We’ve got you covered with these delicious and easy Air Fryer recipes!
These are the best recipes for beginners because they are fail proof, easy and help you learn exactly what your air fryer can do!
Simple recipes with great flavor!
Table of Contents
Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners
The collection of air fryer recipes below are great starter recipes. Our beginner recipes are:
- easy to make
- fail-proof, these are the tried and true favorites
- selected to show you exactly what you can do with an air fryer
- tried, tested, and true so they’ll work perfectly in almost any model
Tips For Beginners
- Add a touch of oil to get a nice crust on most items.
- Ensure foods are not wet or they will steam instead of crisp. Use a kitchen towel or salad spinner to dry washed veggies.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket or the air won’t circulate properly.
- Shake/Flip as needed, this helps to ensure that items cook evenly.
- Check foods early because air fryers (and even a different shape of meat) can cook at a different rate.
How to Use an Air Fryer
An air fryer is essentially a small convection oven that circulates air. The circulation of the air cooks quickly and creates crispy food and great color in a fraction of the time of baking or roasting. With just 3 easy steps you can have crispy air-fried dishes to enjoy!
- Preheat the air fryer if needed.
- Prep the food and place it in the air fryer basket ensuring there is space for air to circulate each piece.
- Set the time and temperature on the air fryer and let it work its magic!
Air Fryers can come in many forms now, from those that are compact countertop versions, to toaster oven-style air fryers, and even new full-sized ranges with an air fryer feature. Find our top air fryer choices here.
How to Preheat an Air Fryer
An air fryer should be preheated if you’d like to get a nice crisp or color on the outside of your food.
- If your air fryer has a preheat button, press it and you should be able to adjust the temperature. Allow the air fryer to preheat for approximately 5 minutes or until the air fryer indicates it is preheated.
- If your air fryer has no preheat button, set the air fryer to the desired temperature and let it heat for 5-7 minutes. Add the food and reset the timer to the correct time as indicated by the air fryer recipe.
5 Beginner Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
What Else Can You Cook in an Air Fryer
Almost anything and everything that isn’t liquid! Meats, eggs, casseroles, potatoes, leftovers, muffins, breads. Here are our favorites:
Air Fryer Appetizers
We love cooking air fryer appetizers because they’re easy, quick and come out as crispy as deep fried without the mess. Make appetizers from scratch or buy prepared appetizers and serve with your favorite sauces.
Air Fryer Dinner Recipes
Dinner is ready in a fraction of the time in an air fryer. Meats come out tender and juicy with a nice crust, crumbs and coatings crisp up beautifully and clean up is a breeze.
Sides in the Air Fryer Recipes
The air fryer is great for potatoes and fries but we also love it for roasting veggies. If you have meat drippings in the bottom of your air fryer (especially from chicken skin) toss it with your veggies before you cook them for an extra boost of flavor.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
Did you know you can brown beef in the air fryer, make nachos, desserts, or even boil eggs? Here are a few things you probably didn’t know you could make in the air fryer.
Air fryer chicken is AMAZING! A hit every time and foolproof!
I agree, it’s one of our favorites!
Lots of yummy looking recipes
Thank you so much Marsha! To receive emails with new recipes, you can click here to sign up.
I love finally finding good recipes for my air fryer.
Thanks!!
You’re welcome Michelle! Enjoy the air fryer! We love it.
can you cook frozen battered cod in the air fryer
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Edith, but I think that should work just fine! You will just want to make sure you cook the cod to an internal temperature of 145°F.
Can you do frozen chicken Kiev in the air fryer and if so, how would you cook it?
Sure you can! I cook frozen stuffed chicken at 380°F for about 18-20 minutes. You’ll want to ensure it reaches 165°F.
Thank you so much for sharing tips and recipes for first time Air Fryers, Miss Holly! I just bought an InstaPot with an Air Fryer as a late Christmas present, and I am looking forward to trying some delicious dishes!
You are very welcome, Shawnae! We can’t wait to hear what your favorite recipes are!