It’s easy to say to people that you will eat healthy and provide a healthy meal for your family, but what if your children don’t like what you’re making? I’ve seen some kids straight up refuse to eat most foods and you’re caught between a rock and a hard place to get them to eat.
However, what if you could provide some foods that taste like your fried foods, are fried foods, but are prepared in a healthier manner? Enter the air fryer. You’re using less oil in preparing your food than traditional fried foods, and you are free to use much healthier oils like coconut oil.
With that in mind, here are 23 simple air fryer recipes that I found to get you started. Click any recipe name to go straight to the full recipe on the original site.
1. Cinnamon Honey Glazed Air Fryer Sweet Potato Bites
Sweet potato with cinnamon and honey on it. Somewhere between a side dish and a dessert, and the children will eat it either way. Recipe from The Millennial SAHM.
2. Easy Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
Coconut shrimp with the crunch and none of the deep frying. Make a dipping sauce and you have an appetizer. Recipe from Eazy Peazy Mealz.
3. Perfect Air Fryer Salmon
Salmon that comes out flaky rather than dried out. One of the best things an air fryer does. Recipe from Noble Pig.
4. Air Fryer Bacon
Bacon without the splattered stovetop. If you only ever use the air fryer for one thing, it may end up being this. Recipe from A Pinch of Healthy.
5. Air Fryer Garlic Mushrooms
Garlic mushrooms that go crisp at the edges. Good alongside a steak or on their own. Recipe from Best Recipe Box.
6. Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
Mozzarella sticks at home, which is a dangerous thing to learn how to do. Recipe from Hip2Save.
7. Air Fried Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Buffalo sauce on cauliflower instead of wings. Puts vegetables in front of people who were not planning on any. Recipe from Father and Us.
8. Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
Small potatoes, crisp outside and soft in the middle. A side dish that goes with almost anything. Recipe from Recipe This.
9. Air Fryer Personal Pizza
Everyone builds their own and they cook in minutes. Solves the argument about toppings. Recipe from Foodtastic Mom.
10. Garlic Parmesan Air Fryer Zucchini
Zucchini with garlic and parmesan. Useful in late summer when you have more of it than you know what to do with. Recipe from Cooks Well With Others.
11. Air Fryer Fried Pickles
Fried pickles without a vat of oil. Salty, tangy, and gone in about a minute. Recipe from Sugar Spun Run.
12. Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob without boiling a big pot of water. Handy when the stove is full. Recipe from Berry Maple.
13. Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato
A baked sweet potato in a fraction of the oven time. Split it and add butter. Recipe from Courtney’s Sweets.
14. Air Fryer Onion Rings
Homemade onion rings that stay crisp instead of going soggy on the plate. Recipe from Thrifty Nifty Mommy.
15. Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Thighs with crisp skin, which is what everyone actually wants off a chicken. Recipe from Craving Tasty.
16. Air Fryer Hamburgers
Burgers without firing up the grill. Good in January when nobody wants to stand outside. Recipe from Grace Like Rain.
17. Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Fried chicken with a proper crust on it. The recipe that convinces people the air fryer was worth the counter space. Recipe from My Forking Life.
18. Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
Jalapenos wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese. Make more than you think you need. Recipe from Berry Maple.
19. Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
Little pieces of chicken the kids can eat by the handful. Freezes well too. Recipe from Urban Bliss Life.
20. Air Fryer Quesadilla
A quesadilla that crisps evenly on both sides without flipping it in a pan. Recipe from Berry Maple.
21. Best Air Fryer Baked Potato
Garlic and parsley potatoes with crisp skin. A side that does not need watching. Recipe from Courtney’s Sweets.
22. Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Shrimp
Shrimp with lemon and pepper, done in about ten minutes. Put it over rice or on a salad. Recipe from Mantitlement.
23. Crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts that go crisp and caramelised at the edges. I was not a sprouts person until I had them done this way. Recipe from Food Faith Fitness.
More from our own kitchen
Looking for more crispy-without-frying ideas? Try our oven-crisped Crispy Baked Tilapia, and don’t miss our Easy Air Fryer Chicken Recipes and Healthy Air Fryer Dinner Recipes roundups.
If you enjoyed this roundup of simple air fryer recipes, don’t forget to pin these to your air fryer board on Pinterest. You can also follow Fluffy’s Kitchen on Pinterest for more recipes and ideas!

2 comments
Thankyou
I’m completely new, and I haven’t cooked anything yet. BUT I can’t wait to get started next week ready for next weekend. Gonna be fun eatin’ after the fun cookin’.