Photo Provider By Daniela Domingues

Tips for Using an Air Fryer

  • Preheat: Preheat for 3–5 minutes before use to ensure food cooks more evenly.
  • Avoid Overcrowding: Arrange food in a single, non-overlapping layer to allow hot air to circulate.
  • Flip Halfway Through: For thicker items, flipping them halfway through the cooking process will yield better results.

Healthy Principles

  • Choose ingredients with high water content, such as vegetables, fish, and tofu.
  • Incorporate cooling ingredients—add items like lemon juice, water chestnuts, or lotus root during cooking.
  • Control temperature and duration—avoid prolonged roasting at temperatures above 180°C.
  • Avoid excessive processing—limit the use of pre-prepared, breaded, or deep-fried foods.
  • Avoid overly intense flavors—reduce the use of "heating" (warming) spices and seasonings, such as chili peppers or cumin.
  • Avoid a monotonous diet—ensure balance by including leafy greens or soups.

Healthy Air Fryer Recipes


Beef Cubes with Asparagus:
Marinate 100g of beef cubes with salt, black pepper, cooking wine, and light soy sauce. Toss potatoes, corn, asparagus, bell pepper chunks, and cherry tomatoes with a little oil, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, and black pepper until well coated.
Air fry the beef, potatoes, and corn at 180°C (356°F) for 12–15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Then, add the remaining vegetables and air fry for another 5 minutes.

Basa Fillet with Okra:
Toss 120g of basa fish chunks with a little oil, salt, a few drops of lemon juice, and chili powder. Toss potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fresh shiitake mushrooms with a little oil, salt, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce.
Air fry the basa fish, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and shiitake mushrooms at 180°C (356°F) for 12–15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Then, add cherry tomatoes and blanched okra, and air fry for another 5 minutes.
Photo Provider By Hanxiao Xu
Shrimp with Broccoli:
Toss 8 fresh shrimp with salt, a pinch of Sichuan peppercorns, and chili powder. Toss sweet potatoes, corn, and carrots with a little oil, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce.
Air fry the shrimp, sweet potatoes, corn, and carrots at 180°C (356°F) for 12–15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Then, add cherry tomatoes and blanched broccoli, and air fry for another 5 minutes.

Chicken Breast Cubes with Button Mushrooms:
Toss 60g of chicken breast cubes and firm tofu with a little oil, chili powder, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and cooking wine. Toss pumpkin, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, button mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes with a little oil, salt, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper.
Air fry the chicken breast, tofu, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes at 180°C (356°F) for 12–15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Then, add the button mushrooms, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes, and air fry for another 5 minutes.

Salmon with Celtuce:
Toss the salmon with a little cooking oil, 0.5g of salt, 5g of yellow chili sauce, 5g of oyster sauce, and 0.2g of red chili powder until well coated. In a separate bowl, combine potato chunks, corn pieces, celtuce chunks, carrot chunks, and peas; add a little cooking oil, 1g of salt, 3g of light soy sauce, and 5g of oyster sauce, then toss until evenly coated.
Place all the prepared ingredients into an air fryer and cook at 180°C (356°F) for 15–20 minutes, turning the ingredients over once or twice during the process.

Chicken Leg with Kabocha Squash (Baby Pumpkin):
Make two shallow cuts on the surface of a chicken leg, then season with salt, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine, and black pepper; mix well. In a separate bowl, toss the kabocha squash, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and bell peppers with a little oil, salt, and oyster sauce.
Place the chicken leg, kabocha squash, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms in an air fryer and cook at 180°C (356°F) for 12–15 minutes, turning them over halfway through. Then, add the bell peppers and some blanched broccoli, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Sausage with King Oyster Mushrooms:
Cut one sausage into three pieces and halve one hard-boiled egg. Combine sweet potato, potato, king oyster mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes in a bowl; add a little oil, salt, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce, then toss until well coated.
Roast the sweet potato, potato, and king oyster mushrooms in an air fryer at 180°C (356°F) for 10 minutes. Then, add the sausage, hard-boiled egg, and cherry tomatoes, and cook for another 7 minutes.

Summary

Hopefully, these healthy air fryer recipes will help you make the most of your appliance. After all, the more you use it, the better value you get out of your purchase. Once you develop the habit of cooking with an air fryer, you’ll likely find yourself ordering takeout less often. Preparing your own meals is not only faster and healthier than ordering in, but it’s also more budget-friendly. Even on days when you don’t feel like making an elaborate dish, you can still use it to roast a sweet potato or warm up some bread. Being able to enjoy a hot, freshly prepared meal at any time—that is perhaps the greatest advantage of an air fryer.