These are the best air fryer recipes for quick and easy meals! Air fryer chicken recipes, salmon, potatoes, bacon and more. Perfect for beginners!
Best Air Fryer Recipes
Air fryer recipes can help you to get fast, healthy meals on your table without a lot of effort. My air fryer has quickly become one of my most used kitchen appliances. Every time I cook with it, I’m impressed with the flavor and crispiness of air fried food!
As I’ve tested more and more air fryer recipes over the years, I’m excited to share with you my tried-and-true favorites! These are the recipes that I make again and again for my family. They’re easy, tasty and most of them require just a few simple ingredients. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
The Best Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
These air fryer chicken recipes are some of my most popular, and it’s easy to see why. Chicken is a dinnertime staple, and it cooks up perfectly juicy and tender in the air fryer.
When you need a foolproof way to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts, Air Fryer Chicken Breast comes to the rescue! This easy air fryer chicken recipe makes perfectly juicy and flavorful chicken breasts, every time.
With a delicious seasoning rub, these Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are a weeknight wonder. With crispy, crackly skin and juicy meat inside, this easy chicken recipe is a go-to for an easy dinner!
Satisfy your fried chicken cravings in a healthier way with Air Fryer Fried Chicken. This recipe will wow everyone at the table! It’s incredibly crispy, perfectly seasoned and easy to make.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are a kid favorite that adults happen to love, too. If you’re looking to make the crispiest chicken tenders, then this is the recipe for you. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauces and watch them disappear!
Calling all drumstick lovers! The whole family will go crazy for these Air Fryer Chicken Legs! An incredible seasoning blend makes these juicy chicken drumsticks extra irresistible.
These Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are simply the best! They’re crispy, perfectly seasoned and remarkably easy to make. Double the recipe and freeze the extras for a quick meal on a busy day.
Easy Air Fryer Meals
The air fryer recipes below are some of my favorite quick and easy meals. From pork to salmon, steak and shrimp, there’s plenty of dinner inspiration for every night of the week!
Say goodbye to dry, tough pork chops with this easy Air Fryer Pork Chops recipe. This juicy pork chops recipe includes cook times for both boneless and bone-in pork chops.
This air fryer recipe is one of my very favorites! You’ll love the caramelized crust and succulent, flaky interior of this easy Air Fryer Salmon.
Learn how to cook a perfect Air Fryer Steak. Easy enough for any night of the week, this juicy steak is even better served with a pat of garlic butter.
This Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin turns out perfectly tender and flavorful, every time! It cooks up quickly in the air fryer for an easy weeknight dinner.
This Air Fryer Meatloaf is moist and flavorful, with delicious crispy edges and a tangy meatloaf sauce. A perfect weeknight meal, it cooks much faster than in the oven!
These Air Fryer Meatballs are one of my favorite recipes for a fast, delicious dinner! Golden on the outside, tender and flavorful inside, I love serving them with pasta or in a meatball sub sandwich.
Air Fryer Hamburgers are a family favorite! It’s never been easier to cook juicy, flavorful burgers. Pile on your favorite toppings and devour!
Air Fryer Shrimp is a quick meal that you’ll want to have in your back pocket. Shrimp cooks incredibly fast in the air fryer, and this easy air fryer recipe features a flavorful Cajun-inspired seasoning. Cook from fresh or frozen.
Air Fryer Vegetables are Crispy and Delicious!
You will love these easy options for healthy air fryer side dishes. These air fryer vegetable recipes are here to help you round out your meals. But watch out, these healthy air fryer recipes are so tasty they just might steal the show!
These Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts are seasoned with garlic and Parmesan and have the most delicious crispy edges. We usually polish these off straight from the air fryer basket – they’re that good.
A few simple tips will have you making the best Air Fryer Broccoli. It’s perfectly crisp-tender and extra delicious with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese or a squeeze of lemon juice.
Honey garlic butter takes these Air Fryer Carrots to a whole new level of deliciousness! Cooking carrots in the air fryer makes them perfectly crisp-tender with the best caramelized edges.
Air Fryer Cauliflower has browned, crispy edges and a simple garlic and Parmesan seasoning. It’s a healthy side dish that’s unbelievably delicious!
Air Fryer Corn on the Cob is sweet, juicy and tender inside with a crisp bite when you first bite into it. It’s irresistible served with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Cooked to crisp-tender perfection, these Air Fryer Green Beans are a quick, easy and healthy side dish.
Air Fryer Asparagus is my favorite fast way to cook asparagus. It’s tender on the inside and crispy on the ends. Serve it with a squeeze of lemon juice, some sliced almonds or a sprinkle of Parmesan or crumbled goat cheese. When spring arrives, this is one of the air fryer recipes you’ll turn to first!
With Italian seasonings and Parmesan cheese, this Air Fryer Zucchini will have you going back for a second helping of veggies!
Potato Air Fryer Recipes
Potatoes are classic comfort food and the air fryer makes the best potatoes! Crispy on the outside and fluffy in the center, you will love these air fryer potato recipes.
Craving the perfect baked potato? An Air Fryer Baked Potato has the crispiest skin and is perfectly soft and fluffy in the center. This is one of the first air fryer recipes we tried, and it did not disappoint. Pile on your favorite toppings (bacon, anyone?) and enjoy!
These Air Fryer French Fries were one of the first recipes that got me hooked on air frying! They’re so crispy and made with just 3 simple ingredients, including only a tablespoon and a half of oil.
Crispy Air Fryer Potato Wedges seasoned to perfection and topped with Parmesan cheese make a delicious appetizer. These potato wedges are definitely deserving of a spot on our list of best air fryer recipes. The always disappear quickly!
An Air Fryer Sweet Potato is a real treat! Making baked sweet potatoes in the air fryer is fast and easy. They come out perfectly soft and creamy inside, and the skins crisp up nicely in the air fryer.
These Air Fryer Potatoes are oven roasted-style potatoes, only they’re made in the air fryer. They’re an incredibly easy side dish, but watch out, they might all disappear before they even hit the dinner plates!
Appetizers and Snacks
One of the things that the air fryer does best is make crispy game day snacks and appetizers. Crispy fries and chicken wings are always the hit of the party! You are going to love these easy air fryer recipes.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings are fast to prep and disappear even faster! With its ability to make foods deliciously crispy, the air fryer really is the best way to make wings. You’ll love the seasonings on these!
These Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos have a creamy chicken and cheese filling, wrapped in soft tortillas and air fried until crispy and golden. We love them served with guacamole or salsa for dipping!
When you need an almost no effort side dish, these Air Fryer Frozen French Fries are the perfect solution. They cook up hot and so crispy in the air fryer. This recipe includes cook times for different fry shapes, including waffle, crinkle cut and sweet potato fries.
Air Fryer Onion Rings are the best game day snack food or appetizer. Forget the deep fryer, making onion rings in the air fryer is easy and the results are just as crispy and delicious. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
While I’ll never turn down regular French fries, I have to admit that I am partial to these Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries. You just can’t beat the sweet and savory flavor of this ultra crispy snack!
When your garden is bursting with fresh zucchini, what better way to put those green squash to good use than Air Fryer Zucchini Fries? A few simple seasonings and Parmesan cheese with a crispy breadcrumb coating give these zucchini fries the best texture and flavor. Serve them as an appetizer, side dish or snack.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
While these air fryer recipes don’t fit into any of the categories above, that doesn’t mean they are any less delicious!
Air Fryer Bacon is extra crispy, with perfect wavy edges. It’s so easy to make, with no flipping required!
Air Fryer Grilled Cheese is extra crispy, ultra cheesy, and completely irresistible. This air fryer recipe is the best way to make a grilled cheese sandwich!
Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs are so easy to make! They peel easily and are perfect for meal prep.
Since there’s not much that an air fryer can’t do, let’s add reheating pizza to the list! Learn how to reheat pizza in an air fryer for the crispiest crust and gooey, melty cheese.
What is an Air Fryer?
An air fryer is a versatile kitchen appliance that can air fry, roast, bake, broil, crisp, dehydrate and reheat foods. An air fryer has a heating element that radiates heat and a fan that circulates hot air around the food in the air fryer basket. The hot air circulation allows you to use less oil and still get deliciously crispy foods. To help you get started with air fryer cooking, I’ve written a beginner’s guide about How to Use an Air Fryer.
Why Cook with an Air Fryer?
- Crispy foods! The hot air circulation in an air fryer helps to make the crispiest foods. From Air Fryer Fried Chicken to crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, there’s so much to love about crispy air fryer foods. You’ll also love how meats and fish cook up especially tender and juicy in the air fryer.
- Easy to use. Right out of the box, you’ll find that most air fryers are easy to use. Plus, it’s easy to check on food during the cooking process. You can simply pull out the basket to take a peek.
- Quick cooking. Air fryers cook food quickly, making them perfect for weeknight cooking. They reach cooking temperature much faster than it would take to preheat your oven. The air fryer recipes below are simple, with fast preparation times.
- Easy clean up! Air fryer baskets typically have a nonstick coating that makes clean up a breeze.
- Use it year round. Your air fryer won’t heat up your kitchen, so it’s perfect for making light summer meals and winter comfort foods.
Which of these air fryer recipes are you most excited to try first? Let me know in the comments!
35 Best Air Fryer Recipes
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place chicken breasts in a zip-top bag or between two layers of parchment paper and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound them to an even thickness.
- Rub the olive oil over the chicken. Then rub the spice mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts.
- Place chicken in a single layer in the air fryer. Cook at 400° for 8 minutes, then flip chicken over and continue cooking for 5-12 more minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165° F at the thickest part of the breast. (The cook time will depend on the size of your chicken breasts.)
- Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Do you have a recommendation for an air fryer or what to look for in an air fryer? I’m on the hunt! PS: I love all of your instapot recipes- they originally got me hooked on your blog last year at this time!
Can’t wait to try them. Thanks
Cant wait to try these and more!
Hello,
Which air fryer did you use to cook the chicken thighs and wings?
Kristine: I purchased a Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer because you have one. I trust you. I want you to know that you do good work. I look forward to trying some of your recommendations air fryer meals.
Excellent idea(s) for me using my new airfryer. I’m going to get busy. 🙂
Outstanding site—Fantastic Recipes!! Great explanations! A lot of effort went into this for us to enjoy. Thanks Kristine
Liked this
Good morning,
I am a new owner of an air fryer! Although, exited, I was nervous about using it. You are an absolute blessing!! I am looking forward to trying these recipes!
Thank you!!