I’m still rather a novice at air fryer cooking. One of my best friends gifted me with an air fryer a year or so ago. She was dissatisfied with it because it’s restrictive with regard to the amount of food you can cook at once. I would agree, if you’re using it as your primary method of cooking for a family. However, we use it for single-serving meals or to whip up delicious appetizers, late-night snacks (I know, I know, it’s not good to eat at night.) or side dishes for a small group of people.
As I write this post, I am actually making hard-boiled eggs in my air fryer at the moment. Yes! You can do this! There’s no need to bring a pot of water to a boil. You simply place one to six or eight eggs in your air fryer basket. Set the temperature to 250 degrees and cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes depending on how many eggs you have. Keep reading to find out more about our favorite snacks and side dishes that we love to make in an air fryer!
Stuffed mushrooms are delicious appetizers that are easy to make
With just a few ingredients, you can make stuffed mushrooms in your air fryer! You simply remove stems from large mushrooms. Clean the shrooms off. Next, you toss a small bunch of fresh spinach in a food processor. Scoop it into a mixing bowl and add a bar of cream cheese. Mix well. You can add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Fill the mushrooms with spoonfuls of the mixture. Top each shroom with shredded Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese (or both!). Place in your air fryer on 350 degrees for about eight to 10 minutes. You can pause the fryer and check to see if the cheese is golden. These delicious appetizers are an excellent pre-main dish choice. Then again, you might want to use them as a stand alone snack or side dish, as well!
I usually have a little bit of the spinach mixture left over after filling the mushrooms. I save this in the refrigerator because it makes a yummy cracker spread! You could also use it as a bagel topping, I’m sure.
Try bacon-wrapped asparagus for more delicious appetizers
We are major asparagus lovers in our house! It is a super healthy food choice that you can prepare in many ways. To whip up a tasty appetizer in your air fryer, simply do the following:
- Wrap small bunches of asparagus with thick pieces of bacon.
- Create a mixture of brown sugar and melted butter (Use real butter, please!).
- Roll each bacon-wrapped bunch of asparagus in your mixture to heavily coat.
- Place bunches of asparagus in air fryer basket.
- If you want, you can spray each bunch with olive oil spray, but it’s not required.
- Cook at 390 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until you’re satisfied with the crispness of the bacon.
If your family likes asparagus and they like bacon, I promise you that they will devour these!
Use zucchini from your garden to make tasty air fried snacks
First of all, if you like to watch foodie Reels on Instagram, you’ll want to follow @themodernnonna. Nonna is the Italian word for grandma. I love her recipes, which is where I found this one for zucchini and ricotta fritters in the air fryer! Here’s a list of ingredients:
- 1 and 1/4 Cup of Ricotta cheese
- 1 Egg
- Salt (to taste)
- 1 Cup of Romano or Parmesan cheese
- 2 grated zucchinis (medium size)
- 1 cup of Italian style bread crumbs
- Optional: 1/4 Cup fresh dill
First, you mix the egg and Ricotta. Then add the rest of your ingredients and mix well. Form the mixture into patties by rolling a spoonful into a ball then flattening it. Spray each side with some olive oil spray. Set them in your air fryer basket on 400 degrees and cook for approximately 10 minutes. Talk about delicious appetizers! YUM!
In case you missed it, this post, it has a bunch of healthy snack ideas, several of which you can make in an air fryer! (I highly recommend the pasta chips! They are TO DIE FOR!)
What are your favorite air fryer appetizers?
