Cooking with an air fryer can be a heck of a lot of fun. The beauty of an air fryer is that you can get the same taste and texture of your favorite fried foods without all of that oil, and they make a positive impact if you’re looking to lose weight and limit calories. According to Healthline, the benefits of using air fryers include lower fat content, calories, and harmful compounds that are found when food is cooked in a pan, wok, or deep fryer.
Now, it’s easy to pop french fries, fried chicken, or frozen snacks into your air fryer and get a tasty, healthier result, but what are the best recipes and items you can cook using this game-changing gadget? Below you’ll find a handy list of delicious recipes and innovative products that you can cook in the air fryer for taste, flavor, and efficiency. It’s not just the usual food either, you can make desserts, pies, and even “boil” an egg. So, basically, as much as the air fryer is great for making our foods healthier, we’ve also found a few ways to use the air fryer for some more indulgent treats.
1. Air Fryer Apple Bites
The air fryer does everything, from savory to sweet and just about anything in between. These Air Fryer Apple Bites are such a fun way to play with your food. Take your traditional apple pie, with all of its familiar flavors and ingredients, and use the air fryer to turn them into something almost whimsical and fun. Toss them in cinnamon and sugar and – come on now! Less fuss and muss with these than with your conventional apple pie, and I’m all for fun ways to make food that’s familiar into something that’s a little bit different or unexpected.
2. Air Fryer Spicy Maple Candied Bacon
Using an air fryer has turned me from a traditionalist into an adventurer. Given that bacon is one of my favorite foods, it didn’t take long for me to start using my machine to experiment. It excels at set-and-forget preparation which means you can focus on other things instead of being pan-centric.
One of my favorite air fryer creations is Air Fryer Spicy Maple Candied Bacon. These strips make an indulgent sweet-salty snack or work terrifically as an interesting addition to salads and some sandwiches. And they are so easy to make quickly!
3. Air Fryer Fried Zucchini
Check out this amazing Air Fryer Fried Zucchini. Instead of an oily flavor, all the nutrients and flavor stay packed inside, with a crunchy delicious texture on the outside. Even my children, who are generally vegetable averse, will happily demolish crispy, golden air fried zucchini!
4. Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
Crab Rangoon is delicious, especially when fired to a golden crisp in your air fryer! Air Fryer Crab Rangoon is a simple and easy recipe that you can put together to make a great family snack or starter for a large group get-together.
5. Air Fryer Eggs
Air Fryer Eggs are brilliant and easy, primarily because you don’t actually need to boil anything. There’s no water, no pot watching, and less cleaning up. You can cook up to a half dozen eggs at a time (or more if you are a risk taker) to get a range of different yolk consistencies. As a person who has traditionally struggled to cook eggs effectively, this is one of the easiest methods to cook anything in the kitchen.
6. Air Fryer Chick-Fil-A Nuggets
Because I live thousands of miles away from a Chick-Fil-A store, I don’t have to battle the urge for a quick trip through the drive through. Any opportunity I can take to replicate those beautifully tender morsels of chicken, I will. If I can do it without a whole lot of oil, even better. You can create Air Fryer Chick-Fil-A Nuggets at home – and don’t forget the pickle juice. Make sure you load up because the whole family will want to eat them all!
7. Air Fryer Caramelized Bananas
Throwing banana quarters in the air fryer to caramelize with a couple of sweet things, is more my style of food adventure. I love how the heat and sweetness give the fruit a deliciously smooth caramel edge that can turn your dreary vanilla ice cream or frozen pie into a more vibrant, delectable dessert. These Air Fryer Caramelized Bananas couldn’t be more simple. My kids love them, I love them, on their own or with some whipped cream. No matter how you serve them, caramelized bananas are a win-win.
Conclusion
I love my air fryer. It’s perfect for pulling out my favorite frozen snacks and cooking them without the implications of all that hot oil. But better still is when I can get creative with some of my favorite foods to craft exciting little snack dishes and share meals.
What are your favorite creative air fryer foods?