30+ Easy Air Fryer Recipes to Make This Christmas Season

I was slow to the Instant Pot craze but jumped on the air fryer bandwagon pretty quickly.  When I saw a combo pressure cooker/air fryer/slow cooker at Costco, I quickly grabbed it, and it has become a mainstay in our home. 

If you’ve never used an air fryer, it works by circulating hot air with a fan and heating element.  In our combo cooker, those are in the lid.  And while we love it, it hasn’t replaced all frying in my kitchen.  Some things, like onion rings, just taste better with good ‘ol oil.  Rather than thinking of it as a replacement, I think of it as an alternate.  Onion rings in the air fryer are good, just different.  

The size of your air fryer is going to play a big part in how useful it is for you.  We were gifted a smaller air fryer and it sat unused most weeks.  It was fine for 1-2 servings at lunchtime but nowhere near large enough to make even a dinner side dish for a family of 5.  If you don’t have an air fryer yet, really consider the size.  

Most often, we use it for foods that we would normally cook in the oven or skillet.  It adds an extra crispiness without heating up the house.  Some things are quicker in the air fryer, but not everything takes less time.   Baked potatoes, for example, require a similar cooking time in the air fryer & the oven.  Still, it frees up oven space which can be a premium when you’re cooking a large meal. 

These 30+ air fryer Christmas recipes will make the festive season a little easier & tastier. 

Quick & Easy Dinner Ideas

If your holiday season involves a lot of hustle & bustle, easy air fryer recipes may be at the top of your Christmas wish list!  

  1. I love a good rotisserie chicken.  Is there an easier dinner?  Pair it with some bread from the store & a bag of salad, and you have a delicious dinner.  But our Costco trip days are also pizza nights. And that’s when I discovered the joy of reheating a rotisserie first in the oven and now in the air fryer.  Place the chicken inside your air fryer basket.  Set the temperature to 350 and cook it for 3-5 minutes.  I flip it over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Pair it with a bagged salad & bread from the store.  Done & done.  
  2. Chicken thighs & legs are fantastic in the air fryer.  You can use your favorite recipe or a store-bought seasoning.  We also like this recipe for chicken thighs.  I usually season them in the morning or the night before, which makes it easy if I’m working late one afternoon or out running around. 
  3. This isn’t an exact replica — you really do miss the regular oil fry.  But these copycat Chick-fil-A sandwiches are pretty darn good. 

Christmas Breakfast Ideas 

On Christmas morning, I want an easy recipe for breakfast.  With teens, our mornings start a little later — late enough to take my time starting the coffee & prepping breakfast.  While we have the time now, every recipe on Christmas needs to be a simple recipe in our home.  Or one that we can start on Christmas Eve.  

  1. These breakfast bombs — stuffed with eggs, cheddar cheese, and bacon — use canned biscuit dough.  They could easily be prepped the night before for an easy start to Christmas Day. 
  2. The delicate cinnamon rolls made from puff pastry dough are a great alternative to the yeast dough variety. . These air fryer cinnamon rolls are an easy breakfast recipe because they use just four ingredients — frozen puff pastry. brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. We’ve made them with and without the icing. Switch out the lemon juice with orange juice for a tasty spin. 
  3. Yeast donuts are a great option since they need to be prepped the night before. 

More Breakfast Recipes:

Appetizers to Make in Your Air Fryer

I love grazing as I cook anytime, but especially during the holidays.  Starting off the meal using your air fryer keeps the convenience while freeing it up to use in later courses. 

  1. Prep these jalapeno poppers ahead of time for an easy appetizer. (Scooping out the seeds & membranes keeps the flavor without the heat.)
  2. Toasted Ravioli is one of my favorite appetizers. With the variety of fresh & frozen kinds of ravioli available now, you can keep it traditional with a cheese or beef variety or try something more unique like a mushroom or lobster variety.
  3. Popcorn chicken is a favorite appetizer around here.  Make them ‘grown-up’ with these air-fryer buffalo chicken nuggets or this marinated version without breading. 

A few more appetizer ideas:

The Main Dish

We’ve always made ham in the slow cooker, but a few years ago, I absentmindedly set it to the air fryer (we have a combo slow cooker/air fryer/pressure cooker). It was delicious!  Besides cooking quickly, the slight caramelization of the ham on the tall part of it added a beautiful flavor.  You can use your favorite recipe, but if you don’t have one or want cooking guidance, check out this recipe.

  1. Try a unique flavor with this coffee-citrus pork tenderloin.  
  2. Chicken Parmesan is a holiday meal in our home — the first time I ever had it was before a Christmas play. That was enough to make it a holiday season staple. This recipe cuts some of those calories from frying while keeping the delicious taste. 
  3. If roasting a whole chicken intimidates you, this roasted chicken recipe may change your mind. Rub the chicken a day or two beforehand, so you have less work to do for the rest of Christmas dinner.  While this recipe doesn’t specify it, I make sure to place rub under the skin, as well.  

More ideas for your main course:

Side Dish Recipes

If you don’t have an air fryer that has two baskets, this silicone divider set is a great way to make two smaller sides. You’ll need to find either two recipes with the same temperature or play with the temperature & timing a bit, still. Depending on your device, this can go into your air fryer basket or replace it.  

  1. With a few simple ingredients, you can have an impressive-looking side dish with these parmesan asparagus spears. 
  2. I adore potatoes.  They are the perfect side dish for any meal, if you ask me!  Once you learn the basic method & timing for your air fryer, crispy roast potatoes will be a regular on your air fryer rotation.  Try this recipe for air fryer roast potatoes.
  3. Air fryer green beans are a nice alternate way to fix them.  We made these several times this summer (minus the mushrooms). 

More side dishes:

Christmas Desserts for your Air Fryer

While timing is an issue when you’re trying to make two side dishes or a main course and a side dish, a dessert + another course is super easy.  As you’re sitting down to dinner, pop dessert into the air fryer to cook while you eat.  Once dinner is over & cleaned up, you’re ready to indulge. 

  1. How fun would it be to finish dinner & then hand out some icing, a few toppings, and freshly baked gingerbread men?! Make this dough early in the day & pop it in the fridge so that task is done. After the dough is chilled, cut them out and put them back into the fridge, so your Christmas cookies are ready to bake. 
  2. Very Berry Bread Pudding would add a lightness to a meal (season!) that is often heavy. 
  3. Air fryer brownies with some peppermint icing would make a festive dessert. 

Additional air fryer desserts:

Recipes to Use Up Your Leftovers

Once the holidays are over, your fridge, like the toy chest, may look fuller than it started.  Leftovers are great, but maybe you want to use the ingredients in a different way.  Here are a few ideas. 

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