Personal Trainer’s Favorite Things to Make in Air Fryer; Easy Recipes

Breakfast cups are nothing new in our house, but they require less time and effort to make because of the air fryer.

Plus, we can make them in small batches to suit each person’s tastes — and my kids have no problem creating their personalized mini egg cups.

The number of cups you can make at once may depend on the basket size of your air fryer. Usually, I can make eight at a time using silicone baking cups.

Preheat your air fryer to 300°F.

Line each baking cup with a slice of ham or prosciutto for a fancier option. Mix eggs with salt, pepper, and any additional seasonings of your choice, such as Worcestershire sauce and red-pepper flakes.

Carefully place the ham-lined cups into the air fryer and pour the egg mixture into each. Add any veggies you prefer, such as chopped asparagus or cooked spinach. Sprinkle on a cheese of your choice. 

Let the egg cups cook for about 15 minutes. Serve hot, or let them cool slightly and store in the fridge to reheat later.

It can be challenging to have a vegetable-packed breakfast, but it’s a great way to better ensure you’ll get enough nutrients throughout your day.

With the air fryer, I can easily cook fresh produce in the morning. I like to use asparagus and tomatoes, pairing them with eggs that I’ve poached or “boiled” in the air fryer.

Line your air fryer with foil and preheat it to 300°F.

Clean and snap asparagus, chopping it into bite-sized pieces. Add cherry or grape tomatoes to a bowl with asparagus, spritz with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Place the produce in the preheated air fryer for 10 to 12 minutes. If you prefer crunchy asparagus, leave it out until the last four to six minutes, and then place it on top of the tomatoes to finish cooking.

Serve with eggs and some toast for mopping up all the yummy juices.

Chicken Parmesan is one of my favorite comfort foods, and the air fryer helps me make it without having to pan-fry my protein in oil.

For two 8-ounce chicken breasts, you’ll need about ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese and 1 cup of breadcrumbs. You’ll also need two eggs, marinara sauce, and mozzarella for topping.

First, pound the chicken breasts until they are a uniform thickness, about 1/2 inch. Then set your air fryer to 360°F.

Combine the Parmesan and breadcrumbs in one dish and add any desired seasonings, such as garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, and red-pepper flakes. Whisk your eggs in a separate bowl. Coat each piece of chicken in egg, then in the crumb mixture.

Place the breasts in the preheated air fryer and cook for six minutes. Flip and top with marinara sauce and mozzarella. Cook an additional four minutes or so until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.

We like to serve the cutlets on top of pasta with more marinara sauce.

We buy a lot of seeds in bulk, so switching up the flavor profile helps turn them into coveted snacks. We especially enjoy using seeds from squash, such as pumpkins, for this recipe.

Cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika are all excellent choices for seasoning seeds, though you can experiment with other flavors you enjoy.

Toss your seeds with a bit of olive oil and salt. Place them in the air fryer at 320°F, periodically opening the machine to shake the seeds to ensure even cooking.

Cook for about 15 minutes or until the seeds are crispy. Then, toss the seeds in a bowl with a bit of oil and your preferred seasonings.

One of my family’s favorite air-fryer desserts is a fruity crumble that we usually make with apples.

After all, baking fruit is a delicious way to bring out its natural sugars and create a deeply comforting dessert that’s both nutritious and satisfying.

Simply combine 1 or 2 tablespoons of a fat, such as butter or coconut oil, with the same amount of oats, chopped nuts, and shredded coconut.

Add a sweetener, such as monk fruit, brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup, and some warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cut the apples in half and top them with spoonfuls of the mixture you’ve created. Cook them in a preheated air fryer at 350°F for 20 minutes.

Top with vanilla frozen yogurt, ice cream, or whipped cream.

This recipe can also be made with bananas or pears, though you may need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

My kids love the idea of mini pizzas — and if you use fresh mozzarella, basil, and a balsamic reduction, you’ve got a fancy-ish hors d’oeuvre.

For the base, I slice up a tube of precooked polenta. From there, you can use whichever sauces, cheeses, and extra toppings you’d like.

Preheat your air fryer to 400°F, then spritz the basket with olive oil. 

Create 1-inch-thick polenta slices, and place them in the air fryer, topping them with another spritz of oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. After five minutes, top the polenta with marinara sauce and your choice of cheese, as well as any other cooked toppings you desire.

Cook for another five minutes, then plate with fresh basil and balsamic glaze, if desired.

Pro tip: You can make a quick marinara using tomato sauce, a splash of balsamic and/or Worcestershire sauce, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Heat this in the microwave (lightly covered) to blend the flavors.

We make a lot of tacos with corn tortillas, but they go stale quickly. To avoid food waste while creating a tasty snack, we turn them into chips in our air fryer.

Preheat your air fryer to 350°F. Cut small corn tortillas into quarters, spray with olive oil, and season with salt.

Place your pieces in the air-fryer basket, ensuring they’re not overlapping. Cook in batches for five to seven minutes at a time, flipping each chip halfway through.

Use a strainer to cool your batches of chips so they don’t get soggy.

Fresh salsa is incredible, but roasted salsa is an easy way of using up bits and pieces to create a deep, rich dip for your air-fried tortilla chips.

The best part is you can adjust the heat, garlic, and seasonings to your preferences.

Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.

Add garlic cloves, hot peppers of choice, tomatoes, and onion to the preheated air-fryer basket and spritz with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.

You may want to remove the stems and seeds from your peppers before cooking them. Leave garlic cloves in their skin, as they will roast and become deliciously mushy and caramelized.

Cook everything for about 15 minutes, or until your veggies look slightly charred. Then, pulse your ingredients in a food processor to your desired chunkiness.

Add cilantro and fresh lime juice, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Cumin and cayenne pepper make excellent additions.

Tuna salad is the star of many protein-packed dishes in our house. It’s quick and requires no thawing or cooking.

However, sandwiches can become boring after a while. When we crave something warm, we stuff tuna into bell peppers.

Preheat your air fryer to 360°F.

Cut your bell pepper in half and remove the seeds. Then, top each pepper slice with your favorite tuna salad — we make ours with mayo, Greek yogurt, green onions, diced pickles, and hot peppers.

Cook for 10 minutes, and then sprinkle with mozzarella or your favorite cheese. Cook for another two or three minutes until the cheese melts and bubbles.

This is another crunchy and quick savory snack that provides a ton of nutrients in a snap. 

Strip the leaves off the stems from a bunch of kale and rip them into pieces. Place them in a bowl and spritz with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt.

Massage the kale until it turns softer and becomes a brighter green. Place in the air fryer preheated to 370°F and cook for about five minutes.

Remove the leaves when they appear crispy and have a slight color. Season the kale chips as desired. We use garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

This story was originally published in 2021, and most recently updated on January 2, 2025.