It’s a well-known fact that we all need nutritious, healthy food.

Generally, food that has been fried or deep-fried is said to be unhealthy, but if you’re still craving for a tasty fried delight, an air fryer might be the best bet.

Why is that so?

Because air fryers use hot air and as little oil as possible, thus frying food in the healthiest way possible.

But – you may ask – what are some recipe ideas for an air fryer?

No need to look elsewhere! Below we’ve prepared for you the list of best foods to cook in an air fryer.

Air fryer: basics

First, some basics.

An air fryer is a very useful tool, perhaps a must-have item for every kitchen and family who wants to eat healthily but still be able to enjoy fried food. With the help of fans, the air fryer circulates hot air that results in food being cooked evenly.

To put it differently, you have the desired golden-brown color and crispy fried texture without any excess oil and necessity to deep-fry anything.

You almost have no limitations when you cook with an air fryer as you can bake desserts, roast meat and fish, cook various vegetables, make hot dogs and burgers, make crispy chips from various vegetables and fruits, and heat frozen food and leftovers. To show you how versatile cooking in an air fryer could be, we’ve chosen these 7 delicious recipes that we tried ourselves!

Air fryer: recipes

Antipasto Egg Rolls

Not only can you eat healthy with an air fryer, but you can cut down calories with this particular recipe. If you want egg rolls to be crispier, you can sprinkle some before cooking, but it’s not obligatory. Also, an important thing to know is that you need to cook in batches of 3, as the air fryer doesn’t have a lot of space to cook a ton of egg rolls.

For a batch of 3, you need 3 egg roll wrappers, 3 slices provolone, 3 slices deli ham, 9 slices pepperoni, 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini, fresh greens, and freshly grated Parmesan for serving.

Instructions:

Place the egg roll wrapper on a plate or clean surface.

Place a slice of ham obliquely in the center, top with a slice of provolone, 3 slices of pepperoni, and a pinch of mozzarella and pepperoncini.

Wet the corners and fold the bottom up, then tuck in the corners so the filling wouldn’t drop out.

Cook egg rolls at 390°F until they’re golden and crispy, for about 12 minutes. Flip once after 6 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan and fresh greens of your choice.

Bacon Avocado Fries

For 24 fries: 3 avocados, 24 thin strips of bacon, 1/4 cup ranch dressing.

Instructions:

Slice each avocado into 8 even pieces. Wrap each piece with a strip of bacon.

Arrange wrapped avocados in the air fryer’s basket in a single layer. Cook at 400°F for about 8 minutes until bacon is crispy.

Serve with ranch dressing.

Garlic Potatoes with Bacon

For 2 servings: 6 large-sized potatoes, 6 stripes of bacon, whole garlic cloves, sprinkle of olive oil, and seasoning of choice. Note that if you don’t like fresh garlic, you can use dry seasoning with garlic instead.

Instructions:

Peel potatoes, cut them into cubes, and sprinkle with olive oil. Add some seasoning of your choice and mix again.

Place potatoes in the air fryer basket and top it nicely with bacon strips. Cook it at 350°F for about 10 minutes.

Open the air fryer and check on the bacon, turn it around and place it back for 2 more minutes.

Open the air fryer and take out all the bacon. Chop it to add to the potatoes later.

Sprinkle potatoes with olive oil, set at 400°F, and cook it 10 more minutes to achieve the desired crisp.

Peel garlic cloves and grate them. Open the air fryer and add some grated garlic to the potatoes.

Shake the basket with potatoes and put it back for 5-7 minutes.

Pour potatoes in the bowl and add chopped bacon.

Glazed Salmon

For 2 servings: 2 salmon fillets, salt, ground black pepper, 2 tsp olive oil, 2 tbsp (tablespoon) wholegrain mustard, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 clove garlic minced, 1/2 tsp (teaspoon) thyme leaves.

Instructions:

Season salmon with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, mustard, thyme, and garlic. Grease salmon with the mixture.

Place salmon in the air fryer basket, set 400°F and cook for about 10 minutes.

Perfect Steak

Note that if you want to have another degree of doneness, you have to cook for about 12 to 15 minutes for well-done and 10 minutes for medium-rare.

For 2 servings: 4 tbsp softened butter, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tsp freshly chopped parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary, 1 ribeye (or another steak of your choosing), salt, and ground black pepper.

Instructions:

Combine butter with fresh chopped greens. Place the mixture in the center of the plastic wrap and roll in the log shape. Tie each end and place it in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Dry rub steak with salt and pepper on both sides.

Place steak in the basket of the air fryer, cook at 400°F for about 12 minutes for medium doneness. Flip once when half of the time has passed.

Top steak with one or two slices of herb butter before serving.

Apple Chips

Note that if you want perfectly crisp apples, you should choose Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith.

For 2 servings: 2 apples thinly sliced, 2 tsp granulated sugar, 1/2-1 tsp cinnamon.

Instructions:

Mix in the bowl thinly sliced apples with sugar and cinnamon.

Place apples in a single layer in the basket of an air fryer.

Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes, flipping every 4 minutes.

Cinnamon Rolls

For 4 servings: 1 tbsp melted unsalted butter, the pinch of all-purpose flour, 1 tube crescent roll dough, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, and 1 tbsp ground cinnamon.

Instructions:

Preheat the air fryer to 325°F.

Mix 1/4 cup light brown sugar and 1 tbsp ground cinnamon.

Place 1 tbsp melted unsalted butter in a bowl. Add a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon to the butter, and mix properly.

Cut a sheet of parchment paper to the size of the air fryer’s basket or tray, place it on a work surface.

Before spreading the dough, add a pinch of all-purpose flour to the parchment paper. Spread 1 tube crescent roll dough on the parchment and join any seams with your fingers.

Cover the dough evenly with cinnamon mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Carefully roll up the dough, starting from a long side. Use fingers to seal any seams, especially the final one.

Place the roll seam-side down and cut into 8 even pieces.

Arrange rolls on the parchment paper. Place the parchment into the basket or on the tray. Cook until rolls are puffed and golden brown for about 20 minutes.

Let the rolls sit for 5 minutes to cool down.

Conclusion

We hope that our list of the best foods to cook in an air fryer inspired you to try some new recipes. An air fryer lets you take joy in eating your favorite fried foods and still get all the necessary nutrients. Next time when you will be hosting a party or in need to impress a friend or a family member, try one of the recipes from our list and enjoy the food together!