Our 10 Most Popular Air Fryer Recipes of 2021

No need to track down a food truck to get your Mexican street corn fix—your air fryer turns out a fantastic batch. A quick turn halfway through cooking yields crispy, juicy corn that soaks up the tasty garlic-lime butter like a champ.

Pick out small ears, or trim them slightly so that they fit into the air fryer basket. If you have any leftovers, cut the kernels off the cob and stir into a dip or sprinkle over a salad.

Much healthier, but with that irresistible “fried” taste and texture, this air fryer popcorn chicken was described by recipe testers as “super addicting!” Dredging the chicken bits in finely-crushed cornflakes add a nice crunch, plus they brown better in the air fryer than if you were to use flour. Don’t skip the powdered sugar, as it also helps brown the popcorn chicken pieces (and also balance the dried spices).

Sweet potato chips sound like a nutritious snack, but store-bought versions can still pack significant amounts of fat and sodium. Enter air fryer sweet potato chips. These healthy homemade chips have a third of the fat — and they’re just as crunchy and addictive.

This air-fryer riff on the Chinese takeout classic saves the day with nearly half the saturated fat of restaurant versions and loads less clean-up than deep frying at home. Air fryer sizes vary (hence the cook time’s wide range); if you have a smaller air fryer, commit to cooking in batches so that there’s plenty of room for the air to circulate and crisp up the chicken.

These spiced sweet potato wedges make the perfect healthy snack or side dish. The smoky spice blend is easy to whip up ahead of time, but the potatoes are best eaten while hot. Though it’s tempting to crowd the air fryer basket and cook everything in one batch, resist the urge—air flow is crucial for maximum crispiness. 

If you’re craving doughnuts without the guilt, these yeast-risen rings deliver the same sweet, tender, and crackly sugar glazed goodness thanks to your air fryer.

Pro tip: After the doughnuts have risen, use the parchment paper to help gently transfer them into the air fryer. Use two forks to lower them into the glaze for maximum coverage.

Specialty root chips can cost $5 to $6 per bag at the grocery store; save big bucks by whipping up a couple batches in your air fryer. The secret to crispy beet chips is to slice the beets super thin; if your knife skills aren’t Top Chef level, use a mandolin to get wafer-thin slices. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket; air flow is crucial to getting the chips nice and crispy.

Transport yourself straight to a Caribbean beach by making this air-fried coconut shrimp recipe. Coconut and panko team up to create an amazingly crispy coating for the shrimp; use finely shredded coconut to guarantee better crust adhesion. These beach-dive-inspired crustaceans are even better when dunked into the sweet-and-tangy honey-lime sauce.

Crispy, crunchy, and addictive, air fryer potato chips have 60 percent less fat than their store-bought counterparts. Yes, making potato chips in your air fryer requires a little bit of effort—but the result is a salty snack that’s actually pretty healthy. Does it get much better than that?

Moist and tender, these meatballs are absolutely jam-packed with flavor—and cooking them in the air fryer might be one of the best recipe applications for this device. The meatballs are great on their own; they would also be totally delicious over pasta, rice, or spiralized zoodles. To prevent the meatballs from getting too over-worked as you form them, use what we call the “claw method”: shape your hand into a claw shape and don’t squeeze too hard when shaping.