61 Healthy Air Fryer Recipes For Every Meal
Air frying makes achieving healthier meals so EASY, from breakfast to dessert.
Considering we've dedicated multiple print issues and more than 100 online recipes to air frying, not to mention tested out a huge number of air-frying appliances in our test kitchen, it's no secret that air fryers are a major obsession here at Delish. Air fryers are convenient, clean, and so versatile that we’re making every meal in them, from breakfast to dinner. The best part? Because they utilize hot air convection cooking, rather than deep or pan-frying, air fryers can produce healthier recipes in a fraction of the time. Check out our 61 healthy air fryer recipes for ideas. Even if you don’t own an air fryer yet, these just might convince you to try air frying for yourself.
Looking for other ways to eat healthier? Utilizing your air fryer is a great first step, but we’ve got some ideas to take it even further. We know health looks different to different people, so we’ve included options for every diet, like low-carb, vegan, pescatarian, gluten-free, and more.
Need a healthy air fryer breakfast option? Try our air fryer donuts, sweet potato breakfast hash, turkey breakfast sausage, or our GF oat pancakes. Looking for a quick and easy healthy lunch? Try our chicken sandwich, air fryer fish tacos, tahini black bean fritters (great as sliders or in a wrap like falafel), or Korean-inspired pork tenderloin lettuce wraps. Want to try dinner in your air fryer? You can make everything from classics like chicken Parm or orange chicken to more spice-forward options like our tandoori turkey breast or blackened tilapia with mango salsa in there. Don’t even get us started on snacks. Try our roasted chickpeas, our loaded zucchini skins, air fryer tostones (with mojo sauce), or kale chips for ideas. You can even make desserts in there, like our vegan chocolate zucchini birthday cake, apple pie baked apples, or gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
Have we convinced you to try air frying yet? If you want even more inspiration, check out our Party In An Air Fryer cookbook, or our new bookazine, Easy + Healthy Air Fryer, on newsstands now.
Air Fryer Turkey Meatloaf
These little meatloaves are exactly what we want to eat when we’re homesick, but trying to eat just a little bit healthier (we swapped ground beef for leaner turkey!). Maybe it’s the ketchup. Maybe it’s the brown sugar. Maybe it’s the tantalizing scent of a cozy meal made extra easy in our air fryer.
Get the Air Fryer Turkey Meatloaf recipe.
Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Imagine the best fried chicken you've ever had. Now imagine if it wasn't even fried. Crazy, right? Not with this easy air-fryer fried chicken recipe! The air fryer works some kind of magic, crisping the chicken up perfectly while keeping the meat within tender and juicy.
Get the Air Fryer Fried Chicken recipe.
Air Fryer Korean-Inspired Pork Tenderloin Lettuce Wraps
Lean pork tenderloin is the perfect vehicle for the spicy sweet sauce in these lettuce wraps. They’re fun to eat like lettuce tacos, but you could also just transform the whole thing into a rice or grain-based bowl, too.
Get the Air Fryer Korean-Inspired Pork Tenderloin Lettuce Wraps recipe.
Air Fryer Potatoes
The air fryer works wonders on potatoes—they get extra crispy all over and stay perfectly soft on the inside. You only need to use a little bit of oil, so all of the seasonings stick.
Get the Air Fryer Potatoes recipe.
Air Fryer Cauliflower Tacos
To get extra crispy "fried" cauliflower, you've gotta use your air fryer. This recipe is basically the vegan version of our favorite fish tacos, so you know it's good. The finishing touch? A quick and easy pickled slaw for a bite of freshness and a spicy mayo for a touch of heat.
Get the Air Fryer Cauliflower Tacos recipe.
Air Fryer Donuts
If you've ever had a baked doughnut, brace yourself: These are SO much better. Thanks to the yeasted dough, these taste like freshly fried classic glazed donuts. They're still light and airy, but without the extra oil.
Get the Air Fryer Donuts recipe.
Air Fryer Pork Chops
Most of the time, we don't get very excited about pork chops. Often overdone, they come out dry, sad, and flavorless (which is too bad, since they're a great source of lean protein). Cooking them in an air fryer changes all that. Due to the air fryer's intense heat circulation technology, the outside crisps slightly while the inside stays nice and juicy.
Get the Air Fryer Pork Chops recipe.
Cauliflower Tots
These cheesy, cauliflower-packed nuggets of joy might be better than the potato version. We've included an oven-baked version as well as an air-fryer version here—both are great, but we're in love with how golden the air fryer version gets!
Get the Cauliflower Tots recipe.
Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Think the crispiest chicken sandwich is only available at the drive-thru? Think again! We can’t believe how golden and juicy these cutlets turn out in the air fryer. They’re great in sandwich form, but would be just as good on top of a salad or sliced over rice.
Air Fryer Turkey Breakfast Sausage
You’re gonna flip over the flavor of these homemade sausage patties. They’re just as delicious as the classic pork version, but made with leaner ground turkey (and in your air fryer, which means they require less oil!). Serve them alongside some air fryer pancakes or French toast sticks for the easiest breakfast ever.
Air Fryer Loaded Zucchini Skins
These loaded zucchini skins are a fresh, healthier twist on potato skins. Don't worry, though—they're still stuffed with plenty of cheddar, tomato, and avocado.
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Hash
Smoked paprika and dill make these supercharged sweet potatoes a savory breakfast-lover’s dream. Change up the spices—chili powder, perhaps?—depending on what’s in the pantry. This is a pretty powerful breakfast as is, but for extra oomph, add a dollop of Greek yogurt or a poached egg on top.
Get the Air Fryer Sweet Potato Hash recipe.
Air Fryer Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Birthday Cake
This cake has a lot of secrets: Zucchini keeps it super moist, instant espresso powder makes the chocolate taste more chocolatey, and apple cider vinegar helps add lift. You won't believe it's vegan!
Get the Air Fryer Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Birthday Cake recipe.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Fried chicken wings are delicious, but they make a big mess with all that oil. These air fryer wings, on the other hand, are super easy to prepare and they're just as crunchy as the deep-fried kind. We're hooked!
Get the Air Fryer Chicken Wings recipe.
Air Fryer Everything Bagel Avocado Fries
Meet the love child of two iconic breakfasts: a toasted everything bagel with cream cheese and savory avocado toast. The two dish's high-fiber superpowers combine in these irresistible, low-carb avocado fries, which get their crisp texture from a spin in the air fryer.
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
The fact that crispy golden chicken can be achieved without the use of any oil whatsoever is amazing. This air fryer chicken Parm tastes every bit as good as the traditional version, but requires much less effort to whip up.
Get the Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan recipe.
Air Fryer Tofu
The basic steps of this recipe are to marinate the tofu, dredge it in cornstarch, air fry it, and then toss it with sauce. The marinade and sauce is entirely up to you, but we happen to love this soy marinade and spicy sauce combo, which reminds us a lot of bang bang shrimp!
Get the Air Fryer Tofu recipe.
Air Fryer Kale Chips
These air fryer kale chips are a super tasty way to start a healthy chip habit. They take just minutes to prepare, and making them in your air fryer means way less grease. Feel free to customize your chips with different herbs and spices—the possibilities really are endless.
Get the Air Fryer Kale Chips recipe.
Air Fryer Orange Chicken
Typically deep- or pan-fried in oil, orange chicken made in an air fryer translates to fewer calories and less fat, but tons of flavor. Of course, this dish is perfect over rice or whole grains, but if you are looking for a low-carb side, serve it over simple air-fried vegetables.
Get the Air Fryer Orange Chicken recipe.
Air Fryer Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti Squash
This dish is a great hands-off way to prep low-carb spaghetti squash. Toss it with Parm and lots of pepper like we did in this cacio e pepe-inspired version, or go with your favorite marinara sauce or pesto.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
