4 Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

August 23, 2021

What are some easy and healthy air fryer recipes?

1. Fish and Chips
2. Crispy Tofu
3. Cauliflower Tots
4. Chicken Parmesan

Cooking with your new air fryer can be a bit intimidating, and you may also be concerned with how healthy your meals would be. If that’s the case, don’t worry — using an air fryer is much healthier than deep frying methods. Better yet, they’re easy to use, with many dishes being whipped up in a neat thirty minutes (sometimes less!). Here are some easy and healthy air fryer recipes to get you started with your new kitchen appliance.

Fish and Chips

A classic, family-friendly meal for everyone — fish and chips. Traditional frying methods can make it greasy and calorie-heavy. With an air fryer, however, that’s no longer a problem. Better yet, this meal can be scaled down to become a filling snack! Simply cut up your fish fillets and potatoes a bit smaller and you have the perfect dish to snack on in the afternoons. The recipe below makes two servings.

Ingredients:

• 450 grams of white fish fillet (can be cod, tilapia, halibut, or other similar fish)
• 1 potato, cut into strips
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• Salt
• Pepper

Steps:

1. Pat the fish fillet and potatoes dry with a paper towel
2. Season the fish with salt and pepper
3. Bread the fish with all-purpose flour
4. Submerge breaded fillet into beaten egg
5. Bread the fillet again with flour
6. Put the fish fillet into the air fryer basket and cook at 165°C for 15 minutes, turning the fish halfway through at times.
7. Remove the fish fillet when it is golden brown.
8. Place the cut potatoes into your fryer and cook for 15 minutes. Toss them every once in a while.
9. Season with salt and serve.

Crispy Tofu

Crispy tofu is a simple dish that can pack a punch and satisfy anyone’s taste buds. If you have some firm tofu in the fridge, consider frying it in your new air fryer. This dish needs a simple set of ingredients and is easy to crisp and season. This is a healthy and gluten-free option as well! This recipe makes four servings.

Ingredients:

• 450 grams of extra firm tofu
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• ½ tablespoon of cornstarch
• (optional) chili oil

Steps:

1. Gently drain the tofu of excess moisture
2. Preheat your air fryer to 190°C
3. Cut your tofu into bite-sized cubes
4. Combine minced garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, and cornstarch in a bowl. Replace olive oil with chili oil if you want some spice.
5. Coat the tofu with the mixture and let it soak in for a few minutes
6. Place your tofu cubes into the air fryer and let cook for 10 minutes.
7. Remove when browned and serve.

Cauliflower Tots

If you’re looking for a healthier version of a childhood classic, try making some cheesy cauliflower tots. These can taste just as good as the real thing. When cooked in an air fryer, your cauliflower becomes crisp and golden brown, and the cheese has the wonderful consistency of melted and slightly toasted. The recipe below makes six servings, enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of steamed cauliflower florets
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar
• 1 cup of grated parmesan
• ⅔ cup of panko or breadcrumbs
• ½ ketchup
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons of chopped chives
• 2 tablespoons of sriracha
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cooking spray

Steps:

1. Pulse your cauliflower florets in a food processor, until riced.
2. Place riced cauliflower on paper towels and gently drain water.
3. Mix cauliflower with egg, cheddar, parmesan, panko, and chives in a large bowl.
4. Mix until combined, then dust with salt and pepper to taste.
5. In 1 tablespoon servings, roll into tater-tot shapes with your hands
6. Put the cauliflower tots into the air fryer basket.
7. Cook at 375° C for 10 minutes, or until the tots are golden brown.
8. Meanwhile, mix ketchup and sriracha for your dip.
9. Serve your cauliflower tots with the spicy ketchup dip.

Chicken Parmesan

Another classic dish that can be easily made in your air fryer. Chicken breast can be quickly crisped to a golden brown without any oil in this method, which makes it so much healthier. This chicken parmesan recipe tastes great and takes less effort to make than using a stove and pan. The recipe below can make four servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts (boneless)
• ⅓ cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of panko or breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup of grated parmesan
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup of marinara sauce
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Freshly chopped parsley

Steps:

1. Butterfly cut chicken by cutting each breast in half widthwise. This should make four thin pieces of chicken breast.
2. Season each piece on both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Prepare bowls for coating and breading. Place all-purpose flour in one bowl and mix with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place beaten eggs in another bowl.
5. In a third bowl, mix the breadcrumbs or panko with parmesan, oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
6. Fully coat each chicken breast in flour, dip in beaten eggs, then finally press into breading mixture.
7. Place chicken breasts into the air fryer basket, and cook for 400° C for 5 minutes on each side.
8. After cooking each side, top each piece with mozzarella and continue cooking at 400° C for 3 minutes or until the cheese melts.
9. Top off the fillets with freshly chopped parsley.

Key Takeaway

When you think of fried food, you probably think that the dish can’t be good for you. However, this isn’t the case with air fryer meals. You can make many easy and healthy air fryer recipes that take no time to cook up in the kitchen — perfect for busy families or workers looking for a filling and nutritious meal!

If you’re interested in making these at home and you don’t have one, consider buying your very own air fryer from Fukuda Asia! Our kitchen appliances are perfect for trying out any recipe.