10 Easy Air Fryer Recipes for Busy Weeknights
Quick, delicious and family-friendly meals you can make in minutes.
Brighter Days
Short on time but still want a delicious, home-cooked meal? These easy air fryer recipes are perfect for busy weeknights. They are quick, healthy and full of flavor, with minimal cleanup.
1Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. These air fryer chicken wings are a weeknight favorite and need nothing more than salt, pepper and a little baking powder.
2Crispy Brussels Sprouts
Halve them, toss in oil, and let the air fryer do the caramelising. A squeeze of lemon at the end stops them tasting flat.
3Garlic Parmesan Potatoes
Baby potatoes, crushed garlic and a handful of parmesan. Shake the basket twice so every side gets color.
4Air Fryer Salmon
Ten minutes at 400°F gives you a crisp top and a soft center. Skin-on fillets hold together best.
5Air Fryer Tofu
Press the block first, then cornflour and soy. The air fryer gets tofu crisp without a pan of oil.
Getting better results from any of these
Five things matter more than the recipe, and they apply to every dish on this page.
Do not crowd the basket
An air fryer works by moving hot air around food. Fill the basket and the air cannot circulate, so you steam instead of crisp. One layer, with gaps. Cook in two rounds rather than one crowded one, or use a two-basket model and split the load.
Shake or turn halfway
The heat comes from above. Whatever is on top browns first. Cosori builds a shake reminder into the Pro LE for exactly this reason; on other models, set a timer for halfway.
Preheat for short cooks
Anything under fifteen minutes benefits, because the food spends a meaningful share of its cook time waiting for the machine to get there. Instant states little to no preheating time on the Vortex range; even so, three minutes makes a difference to wings.
Dry the surface
Moisture on the outside has to evaporate before browning starts. Pat chicken, fish and washed vegetables dry with kitchen paper first. This is the step most people skip and the one that changes the result most.
Oil lightly, and on the food
A teaspoon tossed through the food beats a spray into the basket, which mostly lands on the crisper plate and burns. Most of these dishes need very little.
Timing notes
Every time on this page is a starting point for a machine at 400°F or below, in a single layer. Adjust for these:
- Basket size. A 2-quart Mini cooks a smaller load faster than a 10-quart DualZone running the same setting, because there is less air and less mass to heat.
- From frozen. Add roughly a third to the cook time and do not thaw first for chips or similar.
- Thickness, not weight. A thick salmon fillet takes longer than a thin one of the same weight. Go by the thickest part.
- Your machine. Temperatures vary between models. The first time you cook something, check early.
Not sure which machine suits the way you cook? Start with our air fryer comparison, or the air fryer section for sizing.