If you already own an air fryer, chances are you’ve tried, and may have even exhausted cooking the basics like fries or chicken wings. You may have even ventured into breakfast and snack territory, but the beauty of the best air fryers is that they’re much more versatile than many people realise.
Beyond being a healthier way to cook, or helping you save money on energy bills, their compact and quick nature means air fryers suit a host of foods and meals. And while there’s no shortage of advice on air fryer mistakes and the foods to avoid cooking in an air fryer, we’ve spent years experimenting to uncover the most surprising foods that do work.
Below we round up nine of these surprising foods that produce great results. We’re sure there are plenty more – and the best way to find out if a new air fryer food type will work out or not is to give it a go.
9 air fryer foods to give a go
1. Pickles
If you’ve ever had fried pickles at a bar or diner, you’ll know how addictive they can be. The good news is you don’t need a deep fryer to make them. Your trusty air fryer can do the job!
Slice dill pickles into coins or spears, pat them dry with a paper towel, then coat them in seasoned flour or breadcrumbs. A quick spritz of oil helps the coating crisp up evenly and you only need to cook them for around eight minutes at 400 F / 200 C, flipping halfway. Take them out and you’ll have crunchy bites with a pickle zing all with far less grease than their deep-fried cousins. Serve with ranch, hot sauce, or a garlic mayo for dipping.
2. Ice cream balls
Yes, you can cook ice cream in an air fryer. And it’s delicious. Deep-fried ice cream is a popular dessert often served in South American restaurants. An ice cream ball is coated in a batter of sorts and deep-fried for less than a minute to create a warm, crisp shell while the ice cream remains intact on the inside.
We recreated this treat and found that Honey & Nut Corn Flakes (or Crunchy Nut Cornflakes in the UK) worked a treat to coat the ice cream. The ice cream balls not only tasted delicious, they’re healthier – and the process of making them in an air fryer is safer than deep frying, too.
3. S’mores
If you want campfire vibes without sitting round an actual campfire, especially when the weather dips and the nights draw in, try these air fryer s’mores instead. Assemble your s’mores as usual – Graham crackers or digestives on the bottom, a square of chocolate, and a marshmallow on top – then pop them in your air fryer basket at 350 F / 175 C for 3-4 minutes, the marshmallow puffs up while the chocolate. Top with another cracker to complete the sandwich, and you’ve got a warm and comforting treat, no flames required.
The trick is not to overcrowd the basket because marshmallows expand as they cook, and don’t be tempted to cook them for too long, or increase the temperature. You need to find the sweet spot where the chocolate and marshmallows are gooey but still intact, rather than have them completely melt all over the basket.
For a twist, try peanut butter cups instead of chocolate. You can even flip the script completely and make a s’mores dipping sauce with crackers to scoop up the gooey, chocolatey, marshmallow goodness.
4. Grilled cheese
Also known as a cheese toastie, this air fryer food type may surprise you. The usual way to make a grilled cheese sandwich is on the stove, unless you have a specifically designed appliance for the job.
In the air fryer we found that you can make the sandwich as usual, but spreading a thin layer of butter on the outside of the bread and cooking the sandwich on the crisper plate of the air fryer drawer for six minutes on both sides delivers an delicious, crispy grilled cheese sandwich.
5. Cheese on toast
Don’t fancy a sandwich? You can also make air fryer cheese on toast. Load on the cheese and / or use a variety of cheeses to deliver a super-tasty snack.
We worked an egg into the mix, which delivers results in a more oozy top, with the cheese nicely spread out and melted. Season with salt and / or pepper for a punchier flavor.
6. Creme Eggs
We mastered the viral air fryer Creme Egg recipe from last year, and although the initial attempts weren’t straightforward, we cracked it (punn intended). The trick is to evenly cover the creme egg in a croissant dough and crank up the temperature of the air fryer.
We also tried air frying a caramel egg, which was less sickly-sweet than the creme egg – so that’s worth a go, too.
7. Hard-boiled eggs
Surely you can’t boil an egg in an air fryer? Yes, actually, you can! Get the timing and temperature right, and the air fryer will deliver perfect results every time. In addition, in the air fryer you’re likely to be able to cook more eggs than you can fit in a typical saucepan, and there’s minimal washing up, too. Note that the various cooking times for different-sized eggs in an air fryer aren’t far off how long they’d take to cook in a pan, either. We found that air fryer eggs are effortless and taste great, and we’re (fairly) confident that you will too.
8. Baked potatoes
The baked potato is a staple meal for many households and although not all air fryers have a “bake” preset, we can vouch that there is such a thing as a baked potato air fryer recipe that works. Depending on your air fryer, it won’t necessarily save you money on your energy bills due to the time it takes to make an air fryer baked potato, but we can all but guarantee that you’ll achieve a crispy skin and fluffy inside – so it will certainly be worth it.
9. Chickpeas
Arriving in a can, there’s very little prep you need to do before cooking chickpeas in the air fryer, and then you’ll have a delicious, crunchy, super-healthy snack. Simply rinse, drain, and season; they’ll be ready to enjoy within just 15 minutes.
