As the air grows cooler, heat things up in your air fryer. This miracle kitchen gadget is a must-have for every home cook looking to do more to transform every day meals into tasty perfection (without drenching everything in oil). The powerful punch of this compact kitchen tool paired with the depth and versatility of walnuts perfectly complements beautiful fall and winter vegetables, and crisp, juicy chicken, crunchy fries, and even light and flaky pastries. So get creative with some air fryer recipes for a weeknight win the whole family will love.
The Awesome Air Fryer
You may or may not be new to air fryers, but here are a few important facts so you can take advantage of everything this gadget can do:
- Air fryers are like mini conventional (countertop) ovens since they use air as a vehicle for heat, rather than the heated fat used in deep-frying.
- They are safer to use than deep fryers, and simply put, your kitchen will feel a lot cleaner. What’s more, they won’t smell up your house or clothes like greasy deep-frying will.
- Air fryers are easy to use and clean, take up little space, cook food quickly and are convenient. Even though most models are compact, they are big enough to whip up a meal for your whole family.
- You can cook frozen food! These little ovens have no problem with frozen items, and there’s a variety of interesting recipes that work great in air fryers, including pizza and desserts.
Let’s Get Air-Frying: Recipes the Whole Family Will Love
Start off with this Asian-inspired plant-based Air Fryer Crispy Walnut Gyoza. Crunchy pockets of amazing flavor, these are similar to smaller potstickers. Green cabbage is mixed with a blend of ground walnuts, fresh green onions, and garlic, ginger, soy sauce, pepper, sugar and sesame oil seasoning.
This walnut-rich “meat” replaces pork or chicken with a pop of nutty texture. Pinched together in dumpling wrappers and lightly dusted with oil spray for crispiness, they are then dropped in the air fryer to get golden brown. The gyoza hold up brilliantly to the sweet and toasty dipping sauce of vinegar, soy, red onion flakes and a sprinkle of sugar.
For the main course, try these Walnut Crusted Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. Coarsely ground walnuts mix with cheese and panko breadcrumbs to create a crunchy and flavor-deep crust. Air-frying the chicken tenders gives the outside a perfect texture but keeps the meat tender and juicy on the inside. The delicious dipping sauce includes two kinds of mustard for a complex tang with honey. Serve your scrumptious chicken tenders with your mouth watering sauce, and watch your family devour it all.
Alongside your chicken tenders, these Maple Glazed Sweet Potato Toasts with Mascarpone and Bacon Walnut Crumble are an easy but surprisingly vivid fall side dish that makes great use of only one sweet potato. Cut into wedges, it comes out of the air fryer exactly as you want: crispy on the outside and soft within. The buttery-sweet glaze with maple notes will fill your kitchen with the rich smells of fall.
The topping that makes this simple starch so sophisticated is the bacon and walnut crumble mixed with cast-iron-browned sage, all resting on a dollop of mascarpone. The mascarpone alone is riveting with a creamy, cheesy and tangy taste. Paired with the salty bacon and earthy sage, this recipe is a masterpiece of flavor combinations that will leave your whole family delighted and stuffed.
But don’t forget dessert! There are plenty of air fryer recipes to explore. Finish off your fall weeknight meal with these delectable Apple Walnut Hand Pies. These tiny desserts are plump with apples, dried cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon — a perfect balance of sweet, tart and buttery autumnal warmth. Chopped walnuts are rolled into the pastry for a nutty surprise, and the air fryer leaves it crispy and flaky.
Find Inspiration with Air Fryer Recipes
Break out your air fryer and some California walnuts to discover new (and simple!) ways to cook delicious meals.
