10+ Must Try Air Fryer Recipes
If you have got your air fryer very recently and are trying to figure out how to put it to its best use, you have come to the right place! I have 10+ must-try air fryer recipes from my repertoire which my readers have loved immensely and I am sure you will too if you haven’t made them already!
Air fryer is magic! Yes! I am not exaggerating! If you ask me the best invention of recent times for the culinary world, I would go for the air fryer without even a blink of an eye!
And I am telling this from my experience of using this magical equipment from the past 2 years which has been extremely crucial in my fitness journey!
Fitness journeys can be boring as well as intimidating at the same time as I can tell from my first hand experience. You cannot continue to eat boring food consistently just to maintain a healthy eating habit.
Creating that balance of health and taste in your every meal is quite stressful and I am absolutely aware of that.
But if you can fix that balanced meal formula, your half of the battle against weight is won and the rest can be managed more comfortably.
To ease out the stress of mindful eating, I would always suggest taking help from technologies as much as you possibly can.
That’s how this life-saving device called “air fryer” entered our lives and there is no looking back since then!
I have been using my Instant Pot Air Fryer consistently for the past 2 years and it has never failed to impress me even on a single occasion!
Air fryer is not only for cutting down your oil consumption in fried food, but also is a remarkably helpful assistance in the kitchen for too many things which you may not have imagined yet!
Before getting into the various uses of air fryers, let’s first talk about how to choose the perfect air fryer model for your own purpose!
How to choose the perfect air fryer for your kitchen to make perfect air fryer recipes?
The very first step to experience the wonders of an air fryer is to choose the right one for your own kitchen and your own uses.
First thing first, air fryer will take up significant space on your kitchen countertop and it will require power connection.
So you need to, first and foremost, decide where you will operate it from once you have it.
You need to have a good space behind the machine for the air to flow out while circulating inside and a power outlet not far from it.
Once you are sorted with the space, now think about the quantity of food that you need to make for every meal depending on your family size.
If you are a family of 2, a medium sized air fryer of about 4 liters will fit the bill perfectly.
For a family of 4 or if you host parties with friends frequently, then I would recommend going for a larger size, about 6 liters.
The 6 liter air fryer that I use from the brand Instant Pot has proved to be perfect for our purposes for our family of 4 adults.
The reason I chose this model may sound a little silly! This air fryer does not come with a separate internal cooking basket leaving more space for the food whereas most does! Let me explain.
As you might have seen, all air fryers come with a drawer-like basket with a handle to pull it out; some have a separate small basket insert that sits inside the main basket and holds the food.
I feel that this extra basket insert wastes spaces unnecessarily which is why I selected this model where the food is placed inside the main basket only.
It comes with a non-stick cooking tray that holds the food inside the basket while allowing the excess oil to drip off through the holes making the air fried foods super-crispy!
So now that you are good with the air fryer model and have brought it home, let’s see how you can use this to the best of its abilities!
How to use an air fryer perfectly to make healthy air fryer recipes?
As the name suggests, an air fryer fries the food and it is as simple as that! But the real story does not end there.
Before breaking down the air fryer features, let us first discuss what does air frying even mean! Is it really air that is frying your food?
The answer is “Yes” as well as “No”! “No” because the cooking happens due to the heat coming from the heating coil on top.
“Yes” because the heat is transmitted to the food through hot air circulation and hence the name “Air” Fryer to make it simple for the consumers!
So if you think clearly, the cooking science behind an air fryer and a conventional oven is technically the same!
This may force you to wonder if you really need to buy another cooking device if you already own a good & trusty oven!
Being a food blogger, I can still justify buying multiple cooking devices as they not only help me cook healthy meals, but also expands my recipe horizon for my blogging repertoire.
For your own cooking needs, whether it is worth buying this new gadget or not will depend on what you want to achieve in terms of your healthy eating goals.
If you are a pro in using the conventional oven, honestly you can skip the air fryer! You can make all the air fryer recipes in your oven with maybe just adjusting the cooking time.
What are the best features of an air fryer?
Now if you ask me why you should buy an air fryer, then I can point out two specific features that stood out significantly for me making it a hands-down winner.
The best thing about an air fryer is its ease of use! I have used various types of kitchen gadgets but was never so impressed with the user-friendliness of any other as much as I am with this one!
Thanks to its drawer pull-out method of cooking basket, there is barely any chance of getting your hands burnt which is always a risk with ovens.
You won’t even need mittens to pull the basket out because the handle remains cool; just one tong or one spatula is enough to arrange or flip the food.
Because of its ease of use, our air fryer has become my husband’s best friend too! He always loved grilled foods but was intimidated by the oven which is now solved by this cute gadget!
He quickly whizzes up his favorite snacks like frozen French fries, chicken nuggets or chicken sausages without any fear or hassle!
And I am also with peace of mind as this technological marvel uses minimal oil to air fry while still making them super crispy and delicious!
That brings me to its second best feature and that is the use of almost next-to-zero oil to make air fryer recipes that are simultaneously healthy and tasty!
You must get an air fryer in your kitchen if you are also trying your best to cut down on oil, because we all know oil not only means unnecessary calories, but also is not good for our heart health or even our overall well being!
I use my air fryer almost daily to make my healthy meals, preferably dinner as it helps me cook superfast and that too without my supervision.
I usually have early dinner, but my working hours do not allow me to spend too much time in the kitchen during my early evenings as I mostly work during the US shift.
So all I need to do to have a low-calorie but high protein & high fiber dinner is to season a few chicken along with a generous serving of veggies and shut them in the air fryer to get a nice & tasty and oh-so-satisfying balanced meal!
Now I should also warn you of some limitations of this favorite gadget of mine!
Why shouldn’t you buy an air fryer? Who wouldn’t need an air fryer?
In spite of bringing incredible happiness into my life, this helpful device has some limitations too which we should not ignore to make an informed decision before investing in it.
I have already mentioned above that this air fryer will take up a significant space on your kitchen counter; so be mindful about it before bringing it home.
Secondly, the cooking area of any air fryer, even in the largest one available in the market today, is much smaller than the traditional oven.
So if you cook large meals then this most probably is not suitable for you as you will have to cook in batches which will ultimately take more time than cooking in a single batch in your good old oven.
My final verdict for the air fryer!
For our household, the air fryer has become an indispensable part of our kitchen as it helps us cook our favorite grilled foods in a jiffy while keeping its health aspect intact.
Unless you use this cooking device by yourself, you won’t believe how easily & beautifully this churns out all the grilled foods – meats & veggies – tasty as well as healthy because of negligible oil!
If you plan to use this device for cooking healthy & tasty meals for 2 to 3 adults, then I would strongly suggest to go for it!
For large family or if you do week-long meal prep, then it’s better to stick to the conventional oven for best value for time.
There are a few other uses of an air fryer apart from general cooking to make your overall cooking process helpful, but let’s save it for another time!
10+ Must-Try air fryer recipes from Flavor Quotient
I have already shared ample air fryer recipes till date and they are well-loved by all my readers!
So today I have listed below the 10+ must-try air fryer recipes rounding up from my blog to give you a good head start if you have just started using this equipment!
Air Fryer Potato Wedges
In love with crispy fried potatoes but worried about the calories they bring with them? Then these air fryer potato wedges will make you fall in love with them instantly as they have less than half the calories compared to the deep fried version but with zero compromise on taste!
Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings
Don’t let this cauliflower season slip by without trying this insanely delicious crispy air fryer cauliflower with the right amount of kick from paprika and a beautiful depth of flavor from garlic powder!
Air Fryer Fish Fingers
These crispy air fryer fish fingers simply blew me away with their insane crispiness on the outside and melt-in-mouth juiciness & softness inside! This air fryer fish finger is a must try if you already own an air fryer!
Air Fryer Fish Fillets
Juicy, succulent and absolutely mind-blowing – these are the only adjectives I can imagine to describe my stunning air fryer fish fillet! Plus it is super easy to make! Total win-win!
Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
These air fryer chicken breasts are so good that they will keep you hooked to your weightloss journey as you would crave to come back to this high protein low calorie chicken meal again and again!
Air Fryer Chicken Tikka
My air fryer chicken tikka is the good old chicken tikka made in an air fryer with minimal hassle and in significantly lesser time! A perfect win-win recipe which will make you happy and will cheer up everyone else around you with your culinary skill!
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Crispy baked chicken wings being our most favorite snacking item, these air fryer chicken wings with a spicy kick from Piri Piri seasoning could be named as the winner of all chicken wings recipes that I have shared till date!
Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
Air fryer chicken drumsticks, specifically these ones loaded with the flavors of thyme and garlic, will become your ultimate favorite way of devouring drumsticks going forward!
Air Fryer Meatballs in Teriyaki Sauce
If meatballs is one of your favorite things to eat, then this air fryer meatballs in Teriyaki sauce is going to win your heart as you can consume them guilt-free! Teriyaki sauce makes these already delicious meatballs absolutely irresistible!
Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken
If you are already in love with the quintessential tandoori chicken, then this air fryer tandoori chicken will give you extra reasons to love it even more and that too guilt-free!
Spicy Air Fryer Shrimp
Time to spice things up with this stunning spicy air fryer shrimp this Valentine’s day! If you are planning to enjoy this day of love in-house with your loved ones, these spicy shrimps are your best bet!
And that’s a wrap! Enjoy these air fryer recipes and I will keep coming back with even more exciting recipes made in air fryer!