40 Genius Air-Fryer Recipes, From Homemade Pop Tarts to Toasted Raviolis

A bit basic, yes, but the air fryer was made for potatoes — and since it's so easy, this is a great air-fryer recipe for beginners. These air-fryer potatoes are crispy on the outside and perfectly creamy on the inside. Almost any type of potato will work for this recipe if you aren't a fan of baby yellows.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Potatoes

This recipe calls for canned salmon, making it easy to whip up using pantry ingredients when you don't have anything fresh on hand. (That said, you can also use fresh leftover salmon if you happened to make too much the night before, for example.) Eat them with a fork and knife over greens or grains, or serve on a bun to eat as a burger.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Salmon Patties

If you're eating plant-based or want a spotlight-worthy side dish or veggie app, serve up this air-fryer buffalo cauliflower. You get a boost of fiber and antioxidants from the cauliflower, but the flavor of delicious buffalo wings. Eat this dish warm with your favorite creamy dip, and perhaps some carrot and celery sticks on the side.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

To skip the annoying splatter and cleanup that usually comes with cooking bacon, try making this classic breakfast meat in the air fryer instead. The steps couldn't be simpler — making this a perfect air-fryer recipe for beginners — and cooking bacon in the air fryer results in perfectly crispy strips and no annoying hot grease to deal with. If you have a smaller air-fryer model, you can twist your bacon strips to make them fit into your basket.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Bacon

Unlike oven-baked versions which take upwards of 30 minutes, these air-fryer meatballs cook in under 10 minutes — even if they came from the freezer. Make them mini to serve as a party appetizer or larger to serve with pasta. Either way, you can swap the beef for ground turkey if you prefer.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Meatballs

Prep the marinade for this dish ahead of time so it's ready whenever you want to toss some chicken in the air fryer. Pair the cooked chicken with a green salad and a whole grain (like quinoa or sorghum) for a satisfying and nutritious repast.

Get the recipe: Honey-Balsamic Air-Fryer Chicken Thighs

Fish that's cooked in the air fryer gets a satisfying crispy coating and a moist and delicious inside. This light dish calls for Persian cucumbers — if you can't find that specific variety of cukes, English work well, too.

Get the recipe: Blackened Air-Fryer Salmon With Cucumber-Avocado Salsa

This seasoned air-fryer shrimp is quick to make and can be used in countless ways — try serving with rice and veggies, a salad, or tortillas with fajita fixings. If you don't have honey to make the marinade, maple syrup will work as a substitute.

Get the recipe: Honey-Lime Air-Fryer Shrimp

This beautiful side — fit for dinner or brunch — is surprisingly simple as long as you use small potatoes, making it a great air-fryer recipe for beginners that still looks impressive. A little dried rosemary goes a long way in giving these an herbaceous flavor.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Potato Roses

Truth: steak can be intimidating to cook. This air-fryer recipe for beginners makes it easier. For a meal that's impressive and easy to prep, try this air-fryer steak with garlic butter. Remember to not crowd your steaks, as they won't cook evenly if they overlap. You can prepare the herb butter up to 24 hours before you plan to use it.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Steak With Garlic Butter

Thanks to this simple air-fryer recipe, you can have french fries at home in a matter of minutes. They're so delicious when it comes to flavor and crispiness, you won't be able to tell the difference between air-fried fries and traditional deep-fried ones. Try sprinkling them with a touch of cayenne pepper if you like heat.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer French Fries

A baked potato in the air fryer? Yes, indeed. Just three ingredients and an air fryer are all you need to enjoy a creamy spud in 20 minutes. If you're making more than one potato with this air-fryer recipe, be sure to choose ones that are similar in size so that they cook at the same rate.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Baked Potato

These honey-lime taquitos will forever change the way you do dinner. With a crunchy exterior and a juicy chicken interior, every bite of these will make your mouth water. Serve them with shredded cheese, creamy guac, and a dash of lime.

Get the recipe: Honey-Lime Air-Fryer Taquitos

If you're craving chicken tenders, this air-fryer recipe will make you drool on the spot. These easy-to-make tenders are perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside and pair well with dips of all kinds. Fair warning: in true Nashville style, these tenders are hot. If you want to dial back the spice, reduce or omit the cayenne in the hot sauce.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Nashville-Style Hot Chicken Tenders

Not a morning person? You will be after you have these fruit-filled air-fryer biscuits for breakfast. Filled with blueberries (fresh or frozen!) and drizzled with a super-sweet glaze, you can make a batch of these air-fryer biscuits and enjoy them with coffee or tea, and even for dessert.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Blueberry Biscuits

Not sure how to cook fish at home? This tilapia air-fryer recipe is an easy answer. Completed with a dollop of homemade lemon-garlic aioli, this makes for an easy weeknight dinner served alongside a veggie and whole grain.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Tilapia

An air fryer is a perfect tool for making onion pakoda, a popular Indian street food. Onion pakoda is like an onion fritter made with besan flour and spices — and wow, is it good.

Get the recipe: Classic Onion Pakoda

Spiced with chili, garlic, and lime, these air-fryer plantain chips have a zesty flavor that tastes great when dunked in creamy guacamole. To make these, you'll want to find green plantains, as they stay crunchy and have more of a savory flavor.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Plantain Chips with Creamy Guacamole

When cooked properly, Brussels sprouts can be downright addicting. Make them in the air fryer to get crispy edges and warm, chewy insides, then top them off with a homemade honey-soy glaze and sesame seeds.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Brussels Sprouts With Honey-Soy Glaze

Making lamb chops sounds a bit intimidating for novice cooks, but this air-fryer recipe is super easy — promise. It'll only take you 15 minutes, and the best part is they're marinated in red-wine vinegar and herbs that make them taste absolutely divine.

Get the recipe: Seasoned Air-Fryer Lamb Chops

These five-ingredient air-fryer doughnuts are about to become your go-to dessert. Flaky, puffy, and deliciously sweet, these doughnuts are great dipped in melted butter and dusted in cinnamon and sugar. If you're feeling fancy, you can even add sprinkles or a colored sugar glaze.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Doughnuts

Made with only seven ingredients, these tasty chicken wings get their flavor from a tangy cilantro-lime marinade. And they're a great air-fryer recipe for making ahead: you can marinate them for up to 24 hours in the fridge before cooking.

Get the recipe: Cilantro-Lime Air-Fryer Chicken Wings

Use any kind of chicken you like — drumsticks, wings, tenders — to make this air-fryer recipe for Korean fried chicken. "Double frying" makes each bite unbelievably crispy, and a swoon-worthy sauce adds bold flavor.

Get the recipe: Korean Fried Chicken

One of the most delicious ways to make veggies is by roasting them in the oven, but that can take really long. Instead, toss broccoli, cauliflower, red onions, Brussels sprouts, and radishes in the air fryer to serve as a snack platter or nutritious side dish for any meal. Just add a sauce for dipping or drizzling on top, and your work here is done.

Get the recipe: Air-Fried Vegetables Snack Platter

Roasted chickpeas can be a delicious fiber- and protein-filled snack, but it's not always easy to get them crispy in the oven. Enter: an air fryer. Use this air-fryer recipe to make roasted chickpeas you can nosh on as a snack, toss onto salads, or eat in a hearty grain bowl. You can customize your seasoning to make them spicy, sweet, cheesy, or anything in between.

Get the recipe: Easy Roasted Chickpeas

Save these air-fryer breakfast potatoes for brunch or when you're in the mood for breakfast for dinner. They're fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside, pairing exceptionally well with ketchup, eggs, sausage, and cheese.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Breakfast Potatoes

You know you're in for a treat when tater tots are on the table. This easy air-fryer recipe can be made in 15 minutes, meaning you can sink your teeth into crispy, crunchy, and warm tots before you know it. Pair them with the dips of your choice to really make them shine.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Tater Tots

If you're just testing out your air fryer or looking for simple air-fryer recipes for beginners, these caramelized bananas are just the thing for you. With three ingredients and just a couple of steps, you'll have a sweet snack or creative dessert ready to eat in less than 10 minutes.

Get the recipe: Air-Fryer Caramelized Bananas

Yes, those are toasted ravioli. This 10-minute air fryer recipe for begnners is easy to whip up when you're hungry for an app, or you can make a full meal out of it. Top off these toasted bites with seasonings, marinara, or butter.

Get the recipe: Air Fried Toasted Ravioli