Chefs share the 16 best foods to make in an air fryer

Jess Dang, chef and founder of meal-planning service Cook Smarts, told Business Insider that bacon is one of her favorite things to cook in an air fryer.

"Fat drips from the bacon and out of the basket, so the bacon ends up leaner," she told BI. "It's so much less messy and requires less supervision than other cooking methods."

Dang said air fryers can turn slices of plain fruit into deliciously caramelized treats. She recommends using bananas. 

"I slice them in half lengthwise and add them to banana splits," she said. "Sometimes I'll brush them with a little coconut oil first for an extra-special treat."

Yankel Polak, head chef at ButcherBox, told BI that it's possible to cook a delicious steak in an air fryer. 

"Rub the steak with a little olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper before cooking," he said. "The olive oil helps it get a really good sear, and the salt and pepper give a simple yet satisfying flavor."

Polak said to cook your steak evenly, flip it halfway through the cooking time. This ensures both sides of the meat come into contact with the hot surface of the basket.

Whether you're looking for the perfect salad topping or just want something healthy to snack on, air-fried chickpeas may be the answer. 

"Air-fried chickpeas are crispy, portable, and delicious," Dang said. "You can easily toss in some spices and seasonings along with a small amount of oil to jazz them up a little."

Za'atar, curry powder, or chili powder are perfect seasonings to experiment with if you want to add an extra kick of flavor to air-fried chickpeas. 

If you're looking for a way to make homemade doughnuts a bit less calorie-dense, try using an air fryer instead of a deep fryer. 

Polak told BI that the secret to good air-fried doughnuts is to avoid putting a very wet batter in the air fryer. 

"Opt for making your doughnut batter more like bread dough for a cake-like consistency. The key is to use more flour than egg," they said. 

Skip the store-bought chicken nuggets and whip up your own batch at home with an air fryer. 

"The air fryer is terrific for keeping crunchy, coated chicken juicy and tender," Polak said. "Just make sure to moisten your chicken with a swipe of olive oil or mustard to keep the breading adhered."

It's also important not to go overboard with breading — adding too much can lead to the coating being blown off by the airflow of the air fryer. 

"The air fryer yields a much juicier chicken breast than either the oven or stovetop," Dang said. "Due to the compact design of an air fryer, there's not as much room for the juices to evaporate like they sometimes do with other methods." 

Using an air fryer can help take some of the guesswork out of preparing seafood. It can also help you to avoid dry, overcooked fish. 

"I recommend using an air fryer for baked or breaded fish. The hot air gets the outside of the fish nice and crispy without overcooking the inside," Polak told BI. 

Dang told BI that she thinks using an air fryer is one of the best ways to prepare premade, frozen gnocchi.

"The first time I tried frozen cauliflower gnocchi, I didn't get the appeal — I just wound up with a gummy mess," she said. "But when I tried them again in the air fryer, they came out golden and crispy." 

Dang said air fryers are ideal for cooking small frozen or homemade pizzas.

"Because an air fryer has a small cavity that doesn't require preheating, it gets the cheese bubbly and the bread toasted much faster than an oven would," she told BI. 

Dang added that combining naan bread, tomato sauce, and mozzarella makes for a quick and tasty personal pizza that's perfect for cooking in an air fryer. 

Chef Zach Cummings of Timbers Kauai in Lihue, Hawaii, told BI that baby carrots are one of his favorite foods to prepare in an air fryer. 

"The intense, focused heat of the air fryer achieves this beautiful caramelization in a fraction of the time it takes to cook baby carrots that way in a traditional oven," Cummings said. 

Cummings said to perfectly caramelize carrots, coat them in extra-virgin olive oil, toasted fennel seeds, fresh thyme, sea salt, and pepper. Cook them at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.

Since air fryers use extremely hot air to both cook and remove surface moisture from foods, they're actually great for making kale chips. 

Cummings recommends tossing kale with coconut oil and sea salt before adding them to your air fryer.

"The air fryer brings out the aroma of the coconut while keeping the kale chips light," he explained. 

Chelsea Knight, chef at Fable Lounge in Nashville told BI that stuffed peppers cook well in an air fryer.

"You can use any kind of filling, from a delicious cream cheese to your favorite meat," Knight said. "I would also suggest wrapping the peppers in bacon."

For an air-fryer party snack, try stuffing smaller peppers with cubes of mozzarella and serving them with a marinara dipping sauce. 

Coat fresh zucchini coins or slices in breadcrumbs and pop them in an air fryer for a crunchy, plant-based snack.

"Fried zucchini is a healthy side dish that you can dress up with your favorite spices — or keep it simple with just some olive oil, salt, and pepper," Knight told BI. 

Air fryers can turn thin slices of potatoes into crispy chips — and Knight said you don't have to stick to plain spuds. 

"You can definitely use regular white potatoes, but you can also substitute sweet potatoes," said Knight. 

For best results, coat your potato slices with a touch of olive or vegetable oil before placing them in the air fryer. 

Chicken wings are sometimes battered and cooked in oil, which can make them high-calorie and greasy. If you're looking for a lighter alternative, Knight said, try air-frying your wings instead. 

"Chicken wings are great to cook in an air fryer as a snack or a whole meal," Knight told BI. "Air-frying means that you still get crispy wings without the added calories of deep-frying."

This story was originally published on June 30, 2020, and most recently updated on September 11, 2024.

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