
Protein like salmon, chicken breasts, and pork chops, and veggies like zucchini, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. So, build the foundation of what you cook in the air fryer with whole and nutritious food. While this might make it easy to rationalize cooking snacky comfort foods - things like pizza bites, mozzarella sticks, and endless bags of frozen french fries (ahem, I am speaking from experience here!) - there’s no chance just because you air-fried these foods they're somehow better for you. It does this without needing a lot of cooking fat. Remember that air frying is a method of cooking, one in which hot circulating air helps to cook food until crispy. Tip 1: Air fry foods that are already good for you Here are a few tips to keep in mind regarding the air fryer and healthy eating. With the air fryer you get that flavor without needing a ton of oil to do so. Think about how delicious a seared chicken breast tastes. All this is achieved without glugs of oil for frying. That’s what makes the air fryer so helpful when you’re prioritizing your health as you choose what to cook for yourself and your family.īecause of the convection cooking used in air fryers, whatever you’re cooking ends up crispy and deeply browned, with a more developed flavor.

Rather, they’re smartly prepared versions of dishes or foods we already love. You’ll notice these dishes don’t feel restrictive or adhere to one diet (keto, Paleo, etc.) over another. We selected these recipes with those basic criteria in mind, while also trying to appeal to a wide variety of nutritional needs and taste buds.Air Fryer Parmesan Breaded Chicken Tenders (Strips) from Stay Snatched But it also depends on your preferences, your culture, what’s accessible to you, and so much more. At SELF, when we talk about food being "healthy," we’re primarily talking about foods that are nutritious, filling, and satisfying. Not only can it mean different things to different people, it’s a word that’s pretty loaded (and sometimes fraught), thanks to the diet industry ’s influence on the way we think about food. Whether you’re a new owner, prospective purchaser, or old pro, here are 27 healthy air fryer recipes for your air-frying pleasure.Ī note about the word "healthy" here: We know that "healthy" is a complicated concept. And it comes with settings and instructions for cooking proteins like meat and fish that people are often afraid of under- or overcooking, Soto adds.įeeling inspired yet?! We thought so. Air-frying also makes it easier to achieve a crispy golden-brown exterior without the mess and precariousness of a giant vat of scalding oil. “It definitely helps with cooking more at home.”įor instance, there’s no waiting for the oven to preheat, so “you can pull it out and start cooking immediately,” Soto says. “l think it does make less intimidating,” she says. The speed, ease, and consistency of the air fryer can help people feel more comfortable in the kitchen-something Soto says she’s seen with a number of her clients. It’s essentially a miniature, countertop convection oven that cooks your food both fast and evenly A.F. “An air fryer is just so convenient and can help you whip up amazing meals in half the time,” Dalina Soto, M.A., R.D., bilingual dietitian and founder of Nutritiously Yours, tells SELF.


Potato-y perfection in 10 minutes on my first try? Sold. But all it took was one batch of perfectly crisp fingerlings to convert me. Not one to pine for the latest trendy kitchen appliance-I still don’t get the Instant Pot hype, TBH-I had mixed feelings when my thoughtful parents gifted me an air fryer for Christmas.

If you told me a month ago that I’d be scouring food blogs for healthy air fryer recipes, I probably would have LOL’d.
