A Grateful Meal

Air fryer

Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs Recipe

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These Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs are quick and easy to make, not to mention super tender and flavorful! This is a great all-purpose recipe that can be used in multiple dishes.

Everyone loves meatballs. They’re so versatile! You can put any type of sauce you want with the meatballs, and it seems like you have an entirely different food. Use them in marinara, and it’s the classic Italian spin, or you can use teriyaki sauce, and it’s got a bit of an Asian flair. You can use them as an appetizer or a main dish to pair with sides.

These Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs are a great all-purpose recipe. They make 12 larger meatballs, but you can certainly roll them into 24 mini meatballs that you can use for soups like Italian Wedding Soup or as an appetizer. Plus, these meatballs are made in the air fryer, which you know how much I love my air fryer.

Ingredients:

Ingredients for air fryer turkey meatballs in a yellow bowl on a white background.

Ground turkey: Turkey is one of my favorite meats to make meatballs, but you can certainly substitute other ground meats if you prefer.

Egg: This helps bind the meatball together.

Panko breadcrumbs: This kind of breadcrumb is much bigger than regular breadcrumbs, giving the meatball a less dense and more airy texture.

Parmesan cheese: Parmesan cheese makes everything better, am I right? I’m all for easy swaps and buying pre-cut things whenever needed, but grating the parmesan yourself yields a superior taste, in my opinion, compared to pre-grated parmesan cheese.

Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce are my go-to seasonings for meatballs.

Olive oil: Since ground poultry is relatively lean, I like to add a little bit of fat back into the meatballs with some olive oil. Fat helps with feeling satisfied from food, which is one of the Intuitive Eating principles. You can skip the olive oil though if you swap for a fattier cut of ground meat like pork or beef.

A black air fryer basket with 4 turkey meatballs inside.

How to Make Air Fryer Meatballs

You can put all of the ingredients in one big bowl. I typically mix everything together with my (clean) hands as it’s much easier to get all of the ingredients evenly distributed rather than using a mixing spoon or spatula. No one wants to bite into a chunk of breadcrumbs because the ingredients weren’t evenly mixed. Also, don’t overwork the mixture. When you’re mixing together all of the ingredients, be careful not to overmix. If you do, the meatballs might become tough. Mix just long enough for the ingredients to be evenly distributed.

I usually use a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop to scoop out the mixture from the bowl to get uniform meatballs. They will cook more uniformly when they are uniform in shape.

I preheat my air fryer so that when I put the meatballs in the air fryer, they’ll get a light sear on the bottom. After cooking them for about 10 minutes or until they reach 165 degrees F internally, the air fryer turkey meatballs are ready to be tossed in your favorite sauce.

White plate of air fryer turkey meatballs on a white background with a blue and white napkin on the side.

Why use the Air Fryer for Meatballs?

Air frying works so well because it uses very hot air that circulates rapidly around the food. This allows the food to crisp or sear quickly. When we sear meat, we lock in the moisture. When moisture seeps out, we can get dried out meatballs, which aren’t pleasant. Air fryers is just a small convection ovens, but they are an incredibly easy and efficient way of cooking, which is exactly why I have so many air fryer recipes on my site.

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Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs

White plate of air fryer turkey meatballs on a white background with a blue and white napkin and a white bowl of tomato sauce on the side on the side.

These Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs are quick and easy to make, not to mention super tender and flavorful! This is a great all-purpose recipe that can be used in multiple dishes.

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 12 meatballs (or 24 mini meatballs) 1x
  • Category: meatballs, dinner, appetizer
  • Method: air fryer

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer at 400 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl until all is evenly distributed.
  2. Divide the meat into 12 (or 24 for mini meatballs) equal balls. Place in air fryer basket and cook for 10-12 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Serve with your favorite sauce. 

Keywords: meatballs, dinner, appetizer

Air Fryer Steak Bites

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These Air Fryer Steak Bites are quickly marinaded and then air fried for an easy weeknight meal idea that you can make in just 30 minutes.

It’s no secret around here that I’m a fan of air fryers.  As I’ve mentioned in most of my posts, an air fryer is just a counter-top convection oven that is super handy and cooks food much faster and efficiently thanks to the hot air circulating rapidly in the air fryer. It allows the steak bites to get a good sear and cook up quickly. The cooking time is less than 10 minutes, and the steak bites come out perfectly seared, tender, and flavorful.

Ingredients

Soy sauce: I always use the reduced-sodium soy sauce to have better control over the sodium in a dish. You can always add salt, but you can’t take it away salt when cooking.

Worcestershire sauce: This is a classic umami flavor that pairs perfectly with the steak.

Garlic cloves: I love lots of garlic in steak marinades, so I used three minced cloves. Feel free to adjust based on your garlic desires (or proximity to vampires!)

Lemon juice: While there is some acid to the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, a little lemon juice helps tenderize the meat faster, which is vital since it’s a quick marinade.

Olive oil: Fat gives flavor and texture to recipes. Sirloin steak is leaner, so it needs a little fat added. If the steak bites are coated in a bit of oil before going into the air fryer, it’ll help give a quick sear to the meat, which locks in the juices and prevents it from drying out the steak bites.

Italian seasoning: Most Italian seasonings are made from herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, etc., which go great in this marinade. If you want to mix it up a bit, feel free to use your favorite all-purpose seasoning blend instead.

Raw steak bites in a single layer in a black air fryer basket.

How to Make Air Fryer Steak Bites

First, you’ll start by making the marinade by whisking together all of the ingredients except for the sirloin pieces. Then, you’ll put the steak bite pieces in the mixture to marinate about 20 minutes. You can do this in a shallow container or a Ziplock bag.

After, you’ll preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Put the air fryer bites into the air fryer (you’ll hear a nice sizzle) and make sure that they are in a single layer. If you double the recipe, you may have to cook in batches as you don’t want to overcrowd the air fryer. If you overcrowd the air fryer, you won’t get as good of a sear on the steak.  You’ll cook them for about 4 minutes. Depending on the size of your steak bites, this may give you a medium or a medium-rare cook to the steak. Cook for an additional 1-3 minutes for medium-well to well-done.

Close-up of air fryer steak bites with parsley garnished on top.

What to Serve with Steak Bites

You can certainly serve these bites with toothpicks and a dip like horseradish sauce as an appetizer, but if you’d like to serve them with some side dishes, here are a few to consider:

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Air Fryer Steak Bites

Close-up of air fryer steak bites with parsley garnished on top.

These Air Fryer Steak Bites are quickly marinaded and then air fried for an easy weeknight meal idea that you can make in just 30 minutes.

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 7 minutes
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: air fryer, steak
  • Method: air fryer

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice (or juice of ½ lemon)
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 lb. of sirloin steak, cut into bite-size pieces (or pre-cut beef tips)

Instructions

  1. Mix together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil, and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish or ziplock bag. Add steak bites and marinate for 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Once steak bites are done marinating, arrange steak bites in a single layer in the air fryer and cook for 4 minutes (for about medium doneness – depending on size). Flip steak bites and then cook for additional 1-3 minutes depending on the desired doneness. 

Keywords: air fryer, steak

Air Fryer Schnitzel with Sweet and Sour Cabbage

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This crispy Air Fryer Schnitzel with Sweet and Sour Cabbage is an easy German weeknight meal or perfect to celebrate Oktoberfest.  

If crispy meat paired with sweet and sour cabbage and apples doesn’t scream comfort food, I don’t know what does. Schnitzel is typically a thin fried piece of meat (usually pork, chicken, or veal) topped with lemon juice and parsley. I used chicken for my schnitzel, but you can use whatever meat you’d prefer. 

Rather than making a huge mess frying up the schnitzel, I decided to make mine in my air fryer. It’s no secret around here how much I love my air fryer. Thanks to the hot air circulating rapidly in the air fryer, the meat gets super crispy and cooks very quickly. Quick, easy, and tasty are all excellent reasons to use the air fryer for this recipe. Now, let’s get on to how to make this dish! 

Air fryer schnitzel on a white plate with the sweet and sour cabbage on a white background

Key Ingredients

Eggs: These makeup part of the batter needed for the crispy breading of the schnitzel.  

Spicy brown mustard: Brown mustard mixed with the eggs will help the breading and provide extra flavor to the meat.  

All-purpose flour and panko bread crumbs: This, along with the eggs and mustard, also make up the breading. I chose panko breadcrumbs because they give extra texture. 

Boneless meat: I used thinly sliced chicken breast for this recipe, but pork is also commonly used for schnitzel. I prefer the boneless, but the key is to get it as thin as possible. If you buy the thinly sliced meat, you can also take a meat mallet, which is just a kitchen hammer to pound the meat until it’s very thin.  

Light tasting olive oil: I like to use the light tasting olive oil because it’s hard to burn, unlike extra-virgin.  

Cabbage: I used half a head of purple cabbage for my side dish, but if you want a short-cut, you can use a bag of shredded cabbage slaw instead.  

Shredded carrots: I wanted a little more texture and color to my cabbage side dish, so I added about a cup of the pre-shredded carrots into the cabbage mixture.  I buy the carrots that are already bagged and pre-shredded.

Granny smith apple: Apples are also very common in German food, often served with meat (especially pork) dishes. Since granny smith apples are naturally tart, they make a great addition to the sweet and sour cabbage. 

Apple cider vinegar: This adds the sour to the cabbage along with a mild apple flavor.  

Honey: Obviously, the sweet part of the sweet and sour cabbage.  

Caraway seeds: These little seeds add a subtle but complementary flavor and crunch the cabbage. Caraway seeds are often found in rye bread. 

Lemon slices and parsley: A squeeze of lemon juice and some parsley add a little freshness to the schnitzel. 

Air fryer schnitzel on a white plate with the sweet and sour cabbage with a napkin on the side on a white background

How to Make Air Fryer Schnitzel with Sweet and Sour Cabbage

One key element to schnitzel is making sure the meat is thin. You can do this by buying thinly sliced meat or butterflying a thicker cut of meat, but it’s also helpful to pound the meat out thinly. To pound it out thinly, cover the meat with plastic wrap while it’s on the cutting board and use a meat mallet (or a rolling pin or heavy skillet) to pound the meat until the desired thickness. Afterward, you dip the meat into flour, then egg/mustard mixture, then finally panko breadcrumbs. 

While one of the perks of using the air fryer is that you don’t have to use a ton to fry up the schnitzel, I like to brush some oil onto the schnitzel before adding it to the air fryer to ensure that it gets super crispy and brown. While the schnitzel cooks, you can work on making the cabbage. The cabbage along with the shredded carrots and sliced apple is simply cooked in a skillet until tender. The pan deglazed with apple cider vinegar, honey, and caraway seeds. 

Close up of the air fryer schnitzel with the cabbage on a plate with lemon slices
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Air Fryer Schnitzel with Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Close up of the air fryer schnitzel with the cabbage on a plate with lemon slices
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Method: air fryer

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbsp. (heaping) spicy brown mustard
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups plain panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 – 1 ¼ lb. boneless meat such as skinless chicken breast or pork, very thinly sliced and/or pounded thin
  • 1 tbsp. light tasting olive oil plus more for brushing
  • ½ head of a large purple cabbage, sliced thinly (or sub 1 bag (16 oz.) shredded cabbage or slaw mix, if desired)
  • 1 cup of shredded carrots 
  • 1 medium-large granny smith apple, sliced
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • 1 tsp. caraway seeds
  • lemon slices and parsley for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees F for at least 5 minutes. Whisk eggs and mustard together in a bowl. Put flour and panko in two separate bowls. Dip meat in flour, then egg mixture, then panko. Brush meat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook in the air fryer for 5-6 minutes, flip the meat, then cook for additional 5-6 minutes.

2. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage, shredded carrots, and apples—season with salt and pepper. Sauté until tender and apples have caramelized some. Whisk together apple cider vinegar, honey, and caraway seeds. Pour the vinegar mixture into the skillet to deglaze. Toss, then serve with schnitzel, lemon wedges, and parsley.

Keywords: air fryer, chicken, cabbage, German, fall

Air Fryer Crab Cakes

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These Air Fryer Crab Cakes are everything you want and more in a crab cake. Lots of crab meat and just enough filler to keep them from falling apart.

I love crab cakes, and I know I’m not alone. In order to have a good crab cake, you need that perfect balance of “filler.” You know what I’m talking about, you go to a restaurant and order crab cakes, only to take the first bite and find mostly breadcrumbs or “filler.” Or, bite in, and the flavor is fantastic with loads of crab, but it just kind of falls apart. You need just enough breadcrumbs or fillers to hold the cake together, but not too much where you don’t get to taste the crab.

Luckily, these crab cakes have the right balance of filler, and they’re super easy to make thanks to my handy-dandy air fryer. I have loads of air fryer recipes on the blog because I love how easy it is to air fry food without the mess of regular frying. But really, an air fryer is just a countertop convection oven. Hot air circulates rapidly, causing the crisping and cooking of food very quickly. Since it’s a very efficient oven, you can make just about anything that you would a regular oven but faster and at a higher temperature. Anyway, back to the Air Fryer Crab Cakes.

Close up of air fryer crab cakes with a sauce with Old Bay Seasoning in the background

Ingredients

Egg: Using just one egg gives the breadcrumbs and crab meat something to hold onto during the cooking process, and prevents the crab cakes from falling apart.

Mayonnaise or Greek yogurt: Use your preferred option or a combination of the two. Some people have strong feelings about one or the other. Personally, I used all mayo. It helps hold the crab cakes together, gives a little tangy flavor, and keeps the cakes from drying out in the air fryer.

Dijon mustard: This gives a little mustardy tang to the crab cakes.

Worcestershire sauce: This sauce gives the crab cakes a salty, umami flavor that goes well with crab.

Old Bay Seasoning: Old Bay is a classic crab cake ingredient. If you don’t have any hand, you can substitute Cajun seasoning. Just don’t tell anyone from Maryland that – they’re fiercely loyal to their Old Bay Seasoning.

Lemon juice: Lemon adds a nice punch of tanginess like the mustard along with a refreshing taste.

Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a pleasant fresh taste and a punch of green color. If you use dried, you won’t get nearly as much flavor.

Crab meat: I’m not going to lie. Quality crab meat can be pricey. Buy what you can afford. The imitation crab (which is fish that’s been processed to look and taste like crab) just doesn’t have enough crab flavor, but it’s cheap. You can look at it two ways – 1) You can splurge on the real deal and savor every bit of it, or 2) if cost a big deal for you, you can opt for half-pound of the real deal and half a pound of the imitation. You do you. Personally, I went the half claw meat and half imitation – not the most expensive, nor the cheapest, and the recipe turned out awesome!

Panko breadcrumbs: It’s crucial to buy panko breadcrumbs for fluffy crab cakes. Panko breadcrumbs have a bigger crumb size, so they don’t turn into complete mush when you mix them into the cakes.

Green onions: Green onions add some onion flavor with a bright green pop of color.

Jarred roasted red peppers: I used one big slice of roasted red peppers from a jar for color and taste. They have a little acidic flavor to them from being brined, so the flavor marries well with the mustard and lemon juice.

Capers: I feel like capers are one of the most underrated ingredients. Salty and sour, they go great with any seafood. Even if you’re not a caper fan typically, you should add them – they’re perfect in these crab cakes!

Air fryer crab cakes with a sauce on platter with a subway tile background

How to Make Air Fryer Crab Cakes

Like most of my recipes, they’re pretty dang easy. It involves mixing all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Like baking though, you should mix the wet and seasoning ingredients together first and then add “drier” ingredients for even distribution of flavor and texture. Then you’ll need to form patties. I used a leveled 1/3 cup measuring cup to portion out the crab mixture into about 8 equal patties. Lightly press the patties to make sure they stick together but don’t smush them too much – just enough to hold together. You’ll then air fry them for about 7 minutes at 360 degrees, then flip them, and air fry for another 5 minutes. Boom, done.

How to Serve Crab Cakes

There are so many ways you can serve these crab cakes. You can make a crab cake burger by serving them on buns with your favorite sauces and toppings. Speaking of favorite sauces, you can service them all by themselves with your favorite sauce. They go great on top of salads, or you can make them into 16 smaller patties and serve as an appetizer. I always recommend extra lemon slices to serve. The possibilities are endless. However you serve them, I hope you enjoy them.

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Air Fryer Crab Cakes

Overview of air fryer crab cakes with a sauce on a white background
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 8 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8 crab cakes (4 servings) 1x
  • Method: Air Fryer

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning or Cajun seasoning
  • Juice of half of a lemon, plus extra for slices
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
  • 1 pound crab meat
  • 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1 large piece of jarred roasted red pepper, diced
  • 1 tablespoon capers

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees F.
  2. Whisk egg, mayo (or Greek yogurt), mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, lemon juice, and salt together in a bowl. Then add the parsley, crab meat, panko bread crumbs, green onion, red pepper, and capers, and mix gently.
  3. Form crab mixture into 8 equally sized patties, using a 1/3 cup measuring cup. Press patties together gently without flattening the patty – just enough for mixture to stick together.
  4. Cook in the air fryer for 7 minutes. Flip the patties, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
  5. Serve warm with lemon slices and your favorite dipping sauce, if desired.

Keywords: crab cakes, air fryer, seafood

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Tacos with Honey-Lime Slaw

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These Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Tacos are everything you want and more. Warm, crunchy, sweet, and a little sour – they’re the perfect way to be transported to a tropical paradise. 

I think I might be a tacotarian. I could celebrate Taco Tuesday just about any day of the week. Tacos are the perfect vehicle for pretty much any food. I have to say these crispy, sweet coconut shrimp topped with crunchy, tangy honey-lime slaw is an ideal combination.

Three air fryer coconut shrimp tacos with a bowl of slaw in the background.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Tacos

  • Purple Cabbage: I really like using purple cabbage for this slaw for a nice bright pop of color on my plate, but regular cabbage works well in this recipe too!
  • Pineapple: A little chopped pineapple adds a sweet tropical flavor to the slaw.
  • Cilantro: Fresh is always best when it comes to cilantro. You can always add a little more at the end for garnish.
  • Lime juice: I squeeze mine fresh. I like to take a few extra wedges if I have any extra limes on hand and squeeze on top of my tacos when it’s all finished.
  • Apple cider vinegar: Like lime juice, it adds a nice sour flavor that will be balanced out by the sweetness in this recipe.
  • Honey: Honey is the sweetness that will balance out the sour in the slaw. If you don’t have any honey on hand, you can use agave nectar or even plain old sugar.
  • Shrimp: I like to get the large EZ peel shrimp since they’re already deveined and a breeze to peel.
  • Flour: I used all-purpose flour in this recipe because that’s what I had on hand. You can certainly use whatever flour you have on hand. Coconut flour would work great and help pump up the coconut flavor!
  • Eggs: Eggs help the breading stick to the shrimp.
  • Panko breadcrumbs: Panko has a larger crumb size than regular breadcrumbs, which gives the shrimp more of a crunch. I like to combine panko with the coconut to make the shrimp extra crunchy.
  • Coconut flakes: You can use the sweet or unsweetened, whichever you prefer. I used the unsweetened because the sweet Thai chili sauce had enough sweetness for me.
  • Cooking spray or melted coconut oil: If you can find spray coconut oil in the grocery store, even better! We use this to help crisp up the shrimp in the air fryer. 
  • Sweet Thai chili sauce: This stuff is one of my absolute favorite condiments. I could put it on everything.
  • Six-inch tortillas: You can use corn or flour, whichever you prefer.
  • Sriracha (optional): Not really optional for me as I love heat, but you do you.
Close up of air fryer coconut shrimp tacos.

How to Make Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Tacos

I like to start by making the slaw. It allows all of the flavors to marinate while you make the shrimp. You’ll need to coat your shrimp with the flour, eggs, and panko/coconut mixture. The breading process can be a little messy, so I try to bread the shrimp only using one hand so I can keep my hand clean. 

After you coat your shrimp, you either brush on your coconut oil or use the cooking spray and then air fry away! Once the shrimp are done, you toss them in the sweet Thai chili sauce and layer with the slaw in the tacos. If you’re using sriracha, you can drizzle a little on top at the end.

Air Fryer vs. Oven Method

If you don’t have an air fryer (I highly recommend you get one!), you can make these Coconut Shrimp Tacos in the oven. You would simply need to preheat your oven to 400 degrees. You would bake the breaded shrimp on a sheet pan for 5 minutes, flip the shrimp, then bake for an additional 5 minutes. Air frying will get you crispier shrimp, but the oven method works too.  

What to Serve with Tacos

Air fryer coconut shrimp tacos on a white background.
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Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Tacos with Honey-Lime Slaw

Overview of air fryer coconut shrimp tacos with honey-lime slaw on a white background.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Tacos
  • Method: Air Fryer
  • Cuisine: Latin

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups shredded purple cabbage
  • 1 ½ cups pineapple, chopped
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups of panko
  • 1 cup coconut flakes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Cooking spray or melted coconut oil for brushing
  • 1/3 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
  • 12 six-inch tortilla (corn or flour)
  • Sriracha, to taste (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer to 360 F.
  2. Place cabbage, pineapple, and cilantro in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together lime juice, apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, and honey. Pour vinegar mixture over slaw and toss. Set aside.
  3. Place flour, eggs, and panko in 3 separate bowls. Add coconut flakes to the bowl with panko. Season the coconut flake/panko bowl with salt and pepper to taste. 
  4. Working in batches, dip shrimp in the flour, then the egg, then the panko/coconut, coating the shrimp all over. Place shrimp in the air fryer basket, evenly spaced apart.
  5. Spray shrimp with cooking spray or brush with coconut oil. Cook in the air fryer for 3 minutes, flip shrimp, brush/spray with more oil, then cook for an additional 2 minutes or until shrimp are opaque when pierced with a knife.
  6. Toss shrimp with sweet Thai sauce. Assemble tacos by layering warm tortilla shell with slaw, then coated shrimp. Drizzle on sriracha, if using.

Keywords: Air fryer, tacos, slaw

Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

These Air Fryer Tortilla Chips are incredibly easy and delicious – they are warm, crunchy, and taste just like restaurant-style tortilla chips, but without all the fuss and excess oil. 

We all know what happens when we go to Mexican restaurants. They bring the basket of chips, and before you know it, 3 baskets have come and gone before the food even gets to the table. There is just something about those crunchy, warm, and salty chips that make us all powerless. 

Tortilla chips at home just aren’t the same. If you buy the bagged, the taste isn’t right. I don’t like frying foods at home, and baking tortilla chips don’t quite get the texture right. These Air Fryer Tortilla Chips are the right answer for a healthy homemade alternative that mimics the restaurant-style chips.  

Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need:

  • Corn tortillas: You could use flour, but corn tortillas give the best flavor for chips. I used the six-inch round corn tortillas. 
  • Light-colored oil or spray oil: I usually brush the tortillas after cutting them with light tasting olive oil. You could also use avocado oil. If you have spray oil, that works just as well. The bottom line is to make sure that the oil is light in color. The lighter the color, the less likely the oil will burn.  
  • Seasonings: I sprinkled the chips with salt, fresh cracked pepper, and a squeeze of lime juice. If you really want to mix it up, try seasoning with cumin or chili powder – both would taste great. 
Close up of a basket of air fryer tortilla chips

How to Make Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

You’ll need to cut the tortillas into wedges like a pizza shape. I actually use a pizza cutter and cut them in stacks of 3-4 tortillas at one time. Once you have your shapes, it’s just brushing (or spraying) with oil and seasoning them before tossing them into the air fryer. 

One of the key techniques with air fryers is to arrange the food in a single layer so that the hot air circulates and cooks the food evenly. You don’t have to worry about that with tortilla chips in the air fryer. The first time I turned the air fryer on with the chips, I heard this clinking noise coming from my air fryer. Turns out, the chips are so light that the air circulating around the chips tosses them around while they cook. Long story short, TLDR: just dump all the seasoned tortilla wedges into the air fryer – don’t worry about putting them neatly in a single layer. After cooking them for about 3 minutes, I still go ahead and open the air fryer to toss them around to make sure they are evenly cooking. All that’s left is to cook another 2 minutes, and boom – serve them up with some salsa and gauc. 

Basket of air fryer tortilla chips with salsa

How to Serve 

I really don’t need to tell you what to serve with tortilla chips, but if you’re looking for some recipes to accompany your chips – I got you covered with the following:  

Pepita and Red Pepper Salsa

Buffalo Chickpea Dip

Instant Pot Carne Asada

Cilantro Garlic Sauce

Chicken Tamale Dumpling Soup

Healthier Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

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Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

Overview of basket of chips with salsa
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Mexican, snacks, appetizer, side dish
  • Method: Air Fryer

Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut into wedges
  • Light-colored oil or spray oil (light tasting olive oil or avocado works well)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 lime (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer to 360 F. Brush oil or spray oil on to tortilla wedges. Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lime juice (if using).
  2. Put all the wedges in the air fryer (it doesn’t matter if they are in a single layer) and air fry for 3 minutes. Then shake the air fryer basket to redistribute, then cook for an additional 2 minutes or until golden all over. Best served immediately. 

Keywords: tortilla, chips, snacks