Our Best Air-Fryer Appetizers Are Almost Too Tasty to Share
Can we just go ahead and adjust the serving size to “1”? 🤣
Whether you're looking for game day snacks or some crunchy, crave-able treats for a night in, our best air-fryer appetizers are sure to fly off the plate. We've got scene-stealing air-fryer recipes for brat bites, spiced nuts, egg rolls, crab cakes, and even crispy coconut shrimp—no deep fryer required.
Air-Fryer Scotch Eggs
BHG / Sonia Bozzo
Some of the best air-fryer appetizer inspiration can be found on bar and brewpub menus. The starter and happy hour menus often overflow with fried and crunchy items that can easily be recreated in the air fryer. Case in point: These English pub-inspired Air-Fryer Scotch Eggs. This hearty starter typically features a hard or soft-boiled egg wrapped in sausage, coated in breadcrumbs, and then deep-fried in oil. Our take is a healthier twist that in no way sacrifices flavor or texture.
Air-Fryer Panko Coconut Shrimp
Whether it is served on a skewer, in a wrap, or with cocktail sauce, shrimp is a crowd-pleasing party starter. These crispy, sweet coconut shrimp are no exception. Our air-fryer rendition of the restaurant-favorite features colossal shrimp dredged in coconut milk and breaded with panko and shredded coconut. The panko coating—and the convection heat—amplify the crunch factor.
Related: Air-Fryer Shrimp "Boil"
Air-Fried Bratwurst Bites with Spicy Beer Mustard
Ideal for tailgates, neighborhood potlucks, or as part of a snack dinner (just add a hummus and veggie platter), this easy air-fryer appetizer recipe offers everything you adore about the ballpark staple in a bite-sized format. While the crisped-up brat bites are tasty and juicy, the real star here is the homemade condiment. Mustard, dark beer, allspice, turmeric, and honey team up for a wild and wonderful flavor explosion that we hereby want to spread on every sandwich, burger, hot dog, and brat.
Related: 8 Absolutely Delicious Bratwurst Recipes to Serve at Your Next Gathering
Mix-and-Match Air-Fried Egg Rolls
Savor this popular Asian-inspired starter without investing the time and money in ordering takeout. It’s easier than you may think to make these audibly crunchy (sweet or savory) rolls right at home. Plus, you can use this base recipe to customize your egg rolls with your favorite fillings or any of the filling ideas from our Test Kitchen.
Test Kitchen Tip: If you’re hosting a crowd, assemble multiple batches of this air-fryer appetizer recipe in advance, then refrigerate so you can cook in waves to keep the snack selection stocked.
Crunchy Air-Fryer Corn Dog Bites
BHG editors adore pretty much everything about the state fair—especially the food. This easy air-fryer appetizer recipe is our healthy-ish recreation of one of our all-time favorites, corn dogs, just in a smaller-scale format and with far less fussy instructions. Instead of a drippy batter, we call for a crushed cornflake coating that performs better in the air fryer and yields an ultra-crunchy finished exterior.
Air-Fryer Jerk Pork Skewers with Black Bean Mango Salsa
Kabobs of any kind make for an ideal potluck party addition. This air-fryer appetizer idea—full of punchy tropical colors and flavors—is one of our go-to kabob recipes and it can easily be multiplied to feed a crowd. A coating of shredded coconut and Jamaican jerk seasoning infuses the pork tenderloin as it cooks. The skewers take only 5 to 7 minutes in the air-fryer—just enough time to toss together the black bean and mango salsa to serve alongside.
Related: How to Make Salsa That's Customizable to Your Spice Level
Air-Fryer Chicken Wings
Score pub-style “fried” chicken wings with far less fat but just as much crunch and kick. Among our best air-fryer appetizers (according to our Test Kitchen tasting panel) the secret to the crave-able texture is patting the chicken dry with paper towels before allowing them to air-fry sans-sauce. Just before serving, toss the wings with a sauce featuring sambal oelek chile paste, lime, ginger, and garlic.
Related: 10 Game-Changing Chicken Wing Recipes for Winning Appetizers
Air-Fried Buffalo Cauliflower
For an even lighter remix on the concept of chicken wings, try this air-fryer appetizer. Simply toss florets with a Buffalo-inspired blend (cayenne pepper sauce, a bit of butter, vinegar, and garlic powder). Cook in the air fryer until crispy (shaking every 5 minutes to ensure even crisping) and serve with blue cheese, ranch, or even more hot sauce. When it comes to dip, there’s no wrong answer, if you ask us!
Air-Fried Soy Ginger Shishito Peppers
You need just 5 ingredients and 17 minutes to add this easy air-fryer appetizer to your menu. The soy sauce-scented peppers are on repeat any night BHG editors order takeout sushi or ramen. The blistered exterior lends a lovely smoky quality, while the sweet honey, tangy lime juice, and salty-savory soy sauce in the coating hit all the taste buds.
Air-Fryer Avocado Fries
Because potatoes shouldn’t get all the glory, our current snack time MVP features something you might be more familiar with when it is smashed on toast. Yep, this air-fryer appetizer recipe is all about avocados—and an ample coating of panko that hugs each inch thanks to an egg-based dredge. They’re delightful dipped in classic ketchup or mayo, but get even better when you mix those two with a dash of sriracha and apple cider vinegar.
Related: How to Soften an Avocado 4 Ways (Plus 2 Ways to Never Try)
Air-Fryer Spiced Walnuts
Toasting nuts in the oven is one of our favorite tricks to amplify the flavor of everything from almonds to walnuts. The heat circulation in your countertop appliance can help you score similar results, just in less time and using less energy. We mean it when we say less time; this quick and easy party recipe takes a mere 9 minutes per batch. And the roasty, rich walnuts only get better when you realize the easy air-fryer appetizer comes coated with cinnamon, sugar, and cloves.
Air-Fryer Pickle Chips
Our Test Kitchen is full of so many pickle fans, you’ll find them featured in Cubans, chicken sandwich brine, cream cheese wraps, and so much more. This air-fryer appetizer allows the slices to steal the show. You’ll be treated to 90 chips in just 30 minutes if you follow our easy instructions to pat the pickles dry, dunk them in sriracha-spiked buttermilk, and finish with panko. Air-fry the pickle snacks in batches until golden. Then comes the toughest part: not eating every single one before the rest of the crew joins the party.
Pretzel-Crusted Air-Fryer Crab Cakes
This is one of our best air-fryer appetizers, but it can also double as a dinner main or brunch showstopper when served on a bed of greens, in a hoagie roll, or alongside sunny-side-up eggs. Instead of bread crumbs, we coat these Old Bay-seasoned patties with crushed pretzels to add texture and just enough salty flavor. Make them bite-sized for cocktail parties, or slightly larger with a swoosh of sauce for a sit-down dinner.
Related: Our 30 Best Brunch Recipes of All Time
Frequently Asked Questions
How does an air fryer work?
Despite their name, air-fryers are not fryers—but they do convincingly mimic the results. An air-fryer is more like a mini convection oven, but it heats up and works much faster than the typical convection option included in most ovens. The countertop appliance blows hot air around the food and uses just a fraction of the oil (if any) that deep frying requires. In most cases, you will only need a teaspoon or two of oil to achieve crispy, golden brown, fried-like textures.
Most of these recipes include bread crumbs. Can I cook my beer-battered appetizers in my air-fryer?
Air fryers are versatile appliances, but they aren't great for cooking wet, battered foods. Recipes with sticky, drippy marinades or wet batters will get very messy and leak through the basket because the oil isn't hot enough to set the batter or caramelize the marinade. That said, you can modify some recipes to make them air fryer-friendly. For example, you can cook beer-battered fish in an air-fryer if you dredge the pieces in flour after coating them in batter and spraying the pieces with a high heat oil before cooking.
What is the best type of oil to use in my air-fryer?
For air-frying (and most cooking) you'll want a refined, high-smoke point oil like avocado, safflower, canola, peanut, or coconut oil. That's because high-smoke point oils don't burn until they reach 400°F or higher. Olive oil (especially refined olive oil) is also a good oil for air-frying despite being considered a medium to high smoke point oil (with a smoke point between 350 and 470°F). This is because olive oil is stable enough to resist the oxidation process caused by high temperatures. Low-smoke point oils (like pumpkin, flaxseed, and walnut oil) may burn when exposed to high temperatures and result in an acrid flavor.
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