When everyone else was buying air fryers years ago, I held out. I still hauled out my deep-fat fryer and gallons of oil or wrestled with various frying pans and griddles.
Eventually, though, I gave in and bought a Gourmia 7-quart digital air fryer — I was astounded and delighted by how easy it was to use. Now, I love cooking with the appliance so much that I’ve even bought a second one.
From breakfast to dessert, here are some of my favorite things to make in an air fryer.
Stuffed portobello mushrooms make for a quick, tasty dinner.
There’s no end to the list of things you can pile on a portobello cap and pop in the air fryer.
A recipe from the blog Spend With Pennies pairs them with cheddar and bacon, but I know some people swear by spinach and cream cheese or garlic and Parmesan. I’ve also been inspired by crab-stuffed mushrooms with Gouda or ones that are a play on French onion soup.
I make mine with whatever I have on hand, but I particularly liked the batch I made with feta, cheddar, spinach, artichokes, breadcrumbs, and lemon.
I pop the caps in the air fryer for a few minutes, gill-side down, to let any water drain out before flipping them and adding toppings.
Breaded or panko-crusted shrimp turns out incredibly well in an air fryer.
There are tons of recipes out there for air-fried breaded shrimp.
I prefer mine served with a hint of heat, like the “bang bang” shrimp recipe from the recipe blog Stay Snatched. I also like the shrimp paired with lemon aioli.
Setting up a three-bowl dipping station is the best way to bread the shrimp quickly and efficiently — one bowl for flour, one for a whisked egg (sometimes I add mustard or mayo), and one for panko.
However, I’ve also made crispy shrimp by simply dipping lightly oiled shrimp in panko before tossing them in the air fryer.
I put nut-crusted chicken on the menu again and again.
Air-fried, nut-crusted chicken comes out moist, delicious, and with a perfect crust in just 20 minutes.
Depending on what kind of air fryer you have, it might take a little more or less time — I’ve found my basket air fryer cooks faster and my convection-oven air fryer takes slightly longer.
The blog Where Is My Spoon has a delicious, easy recipe for panko-breaded chicken. I adapted it by using half crushed nuts and half panko and adding smoked paprika and Parmesan for extra flavor.
Crab cakes with fire-roasted green chiles are my favorite appetizer.
Crab cakes are one of the tastiest things I’ve cooked since getting an air fryer.
I followed a Food Network recipe, substituting a can of fire-roasted green chiles and chipotle powder for the listed chipotle chiles and adobo sauce, just for convenience.
A creamy, lemony chipotle sauce is the perfect accompaniment. It’s so tangy and delicious that I could drink it.
Crispy tofu can be made with or without cornstarch.
I like the simple recipe for cornstarch-free, garlic-and-soy sauce tofu on the blog Live Eat Learn. It reminded me how much better the texture is after pressing the moisture out of the tofu before cooking (I used a heavy Dutch oven to squash my block).
I’ve also made crispy fried tofu with a ginger, tamari, and garlic marinade, finished with sesame seeds for extra crunch. The resulting tangy saltiness makes it a good bacon substitute for vegetarians and a delicious addition to Buddha bowls.
Corn “ribs” are an excellent air-fried option for vegetarians.
You can make corn “ribs” in an air fryer using all sorts of recipes.
I’ve used one from the blog Plant Based Folk. These corn “ribs” can be paired with elote-style seasoning, barbecue sauce, or even masala spice for an Indian-inspired take on the trend.
Pro tip: Microwave the cobs for seven to nine minutes before cutting them to make quartering easier.
Every batch of Buffalo cauliflower I make is devoured almost immediately in my house.
Buffalo cauliflower “wings” are a top choice any night of the week — it takes just 15 minutes to make crispy, spicy florets.
Simply whisk hot sauce, oil, garlic powder, and salt, and use the mixture to coat the cauliflower before tossing it into a single layer in the air fryer. I found the recipe I usually follow on Live Eat Learn.
Serve with blue cheese or another creamy dip.
Grilled cheese is a quick, simple air-fryer favorite.
Air-fried grilled cheese is a good, quick lunch. Larger air fryers easily fit a few sandwiches, or you can chop them into half-sized sandwiches to cram more in a smaller basket.
My favorite grilled cheese is a take on a recipe from The Kitchn, but with added apple slices.
I also love rustling up any cheese and jam, jelly, or fruit combination; a current favorite is ham, cheddar, and banana.
Pro tip: Cook at a lower temperature until the cheese melts, and then turn the heat up to toast the bread for an extra few minutes.
I throw garlic in alongside whatever vegetables I’m roasting.
Cooking garlic in the air fryer takes half as long as cooking it in a regular oven.
One writer from the blog Tasty Oven suggests slicing off the bottom of each head of garlic, cooking a big batch, and freezing the extras.
I like cooking the heads alongside roasted vegetables such as honeyed parsnips or carrots and then crushing the cloves to make garlic bread.
Apple hand pies are fiddly to make from scratch, but worth the effort.
Empanada-sized pies are a breeze to make with store-bought apple filling and pie dough. However, making your own lets you choose how much sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon to add.
The blog BellyFull has a great recipe for air-fryer hand pies, whether you’re making a premade or homemade version. Both turn out crisp and delicious in a basket air fryer or an oven air fryer. I tried both and couldn’t tell the difference.
According to the recipe, the pies last in the fridge for three days and in the freezer for up to two months.
Even cake can turn out perfectly in an air fryer.
I didn’t believe you could bake cakes in an air fryer, but I was proven wrong.
I’ve made some excellent cheesecakes in my basket air fryer, but the one I keep going back to is a simple coffee cake. I like a recipe from the blog Fork to Spoon.
I’ll be working my way through the other recipes on the site, too. I’ve also enjoyed the air-fryer banana-walnut pound cake and banana-nut bread.
Air-fried French toast is always on the menu.
I followed food writer Chelsea Davis’s technique for making air-fried French toast with a delicious, crispy exterior. I also like to add ground cardamom pods, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the eggy French toast batter.
Cutting the bread into fingers is a great tip for fitting more toast into basket fryers with curved corners. Preheating is also a good idea, particularly with convection-oven air fryers.
Molten lava cakes are gooey and gorgeous.
Oozing with liquid chocolate, molten lava cakes are irresistible.
I liked a small-batch recipe I found on the blog Essential Omnivore, but I use orange-flavored chocolate for even more flavor.
Pro tip: Only fill your ramekins around ⅔ of the way, or the gooey middles might bubble up all over the bottom of your air fryer.
This story was originally published in February 2023 and most recently updated on August 18, 2026.
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