Whether you’re looking for a quick side dish to go with your meal, or you need an easy main course for a weeknight dinner, there are dozens of healthy air fryer recipes to fit your needs. Check out this list to find a recipe that fit your dietary preferences and helps manage your time in the kitchen!
I love to have plenty of healthy dinner recipes to pull from, and the air fryer is truly the easiest method to preparing a quick dinner. Air frying food is just so simple, so tasty and takes a lot of the guess-work out of cooking.
Free Air Fryer Cook Time Printable
Learn how to cook anything in your air fryer with our free cook time chart!
Whether you need a healthy alternative to deep frying things like french fries, or you’re simply looking to make some crispy chicken, there will always be an easy air fryer recipe for you. It’s the best way to get crispy results with any food and makes healthy meals so easy to prepare.
Even if you’re on a Paleo diet, a Whole30 diet, or sticking to Keto and gluten free recipes, you can still air fry many of your favorite foods with delicious results!
Ingredients to Stock Up On
Cooking times will vary based on the ingredients your recipe calls for and the size of air fryer you have. But here are some basic things you’ll need for most air fryer recipes:
Oil: When it comes to air frying, you definitely don’t need a lot of oil but you’ll still need some. For best results, choose a healthier high heat oil like extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
Meat: You can make anything from filet mignon to chicken breast in the air fryer! Pork chops also do well in this easy modern tool, and you can make the most crispy bacon in it too.
Vegetables: I love to make air fryer asparagus, broccoli and carrots. The air fryer is the easiest way to throw together a quick healthy side dish for your meal.
Tips for Meal Prepping with the Air Fryer
I personally prefer to have all of my food hot and fresh from the air fryer, while it’s still crispy! However, there are ways to prep ingredients ahead of time to make prep work easier later on. You can also cook things ahead of time and then reheat later:
If you plan to make an air fryer veggie side dish, chop your veggies early on in the week and even prep the seasonings you plan to use. Then, when you’re ready to cook, you can just toss everything together and place it in the air fryer.
Marinating meat is a great way to prep it for the air fryer. Many marinades work wonderful if you leave the meat marinating for 24 hours. Then you can just place in the air fryer and cook to juicy perfection!
Have leftovers? Make sure to store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Then preheat your air fryer when you’re ready to eat the leftovers and reheat with the same cooking method to ensure your food is still crispy and delicious.
Types of Air Fryers
Check out my guide on all the best air fryers to find what will work great for your needs. Here’s a few of the most common type of air fryer you’ll find on the market:
Basket Air Fryers: A basket-style air fryer is the most common type that you will find. The removable basket is made for ease of cleaning, and is super simple to use.
Oven Style: These styles of air fryers look like mini ovens, some even have multiple racks! Oftentimes there are multiple functions like toast, bake, and air fry.
Glass Air Fryers: Believe it or not, there are glass air fryers! These were made with those in mind who prefer not to cook in plastic. They function pretty similar to classic basket-type air fryers.
How to Use an Air Fryer
I’ve got a whole post with the best tips and tricks on how to use an air fryer. But here’s a few points that will help you have success, no matter what recipe you’re following:
Always preheat your air fryer before cooking. If your style of air fryer does not have a preheat function, just press the power button and let it heat up for at least 5 minutes before cooking your food.
Never overload the air fryer basket. Your food is cooked with hot air, so if you overfill the basket then there won’t be enough open space to evenly cook the food. Depending on the size of your air fryer, and what you are cooking, you may need to cook in batches.
Use the right cooking temperature! Chicken will have a much different cooking temperature as opposed to something like potatoes. It is important that you use the correct cooking temperature for the specific food item you are air frying. As always, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat before consuming.
Know the cooking variations of your specific air fryer model. New air fryer models have come out with lots of different features than older models. Depending on the brand you purchase, your fryer could also be pretty different from something that a certain recipe uses. If you’re an air fryer novice, just know you may have to work out a few kinks before things run smoothly every single time!
Make sure you know how to clean an air fryer properly. Always cook your food in a clean air fryer — not only for safety reason but in order to ensure your food taste the best it can be!
Healthy Air Fryer Recipes
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Air Fryer Grilled Chicken
This low-carb, low-fat Air Fryer Grilled Chicken is flavorful and a healthier alternative to traditional grilling.
Madison is the food blogger behind Cook at Home Mom and Joyfully Mad, two recipe sites focused on healthy and wholesome recipes for the whole family. She lives in AZ with her husband and 3 sons.
