaigrette made of oil, mustard, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Place the filets in your air fryer at a temperature of 400°F for 10 minutes. 

3. Crispy tofu with cabbage and carrots

The first thing you need to do to ensure your tofu is crispy is to make sure you press it to remove all of the excess liquid. Cut the extra-firm tofu into slices and coat in a mixture of cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Instead of frying the tofu in a pan, place it in your air fryer at 400°F until it is crispy. While the tofu is getting crispy, toss shredded cabbage and carrots in vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, and hot sauce. Serve the crispy tofu over this salad.

4. Spring pizza

You can even make pizza in your air fryer! You either need to make the dough the size of your air fryer container or cheat and use pitas or tortillas that are cut to size. Top the dough with asparagus spears and drizzle with an olive oil and crushed garlic mixture. Coat with a layer of freshly shredded mozzarella or fontina cheese. Air fry for 450°F for about 15 minutes or when the edges start to crisp.

Air fryer side dish ideas

These side dishes go well with any main course, air fried or not. You can even cook them in the air fryer with your main course if you have the room.

5. Garlic-parmesan Brussel sprouts

Brussel sprouts are the perfect side to make in the air fryer. They get perfectly crisp and browned after only 20 minutes. Cut your sprouts in half and toss in a light coating of olive oil. Arrange them in your fryer cut side down and so that they have a little space between each other. Fry for 20 minutes at 400°F until they are browned. Dress them with a mixture of lemon, garlic, olive oil, thyme, and salt and pepper. Finish with a topping of Parmesan cheese and pine nuts. 

6. Air fryer French fries

Air frying removes a majority of the calories in French fries since you only need a light coating of olive oil to make them crispy. Use a fry cutter or freehand cut your potatoes into 1/4in thick fries. Toss them in olive oil and give them a light sprinkle of salt before placing them in the air fryer basket for 15 minutes at 380°F. Flip them halfway through and take them out when they look brown and crispy. Avoid crowding the basket to ensure crispiness. 

7. Air fryer blooming onion

To make this restaurant favorite, take a large yellow onion and cut it into grids without going all the way through to the stem. Remove some of the interior onion petals to give it additional space to crisp up. Drizzle the onion with olive oil and carefully dredge it through a mix of breadcrumbs and spices. Air fry for 25 minutes at 375°F until golden brown. Serve with onion sauce for dipping.

8. Air fryer mozzarella sticks

You can make your own mozzarella sticks and keep them in the freezer for whenever you want a quick snack. Simply dredge a cheese stick in egg wash, flour, and seasoned panko breadcrumbs. Freeze until you are ready to use, and then just fry them for 5 minutes at 390°F

Air fryer dessert ideas

Why not just make the entire meal from start to finish in the air fryer? There are a few desserts you can make as long as you have the correct container like a ramekin that will fit in your fryer.

9. Air fryer brownies

All you need for this is some ramekins and brownie batter. Either make your own batter from scratch or use a pre-mix. Fill greased ramekins 3/4 of the way with the batter and air fry at 330°F for 17 minutes. Allow them to rest for 10 minutes, and they will be finished with a gooey center.

10. Apple dumpling cake

Modify this cake recipe to work in your air fryer by filling ramekins with sliced apples and then topping them with the dumpling topping. Air fry at 350°F for 20 minutes until the topping is browned and the apples are fork-tender.

Air fryer recipes to make dinner quickly

When you use an air fryer you will learn that you can cook dinner in almost half the time. Purchase any of the ingredients you need for these recipes via Instacart. Simply add the items to your cart and choose same-day or future delivery at checkout.

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