Quick and Easy Air Fryer Recipes For Every Meal of the Day

ove over microwaves-air fryers are the newest kitchen appliance to take the world by storm. They’re innovative, easy-to-use, and capable of creating some of the crispiest, most delicious foods you can think of. 

You may hear the word air fryer and think it’s only good for frozen bagel bites and French fries, but you’d be sorely mistaken. The possibilities with one of these magic-appliances are truly endless. 

If you don’t already own an air fryer and you’re wondering whether or not they’re worth the investment, take it from us--they are. It uses 70% less oil than usual frying techniques and is way more versatile than other kitchen appliances. 

We’ve compiled a list of air fryer recipes perfect for every meal of the day and a few snacks and sweet bites too. You can truly live off of food made in an air fryer, and the best part about it is 90% of the recipes listed take less than 30 minutes to prepare. So you’ll spend less time cooking, and more time finding even more delicious recipes to try out.

This list of air fryer delicacies is about to blow your mind.

Air Fried Appetizers

We think one of the most important parts of a meal is the appetizers. Finger foods hold the keys to our hearts. So, next time you need to impress your party guests with some expertly created, crispy snacks, we have some creative, tasty options for you. 

Wonton Mozzarella Sticks 

Wonton Mozzarella Sticks are a healthier take on a classic cheesy appetizer. They’re super easy to make and all you need to create this cheesy, melt-in-your-mouth snack is mozzarella string cheese, egg roll paper, olive oil, and salt. 

Prepping this app is as easy as rolling the string cheese in egg roll paper and drizzling it with olive oil to prevent sticking. Once you have all string cheeses wrapped, pop them into the air fryer for 6 minutes at 350 degrees and flip halfway through. Pair with your favorite dipping sauce. 

Mac n’ Cheese Balls

The heavens truly opened up the day mac n’ cheese balls were invented. Whoever came up with the idea to cover mac n cheese in breadcrumbs and then FRY it, deserves some sort of award. This recipe only takes about 25 minutes if you do it the easy way, which I think we all probably prefer. Who wants to make something harder if it doesn't have to be? Not us.

All you need is stovetop mac n’ cheese, breadcrumbs (panko, or Italian seasoned), and eggs to make these cheesy bites. For the best results, chill the stovetop mac n cheese after it’s made so that it’s easier to form balls out of the pasta. 

Fried pickles

Pickles--you either hate them or you’re obsessed with them. There is no in-between. For our pickle lovers out there, this is the holy grail of fried pickle recipes. The best part is, it only takes 25 minutes to make. So grab your favorite dill pickle slices and get this party started.

Copycat Outback Bloomin’ Onion

If you’re a living, breathing human being you’ve probably heard of Outback Steakhouse’s bloomin’ onion appetizer. It’s delicious and becomes an out-of-body experience when paired with horseradish aioli.

We’ve discovered a copycat recipe that you can make right in your air fryer. It’s tasty and perfect to share at any party. 

Breakfast

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well, if that’s actually the case--shouldn’t you be stuffing your face with something delicious each morning then? We’ve compiled some amazing breakfast air fryer recipes that’ll get your morning started off right. 

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

These may not be Dunkin Donuts level, but they’re sure up there. This Cinnamon Sugar Air Fryer Donut recipe takes 15 minutes to complete and calls for a package of refrigerated dough biscuits, avocado or coconut oil, a basting brush, and cinnamon sugar. They may not be fully homemade, but they’re quick and so delicious. 

Breakfast Hash

We’ve never met a potato we didn’t love. When it comes to air fryer breakfast hash, we may have found THE potatoes. They taste better than diner potatoes and are made with less oil. 

The recipe requires several types of potatoes, yellow onion, garlic powder, thyme, and olive oil, but you can add your own flair with any ingredients you want. It takes about 20-30 minutes to cook, but the wait will be worth it once you taste how crispy and delicious this breakfast hash is. 

Breakfast frittata

Frittatas are the perfect combination of an omelet and a quiche. They’re cheesy, delicious, and super easy to make in an air fryer even on the most hectic of mornings.

This easy breakfast meal only takes 9 minutes in total and all you need are a couple of eggs and whatever cheeses and veggies you want to include. This will require having a pan that is made for the air fryer or one that can fit into the appliance. Mix the eggs and additional ingredients, pour them into a pan, and pop them into the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 6-8 minutes and you’re all done!

Quick + Delicious Lunch in the Air Fryer

Whether you pack your lunch for work in the office or you make it on the go as you work from home, we have recipes that are so delicious you might consider making the same thing for dinner! 

Bang Bang Chicken 

Who said lunch has to be boring? If you’ve ever had bang bang sauce before, you know how addicting the tangy spicy flavor is. Coating air fried chicken in bang bang sauce takes the flavor up to an even more delicious level. 

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It only takes about 30 minutes to create this restaurant-style bang bang fried chicken that you’ll want to make again and again. 

English muffin pizza

If you’re like us, you could eat pizza for any meal. This English muffin-style pizza might sound like something you packed for lunch back in middle school, but that’s what makes this recipe perfect. It’s hassle-free and only takes 5 minutes to make. 

All you’ll need is English muffins, mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, and your favorite pizza toppings. Pop those muffins in the air fryer at 400 for 5 minutes and enjoy your favorite middle school lunch again! 

Coconut shrimp

This air fryer coconut shrimp recipe is a healthier version of the fried coconut shrimp you’d find in a restaurant because the air fryer method uses less oil. You can add this shrimp to any salad or stir fry and pack it for lunch or eat it for dinner! 

All you need is a pound of raw shrimp, flour, two eggs, shredded coconut, panko breadcrumbs, and cooking spray. It’s that easy to have restaurant-inspired shrimp in under 25 minutes! 

Easy Air Fryer Dinner Ideas

Dinner is the moment of the day where your family gets a chance to slow down to enjoy a meal together. Catch up with each other over delicious food (and somewhat healthy) with these wonderful dinner recipes. 

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs 

It’s tempting to order takeout Chinese food for dinner sometimes--but you can get the same Asian-inspired taste with this delicious air fryer Asian glazed chicken recipe. It’s tangy, delicious, and tastes great paired with steamed rice and bok choy. 

Eggplant parm 

The Air fried version of this popular Italian recipe is one of our favorite vegetarian options for dinner. The several main ingredients you’ll need are a large eggplant, two eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, and marinara sauce. 

If you’d like to make the meal more filling, we recommend putting your eggplant parm over a bed of angel hair pasta with your favorite sauce. 

Blackened Air Fryer Salmon

Salmon is such a delicious and healthy option to have for dinner. There are so many different ways to make it, but we love when salmon has a bit of a kick. That’s exactly what you get with this Blackened Salmon recipe. 

It takes less than 30 minutes to make this wonderful entree that the whole family will love. 

Chimichangas

This is one of those recipes that you never thought would be possible in an air fryer, but the air fryer’s circulating heat turns the chimichangas into the perfect, crispy consistency that you’ll never get enough of. 

It only takes about 30 minutes to complete this Mexican-inspired meal for eight. So preheat the air fryer and have yourself a fiesta. 

Delish Air Fryer Side Dishes

You can’t have dinner without a few sides! Try out these easy-to-make air fryer sides that are perfect for any dinner--big or small. 

Brussel sprouts

Brussels sprouts are our favorite vegetable of the moment. There is so much you can do to make sprouts taste amazing--from cheese to bacon, to caramelized onions. This recipe focuses on using balsamic to make your brussels sprouts taste bold, tangy, and crispy. 

All you need is a pound of brussels sprouts, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. These little cherubs only take 25 minutes to complete, but you might need to make more--because they’re that delicious. 

Buffalo cauliflower

The air fryer creates the perfect crisp on the outside of these buffalo cauliflower bites that may completely replace wings for you. 

Sweet potato fries

Sweet potato fries are the “healthy-ish” alternative to french fries. They pack a lot more flavor and the air fryer gives them the greatest crisp on the outside--you won’t be able to put them down. 

Sweet Air Fried Desserts

No meal is complete without dessert. If it were up to us, we’d skip the rest of the meals and dive face-first into the sweet stuff. You might think we’re insane to make desserts in the air fryer, but they’re fast, delicious, and tasty enough to satisfy the sweetest sweet tooth. 

Churros

Churros are a really fun and tasty dessert to make with your family or friends on a night in. The air fryer makes this dessert especially delicious by adding the perfect cinnamon sugar crisp to the outside of the churro dough. 

The prep and cook time are quick and easy, but it takes about 1 hour for the dough to rest, so if you can’t contain your sweet tooth for that long, we suggest trying out one of our other desserts while you wait! 

Baked apples 

If you have a sweet tooth, but you’re looking for a healthified dessert that won’t leave you feeling guilty-this is the one for you.

You probably already have all of the ingredients you need in your pantry right now. All you need is Apples, Butter, Cinnamon, Oats, Flour, and Maple Syrup. Make it a bit sweeter by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. 

Chocolate chip cookies

This is proof that you can truly make anything in the air fryer. We love the texture that comes from air fryer cookies. You get the crispy, golden brown outside and a soft gooey inside that pairs perfectly with a cold glass of milk. 

With this chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll have freshly baked cookies in less than 15 minutes. Don’t blame us if you eat the whole tray. They’re that good. 

We hope you see now that the air fryer can be the most versatile appliance in your kitchen. There are so many recipes to try on this list, so get to cooking!