How to cook healthy food in your air fryer - with 3 recipes to try

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.

5 ways to make healthy food in an air fryer

These are easy ways to reduce calories in your air fryer, without feeling like you’re missing out. 

1. Use the bowl trick

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. 

2. Vegetables are my everything

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. 

3. The stir fry mix

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. 

4. Try using small tortilla wraps

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?

5. Evening munchies

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. 

3 healthy and tasty air fryer recipes

Try these three easy and tasty recipes in your air fryer.

1. Crispy root veg chips

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.

Ingredients

• 1 swede/rutabaga
• 2 large parsnips
• 4 medium carrots
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1½ tsp dried parsley
• Salt and black pepper

Method

• Peel the root vegetables and slice them into chips. Aim for a universal size so that they cook evenly.
• Put the veggie chips into a mixing bowl, add the olive oil and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients well with your hands so that the chips are evenly coated.
• Load the veggie chips into the air fryer basket and spread out. Air fry at 160ºC/320ºF for 25 minutes. Give them a shake, then increase the temperature to 200ºC/400ºF and cook for another 5 minutes, or until crispy to your liking.

2. Quick Mediterranean Vegetables

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.

Ingredients

• 450g/1lb prepared Mediterranean vegetables
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• Salt and black pepper

Method

• Put the vegetables into a mixing bowl. Add the olive oil to the bowl along with the dried herbs, then season with salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands. Remove any cherry tomatoes – if they are included – and set aside, as they will need a shorter cooking time.
• Tip the Mediterranean vegetables into the air fryer basket and air fry at 160ºC/320ºF for 16 minutes.
• Shake the veggies and add the cherry tomatoes to the fryer now, if using. Cook for a final 5 minutes at 180ºC/360ºF, or until the tomatoes have softened and the rest of the veg are crispy. 

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.

3. Vegan Burrito Bowls

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. 

Ingredients

• 2 wheat tortilla wraps (optional)
• 225g/8oz firm tofu, pressed 
• 2 tsp taco seasoning 
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red (bell) pepper/capsicum
• 8 tbsp frozen sweetcorn
• 8 tbsp drained, canned black beans
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 6 tbsp salsa
• Salt and black pepper

For the vegan avocado crema

• 1 avocado
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• 120ml/4fl oz/½ cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp dried coriander/cilantro leaf
• 1 tsp garlic purée 

Method

• If you are making edible bowls, prepare these first. Use a tortilla wrap to line a cereal bowl, folding about four tucks into the tortilla as you go so that it fits the bowl perfectly. Place a ramekin inside the moulded tortilla to keep it in shape. Repeat to line a second bowl with a tortilla, weighing the wrap down with another ramekin.
• Place the wraps, in their bowl moulds, into the air fryer basket and air fry at 180ºC/360ºF for 5 minutes. Remove the ramekin carefully (it will be hot) and air fry for a further 2 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden and holding their bowl shape.
• Chop the pressed tofu into cubes and put them in a bowl with the taco seasoning. Season with salt and pepper and add the olive oil. Mix with your hands until the tofu is evenly coated, then load into the air fryer basket to the left, leaving some space on the right of the basket.
• Next, deseed the pepper and chop into cubes. Add them to the right of the air fryer basket. Air fry at 180ºC/360ºF for 5 minutes.
• Shake the tofu and peppers, then find a space and add the frozen corn. Air fry at the same temperature for a final 5 minutes, or until the corn is starting to crisp.
• While the tofu, corn and pepper cook, make the avocado crema. Add all the ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth.
• To assemble your burrito bowls, arrange all the filling ingredients – the black beans, corn, tofu, peppers, cherry tomatoes and salsa into your tortilla bowls – keeping them in separate little piles. If you haven’t made the bowls, just arrange the elements in a large cereal bowl, or similar. Drizzle the avocado crema over the burrito bowl and serve.