Frying food in hot oil: The results are crunchy and delicious, but we need to be in the right mood (and have the spare time) to deal with the inevitable mess. Enter the air fryer, a miracle appliance that will take you from zero to French fries in mere minutes, using little to no oil. In other words, you can indulge in all your favorite fried foods, minus some of the fat and calories. Read on for the 55 best air fryer recipes to try for newbies and pros alike.
The 55 Best Air Fryer Recipes, from Chicken Wings to Brussels Sprouts
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Published Jan 5, 2023
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, high protein
Your kids’ all-time favorite dinner just got a whole lot healthier. And thanks to almond flour, the tenders are gluten free, too.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
Fries for four in 30 minutes? We had a dream about this once. Go heavy on the Parmesan, please.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, keto-friendly
To reduce the smoke of the bacon grease, put some water, bread or foil at the bottom of the basket.
4. Clean-Eating Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegan, <30 minutes, low carb
Just toss them in oil, herbs and seasoning before air frying them until tender. Ta-da.
5. Sweet Potato Cauliflower Patties
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Combining flaxseeds with arrowroot starch (a vegan-friendly egg substitute) make these cuties gluten-free. Cut the patties up over greens to make a salad or serve them on buns as sandwiches.
6. Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, keto-friendly
If you’ve been on the fence about getting an air fryer, let this game day essential be the recipe to sway you.
9. Air Fryer Roasted Asian-Inspired Broccoli
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly
Complete with garlic, sriracha and salted peanuts. Substitute agave for honey to make the dish vegan.
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: low carb, Paleo-friendly, keto-friendly, high protein
Yellow curry powder does all the heavy lifting flavor-wise, while coconut flakes give the cakes their drool-worthy crunch.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Five ingredients, ten minutes and all the mozz. Using a whole wheat pita instead of pizza dough saves a ton of time; the air fryer will crisp it up like a charm.
12. Flank Steak with Homemade Chimichurri Sauce
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: keto-friendly, high protein, special occasion-worthy
Want tender steak with an impressive outer crust? Let the meat rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and preheat the air fryer before cooking.
13. Air Fryer Parmesan-Dill Fried Pickle Chips
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, kid-friendly
Cool if we have a whole bowl of these with a side of ranch for dinner? Save a few to use on a sandwich for tomorrow's lunch.
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Letting the pork marinate for 30 minutes its technically optional, but we wouldn't skip it. The buttermilk brine is key for ridiculously crispy breading and tender meat.
16. Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, high protein, beginner-friendly
What’s saucy, cheesy and ready in half an hour? Tonight’s dinner, of course. Serve with a side of pasta or on garlic bread.
17. Bacon- and Cream Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, keto-friendly
These handhelds have Super Bowl Sunday written all over them. And since they only take 15 minutes to whip up, you’ll have plenty of time to watch the game undisturbed.
18. Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: gluten free, vegan, crowd-pleaser
When it comes to vegan appetizers, Buffalo cauli is that b**** for a reason. If you have a small air fryer, be sure to cook the cauliflower in batches for even crisping.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, keto-friendly, crowd-pleaser
The kitchen appliance of the moment can tackle a 4½-pound bird in an hour flat. Do we feel a dinner party coming on?
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, <30 minutes, high protein
When it’s too cold out to fire up the grill, lean on the air fryer for burgers with juicy centers and crispy outer crusts. (These use barbecue sauce in the meat.)
23. Sicilian Pizza
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: specail occasion-worthy, kid-friendly
The air fryer does all the work of a pizza stone in a fraction of the time. This pie calls for pepperoni, bacon and sausage, so the meat lovers at your table will be thrilled.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, dairy free
We’ll take ours drenched in lemon juice and malt vinegar, thanks. (Oh, and tartar sauce couldn't hurt either...)
25. Kofta Kebab
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, <10 ingredients, dairy free
There’s always room on our plate for this Turkish staple. Make the beef in your oven if you don’t have an air fryer, or on the grill if the weather allows.
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian
No stinky pot of water required. Who knew you could make breakfast for the week in 20 minutes flat?
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, dairy free
Hold the vat of oil—but don’t skimp on the shredded coconut or sweet chili dipping sauce. (Picky eaters can sub ketchup if they'd prefer.)
29. Pickle-Brined Chicken Tenders
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, kid-friendly
In case you needed another reason to have a jar of pickle juice on deck at all times. The acidity of the brine tenderizes the chicken just right.
30. Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegan, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
The key to consistently crispy fries? Cutting the sweet potatoes uniformly so they cook as evenly as possible. Be sure not to crowd the fryer basket.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, gluten free, beginner-friendly
Make the carrots savory with a mix of herbs and Parmesan cheese, or sweet with butter and brown sugar.
32. Taco Calzones
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, high protein, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
Face it: Your taco Tuesday menu has gotten a tad stale. Don’t worry though, because store-bought pizza dough and taco seasoning can save the day in a flash.
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, special occasion-worthy
Your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce will turn extra sticky and caramelized in the air fryer. Serve with rice, greens or rolls.
34. Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, vegetarian, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
Treat yourself to a second coating of egg and breadcrumbs: It’ll keep the mozz sticks' breading from dripping through the rack as they cook.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
To the age-old question of rub or sauce, this recipe says: ¿Por qué no los dos? The ribs are begging to be plated with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and mac and cheese.
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegan, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Forget boiling them first to speed up the baking process. Cheddar cheese, bacon bits and sour cream are totally optional (though strongly encouraged).
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, keto-friendly, low carb, vegetarian
They’re bursting with what’s basically the easiest, cheesiest spinach dip to ever grace your table. (And in case you need help prepping the fresh artichokes...)
38. Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
The recipe calls for bacon and Mexican blend cheese, but you can switch up the fillings to your heart’s content, be it sliced apples or caramelized onions.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
They’re prime for dousing in marinara or pesto sauce…if you don’t eat them all straight out of the basket first, that is.
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes
We’ve never seen a quicker glow-up than these butter-brushed frozen rolls dusted with Italian seasoning. (Your guests won't catch on, promise.)
41. Steak Kebabs
42. Easy Air Fryer Turkey Legs
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, keto-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Let's get medieval, shall we? Odds are the only ingredient you'll need to buy for this 35-minute main is the turkey legs; pantry staples have the rest covered.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Cooking spray, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese make these fries dangerously crispy (and snackable). You won't even miss the spuds, trust.
45. Air Fryer Sausage, Peppers and Onions
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, low carb
Whether you plate it atop pasta, rice or a soft hoagie roll, this half-hour recipe will quickly become part of your weekly rotation. Might we suggest topping the sausage with melted provolone cheese?
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian
A buttery, garlicky, cheesy piece of Texas toast is the ultimate side for ribs, brisket, pulled pork and all the barbecue foods you can think of. Even better, it's basically picky eater-proof.
47. Air Fryer Pork Belly Bites
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, keto-friendly, gluten free, dairy free
Eating low-carb never seemed so appetizing. We'll be dunking ours in gochujang mayo and chile crisp, thank you very much.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, gluten free
Use 'em for nachos, crumble them over taco salad or pair them with air fryer roasted tomatillo salsa for dipping.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, make ahead
Can you believe these cuties only take 15 minutes to prepare from start to finish? You can thank store-bought biscuit dough for that. Finish the doughnuts with velvety vanilla glaze or cinnamon sugar.
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
BRB, hunting down the biggest ice cream scoop we own, since these beauts are incomplete without a crown of vanilla or dulce de leche deliciousness.
54. Air Fryer Oreos
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
There's no need to cry over spilled batter with this recipe. These carnival-inspired gems are wrapped in store-bought crescent roll dough instead for minimal mess.
Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
