I spent a week making 3-ingredient meals in my air fryer, and I’d cook every delicious dish again

I use my air fryer for almost everything, from crisping up leftovers to quickly preparing breakfast.

So, I was curious if combining the appliance’s ability to cook things fast with three-ingredient recipes could optimize my days even more.

After all, fewer ingredients often mean fewer dishes and a speedier prep time. If I could spend less time in the kitchen while still having delicious food, I’d be golden.

Here’s how the week went.

I started by making pork chops.

The three ingredients used in this recipe from blogger Chewable Structures were olive oil, seasoning, and pork chops.

I couldn’t find the specific McCormick spice blend she recommends using, so I made one using a combination of chipotle pepper, roasted garlic, salt, and pepper.

I let the chops sit in the olive oil and seasonings for about 15 minutes.

I coated each chop in a drizzle of olive oil, then massaged in the seasoning blend.

After preheating the air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, I put one chop in each basket. I cooked them for 10 minutes on one side, then five on the other.

They came out perfectly.

I don’t often cook pork chops because they tend to easily get dry. So, I couldn’t believe how juicy and perfect these chops came out.

The olive-oil coat gave these a nice golden crust and the meat maintained its moisture. I would make these air-fryer pork chops for dinner any night of the week.

Next, I made butternut squash, which I ate with the chops.

I love butternut squash, but roasting it in the oven can heat up my whole house and take a long time.

So I tried this easy recipe from food blogger All the Nourishing Things that’s paleo, vegan, vegetarian, and Whole30-friendly.

First, I peeled, gutted, and chopped my squash into 1/8-inch thick moons.

I chopped the fresh rosemary as finely as I could.

Next, I combined the squash with olive oil and rosemary. I added some salt and pepper for extra flavor.

I placed the prepared squash in a preheated air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, shaking halfway.

Butternut is my favorite type of squash — it’s so versatile.

The squash was tender and well-seasoned. I also think it paired well with the pork chops.

Next time, I’ll add in some garlic and onion powder and chili flakes for a little kick.

Next up were the three-ingredient chicken wings.

This recipe from food blogger Smile Sandwich was so easy. First, I sprayed the air-fryer baskets and chicken wings with cooking spray.

Next, I placed the wings in the preheated air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes, shaking the basket every so often.

I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of these wings.

To make my sauce, I skeptically combined barbecue and Buffalo sauces. I like them separately, but I wasn’t sure they’d be good together.

Once the wings were cooked through — the less crowded the baskets, the quicker they cook — I coated them in the sauce while they were still hot.

The wings had a slightly crispy texture from the air fryer, and the barbecue-Buffalo combination was excellent. It was sweet, tangy, and had a little kick.

I was ready to try something sweet, so the next recipe was a Nutella sandwich.

Anyone who’s a fan of Nutella will enjoy this recipe from blogger Blue Jean Chef. First, butter one side of each of the two pieces of bread.

Then, spread a thick layer of Nutella on the other sides and add a layer of sliced banana. Instead of Nutella, I used a hazelnut spread from Whole Foods.

Close the sandwich with the butter side on the outside.

This came out perfectly toasty.

I stuck the sandwich in the preheated air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes on one side, then a couple more on the other.

The sandwich was toasty and indulgently gooey on the inside. Definitely eat it with a glass of milk.

This bagel recipe was my favorite to make.

This bagel recipe from blogger Best Recipe Box blew my mind. I had no idea you could make bagels with just yogurt and flour.

First, I combined plain, non-fat Greek yogurt and self-rising flour.

I mixed the ingredients until they started to form a ball. Then I lightly floured my cutting board and kneaded the dough with my hands for about 30 seconds.

The dough wasn’t too sticky.

I cut the dough into four parts and added flour to my hands when the dough got too sticky.

I rolled each chunk into a ball, then used a floured finger to stick a 1-inch-wide hole into each, giving it a bagel-like shape. Then, I let them rest and rise for 15 minutes.

Don’t crowd the air-fryer basket.

After they rested, I brushed an egg wash over the bagels and sprinkled on my toppings. I used everything seasoning and cinnamon sugar. 

Then, I placed the bagels in the air-fryer basket, allowing them enough space to rise and spread. 

I liked that I could top the bagels with whatever I wanted.

I sprayed the basket with cooking spray and then cooked the bagels at 330 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes.

They were golden and ready to be eaten.

I will be making these bagels a lot more in the future.

These air-fryer bagels were the perfect size and had a soft, moist texture on the inside.

They were awesome on their own or with cream cheese, butter, or jam. I will absolutely be making these again.

Cooking with puff pastry can be a pain, but not with the air fryer.

Working with puff pastry can sometimes be tough. But the air fryer perfectly cooked the pastry evenly, giving it a fluffy, flaky texture that was just what I was craving.

Following blogger Cook It Real Good’s recipe, I took my defrosted pastry sheet and cut it into rectangles. 

Then I took a regular-sized hot dog and cut it in half. I rolled the two halves of the hot dog in the pastry and brushed them with an egg wash.

Wrapping the hot dogs was my favorite part.

I placed the hot dogs in the preheated air fryer at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for about eight minutes, until the puff pastry was golden.

These air-fryer hot dogs came out delicious. The combination of slightly sweet puff pastry with the hot dogs made these seem much fancier than if I’d cooked frozen, premade pigs in a blanket.

If you love ranch, you’ll probably enjoy this chicken recipe.

This three-ingredient buttermilk-ranch chicken from blogger Hurried Hostess surprised me by using ranch dip as a marinade to tenderize and flavor the chicken tenders.

Many chefs soak chicken in buttermilk before frying it, so this was a similar deal.

I marinated the chicken for a couple of hours.

I couldn’t find the Helluva Good! dip the recipe asked for, so I substituted for a different ranch dip, which worked fine. 

I started by combining the chicken with the ranch dip and letting it soak for a couple of hours.

I coated each piece in panko bread crumbs.

Next, I coated each chicken strip in panko and placed them in a preheated air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes. I flipped them halfway. 

I knew they were done when they were golden brown. The chicken had a great, crunchy coating and was super tender on the inside.

I would make this again with thighs and drumsticks, too.

Overall, I thought every recipe was worth making again.

These recipes were so easy to make and yielded tasty dishes. If I were to make them again, I would simply add some extra seasoning to a few of the dishes, like the squash and chops.

I also like how customizable most of these recipes were. For example, instead of using a banana for the Nutella sandwich, you could use strawberries.

You can also coat the air-fryer chicken wings in any sauce, whether you want straight Buffalo or a combination. 

This story was originally published on July 9, 2022, and most recently updated on June 27, 2025.

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