Air Fryer Recipes (131 Style)

What’s an Air Fryer?

Let’s be clear: an air fryer cooks food quick and fairly crispy, but you won’t mistake it for real fried food. Like many “healthier” things, the air fryer rocks when compared to the unhealthy alternative (deep frying). Because you know the food is healthier, you forgive any shortcomings. Basically an amped-up countertop convection oven, it cooks faster than larger ovens due to its compact size. The top houses a heating mechanism and fan. Hot air shoots down and around the food in the fryer-style basket. This quick circulation crisps the food, similar to frying  but without the grease.

The Basics:

Most recipes suggest you preheat the air fryer, just like an oven. Fortunately, the preheat time takes only a couple minutes. This already cuts down on cook time. And in the summer, it saves your house from getting extra hot from running your oven!

Next, you put your food in the fryer basket, and set your timer. Many recipes require a “basket shake” or flip of the food midway through the cooking time. So stay nearby; things can burn quickly if you fail to check in.

Pros:

1. Speedy cook time (sometimes up to half of the time in an oven).
2. Less oil/fat needed for a crispy dish.
3. Very easy cleanup! The fryer basket comes apart from the mechanism so you can clean both the basket, and area where drippings collect.
4. Works well on everything from vegetables and dessert, to meats and seafood.
5. Allows you to essentially have another oven (a huge help during the holidays!).
6. Great for small kitchens or dorms without ovens.

Cons:

1. The basket itself lacks the space to cook large amounts.
2. Overcrowding the basket won’t yield super crispy food, so you must work in batches to feed a family.
3. Not everything gets crispy. White potatoes for fries- YEP! Sweet potatoes- not so much. Still good! But not crispy.
4. Doesn’t always taste better than an oven. Our baked apples seemed to cook more on top and not on the bottom. So they never got soft and syrupy. Our salmon was good, but lacked the depth of taste we like from oven roasting.
5. If you do need to cook things in batches, you may still need to turn on your oven to keep your food warm.

Which Brand?

We cannot say enough about ours! The SKINNYTASTE BY VREMI air fryer is spacious, and makes really tasty recipes. Like, so good! It comes with a beautiful mini-recipe book too. And, she made a full cookbook of just air fryer recipes. So, in fairness, we haven’t tried other brands. Prices range from $40-$300. The SkinnyTaste runs for $99.

Your Best Bet

Read lots of reviews on Amazon before choosing one. We love how the fryer pauses each time you remove the basket to shake or toss the food. The timer pauses, so you never worry about cook time. Also, cleanup is ridiculously easy. The parts say they’re dishwasher safe, but honestly, a quick rinse and soapy sponge do the trick in no time.

How We Air Fry

The 131 Method teaches diet phasing. It keeps your body’s metabolism guessing! Each phase focuses on a different goal. Our recipes are 100% gluten-free, and only a small handful of the 300+ recipes in the program and book contain any dairy. The goal is whole, real food for an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. So, when creating our air fryer recipes, we designed them with our goals in mind. While you can certainly coat your chicken in panko, for example, you’ll notice our recipes use things like almond meal instead.

And, we LOVE veggies! We believe in getting them into your diet every day. So, we make tons of air fryer veg dishes.

Air Fryer Recipes (131 Style)

Air Fryer Sriracha Brussels Sprouts

Yield: 3 servings

Serving Size: 1/3rd recipe

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 9 min

Ingredients:

• 2 cups trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts
• 1 tablespoon Paleo Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons avocado oil
• Pinch sea salt

Method:

1. Preheat air fryer to 360°F.
2. Put cut Brussels sprouts in a large bowl and stir in the Sriracha, aminos and oil. Toss well to coat. Stir until everything is coated and no sauce is at the bottom of the bowl. Stir in salt.
3. Add Brussels to the air fryer basket. Make sure they’re in one even layer. Cook for 9-12 minutes depending on the size of your Brussels sprouts, shaking at the halfway mark. Our medium Brussels only took 9 minutes total.
4. Don’t forget to check them halfway through!

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 131| Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 15g | Fiber: 5g | Net Carbs: 10g

Air Fryer Roasted Red Potatoes

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1/4th recipe

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 16 min

Ingredients:

• 15 red potatoes (about 1½ lbs)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Avocado cooking spray

Method:

1. 1. Quarter or cube the potatoes, about the size of large dice. Toss in a large bowl with remaining ingredients.
   2. Preheat the fryer to 400°F. Add potatoes to the fryer basket and coat tops with cooking spray. Cook for 15-16 minutes, depending on the size. Shake the basket halfway through cooking. Check again for doneness at the 13 minute mark. Potatoes are done when crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 183| Protein: 4g | Fat: 3.5g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 3g | Net Carbs: 31g

Air Fryer Nutty Chicken Tenders

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1/4th recipe

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 22 min

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken tenders
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• ½ cup raw hazelnuts
• ½ cup raw pecan pieces
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Avocado or coconut oil cooking spray

Method:

1. 1. Preheat the fryer to 360°F.
   2. Cut any large chicken tenders into 3-4-inch strips.
   3. Whisk the egg and water.
   4. Add the nuts to a food processor and process to crumbs. Set on a large plate and stir in the salt, garlic powder and pepper.
   5. Dip each chicken strip into the egg, then coat well with the nut mixture, pressing the coating onto each strip. Discard remaining egg mixture.
   6. Coat the tops and bottoms of chicken strips with cooking spray.
   7. Place half the chicken into the fryer basket. Air fry for 11-13 minutes, depending on thickness, flipping after 6 minutes. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 387| Protein: 40.5g | Fat: 23g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 3g | Net Carbs: 1g

Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1/4th recipe

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
• Avocado oil spray (or other nonstick cooking spray)

Method:

1. Remove large stems of the cauliflower and chop florets about the diameter of a quarter. Toss cauliflower with remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Preheat the fryer to 400°F.
3. Add cauliflower to the air fryer basket. (Work in two batches if your cauliflower crowds the basket. You want just one layer). Coat tops with cooking spray. Cook for 8-10 minutes* (until crispy and tender) shaking the basket halfway through.
4. *Cook times depend on the size and uniform cut of the cauliflower.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 117| Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 4.5g | Net Carbs: 6.5g

Tell us about your favorite air fryer recipes below! Or, do you have a favorite meal you want us to make healthier? Leave us a comment!

Want more 131 approved air fryer recipes? We have em’ inside the 131 Method program!