Advice from an expert on healthy air fryer swaps, with delicious and easy recipes to get you started.
Did you know that the air fryer was invented for reducing your fat in cooking? It was originally aimed at those on low fat diets like Slimming World and Weight Watchers. The idea was that you could have your chips without the guilt. It promised to reduce your oil consumption by 75% and I bought one straight away.
That was in 2012 and the homemade chips were delicious. To this day, I can’t go a week without air fryer chips.
But there is a lot more to air fryer food than chips, nuggets and sausages. An air fryer can help you make healthy swaps for your snacks and meals in minutes.
These are easy ways to reduce calories in your air fryer, without feeling like you’re missing out.
Don’t just drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the food and then air fry. Instead transfer what you are air frying to a bowl and mix with your hands with 1tbsp of olive oil and your preferred dried seasoning. We find that 1 tablespoon of oil is perfect for feeding four people.
Then when you add the food to the air fryer the excess from the bowl isn’t used and you can reduce your oil calories even more.
I can’t go a single day without cooking veg in the air fryer because they are so good. Imagine your homemade chips for example – what if you swapped them for veg chips?
You can cook root vegetable chips such as swede or parsnips. Carrots and beetroot also work well.
Or what I like to do, which fits in well with meal prep, is to peel and dice some butternut squash. Keep a bowl of it in the fridge and quickly grab some to air fry for lunch or dinner.
The stir fry bags you see at the supermarket are fantastic for adding a little oil and seasoning to and then air frying.
You can add your favourite protein, such as some chicken breast or duck breast, and air fry together. You then have your own air fryer stir fry.
Mini tortillas are a dream come true in the air fryer and have a wealth of possibilities. They are low calorie and you can keep it basic to start with and just chop them to tortilla chips shapes, add your favourite oil and seasoning and air fry.
Then, as you get used to air frying, position them in the air fryer and make them into tortilla bowls. Then fill with your favourite salads. Or why not make a burrito bowl?
We often find ourselves reaching for a bag of crisps, sweets or chocolate at night, whilst watching TV. Instead, why not try something healthy in the air fryer – kale chips are amazing and so are chickpeas.
You can drain a can of chickpeas then mix them with your favourite seasoning and air fry. They are simply delicious.
When using dried herbs in the air fryer we find that ¼ tbsp per serving is perfect and you can mix and match with what you like – cajun, fajita, mixed herbs or even peri peri.
Try these three easy and tasty recipes in your air fryer.
One of our favourite go-to air fryer sides is veggie chips/fries. We will gather root vegetables from the fridge, then prep and cook in the same way as regular chips.
This works best with similar cook time root veggies such as beetroot, swede/rutabaga, carrots, parsnips and turnips.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Calories: 340
When shopping for vegetables, you will often find bags of prepared ones reduced in price because they have a short shelf life. These are perfect for loading into the air fryer the same day.
We recommend the Mediterranean bags that usually contain prepped courgette/zucchini, red onion and red peppers, and sometimes garlic and cherry tomatoes too.
These are quicker to prep and cook than root vegetables, making them perfect for busy weeknight dinners.
Serves: 2
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook time: 21 minutes
Calories: 190
Tip: You can experiment with other veggie bags, for example a root veg casserole mix with carrots, baby potatoes and turnip. Follow the same method but cook at 180ºC/360ºF for 25 minutes in total.
Burrito bowls are one of our favourite healthier dinners on a busy weeknight. We can just grab ingredients from the fridge, load items that need cooking into the air fryer and prep as the air fryer cooks.
They are even more special with our fun burrito bowls.
Serves: 2
Prep: 12 minutes
Cook time: 17 minutes
Calories: 842
For the vegan avocado crema
Sam and Dom Milner are the co-authors of The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook (£20, White Lion Publishing), a Sunday Times bestseller.
We delve into the world of air frying to share tips on what to look for when buying, and offer advice from expert chefs.
Find out the truth about air fryers and their impact on your health.
Still not used your air fryer? We've got advice from an expert on simple ways to get started.
Home chefs are turning to their air fryer and slow cooker to save money on their energy bills. Which is cheaper to run?
As well as being a healthy option, air fryers are said to save money – but in reality, how economical are they?
