How to cook festive favourites using an air fryer

With over 74,000 average monthly Google searches for ‘air fryer recipes’ – an increase of 805% from last year alone – it’s little surprise that searches for festive variations are also on the rise!

Requiring little effort while still delivering delicious food, air fryers have become all the rage in the UK. So, we did a little digging and found some of the best air fryer recipes for all the Christmas essentials, from crisps you nibble on as you open presents, to the main event itself and all the trimmings.

Read on, and don’t forget to wipe the dribble off your chin when you’re done reading!

Try these Christmas air fryer recipes

Whether you’re looking for a quick fix for your turkey trimmings or you’ve got time to cook up a storm with some slow-roasted pork, there’s plenty of Christmas air fryer recipes here for you to get your teeth into!

Air fryer Brussels sprouts

Ingredients

• 450g Brussels sprouts
• 4 slices back bacon
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Remove the core and the outside skin of the Brussels sprouts and place them into your air fryer. Cook for 10 minutes at 180°C/360f.
2. While the Brussels sprouts are cooking, dice your bacon. Remove all visible fat and place them in the air fryer when it beeps.
3. Now cook for a further 5 minutes at 200°C/400f.
4. Serve with salt and pepper.

Recipe credit: Recipe This

Air fryer roast potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes
• Olive oil spray
• Sea salt, to season

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into 4cm chunks. Rub potatoes dry with a clean tea towel.
2. Place potatoes in the basket of the air fryer. Spray well with oil , toss, then spray again.
3. Cook at 180°C for 15 minutes. Shake basket.
4. Increase heat to 200°C and cook for a further 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.
5. Serve the potatoes seasoned with salt.

Recipe credit: Taste AU

Air fryer mince pies

Ingredients

• 1 small granny smith apple, peeled, cored, coarsely grated
• 165g (3/4 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 90g (1/2 cup) sultanas
• 45g (1/4 cup) currant
• 45g (1/4 cup) blanched almonds, toasted, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp red glace cherries, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp mixed peel
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 25g butter, melted
• 60ml (1/4 cup) gin
• Icing sugar, to dust

For the sweet shortcut pastry:

• 300g (2 cups) plain flour
• 55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
• 185g butter, chilled, chopped
• 1 egg, separated
• 60ml (1/4 cup) milk

Instructions

1. Use your hands to squeeze excess moisture from the apple. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the brown sugar, sultanas, currants, almond, cherries, peel, mixed spice, cinnamon, butter, and gin. Stir well to combine. Set aside for 1 hour to allow flavours to develop.
3. Meanwhile, place the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4. Add the egg yolk (reserve the egg white) and milk, and process until the dough just comes together.
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll out the pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick.
6. Use a round 8cm-diameter pastry cutter to cut 18 cases from the pastry. Line eighteen, 2.5cm deep, 4cm (base) 7cm (top) loose-based patty pans.
7. Reroll leftover pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Use a round 7cm-diameter pastry cutter to cut 18 further discs from the pastry.
8. Transfer the fruit mixture to a fine sieve over a bowl and stir to remove excess liquid. Divide fruit mixture among pastry cases.
9. Beat egg white until frothy. Brush pastry discs with a little egg white.
10. Top pastry cases, egg white-down, with pastry discs. Press edges to seal, trimming any excess pastry.
11. Reroll any leftover pastry and use a 6.5cm star cutter to cut 18 stars. Brush tops with a little of the remaining egg white.
12. Place a star on the top of each pie. Brush the stars with egg white.
13. Preheat a 7-litre air fryer to 160°C for 3 minutes.
14. Carefully place 6 mince pies in the basket. Cook for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.
15. Repeat, in two more batches, with the remaining pies. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
16. Dust the pies with icing sugar to serve.

Recipe credit: Taste AU

Air fryer vegetable peel crisps

Ingredients

• Peel of 3 potatoes
• Peel of 1 orange sweet potato
• Greek yoghurt, to serve
• Chilli sauce, to serve

For the lemon-herb salt:

• 1 lemon
• 10cm fresh rosemary sprig
• 30g (1/4 cup) sea salt flakes

Instructions

To make the lemon-herb salt

1. Use a vegetable peeler to peel strips of rind lengthways (avoid the pith) from the lemon.
2. Cut each strip in half lengthways.
3. Place the peel and rosemary in the basket of an air fryer. Cook at 70°C for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the rosemary.
5. Cook peel for a further 10-15 minutes or until dry.
6. Remove and set aside to cool.
7. Strip dried leaves from the rosemary sprig.
8. Combine dried peel and rosemary leaves in a spice grinder or mortar, and grind to a powder.
9. Add to a jar with the salt.
10. Use the end of a wooden spoon to gently crush and combine.

To make the crisps

1. Wash the vegetable peel and use a clean tea towel to thoroughly dry.
2. Place in a bowl and spray lightly with olive oil. Toss to coat.
3. Place in a single layer in the basket of the air fryer (you may need to do 2 batches).
4. Cook at 180°C, stopping to toss once or twice, for 8-10 minutes, or until dry.
5. Transfer to a plate. Sprinkle with the herb salt to taste.
6. Serve with yoghurt and chilli sauce.

Recipe credit: Taste AU

Air fryer Yorkshire puddings

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 50g plain flour
• 1 small egg
• 150ml whole milk
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

Homemade Yorkshire puddings

1. Preheat your air fryer to 200°C/400f.
2. Mix the plain flour and the seasoning in a bowl.
3. Pour in the egg (a bit at a time), stirring gradually.
4. Add the milk a bit at a time and stir regularly until you have a thick batter. Beat well until it forms bubbles on the top.
5. Place a little olive oil in your Yorkshire pudding tins and place in the air fryer for 5 minutes or until smoking.
6. Pour your mixture (1/2 way up your Yorkshire pudding tin) and place back in the air fryer, and cook at 200°C for 15 minutes.

Frozen Yorkshire puddings.

1. Load frozen Yorkshire puddings into the air fryer basket.
2. Cook for 5 minutes at 180°C/360f, or 4 minutes if your air fryer is preheated.

Recipe credit: Recipe This

Air fryer pigs in blankets

Ingredients

• 750g bacon
• 500g sausages

Instructions

1. Remove packaging from your bacon and sausages. Slice big sausages in half, if opting for big sausages.
2. Wrap sausages in bacon.
3. Load into your air fryer basket.
4. Cook for 8 minutes at 180°C/360f.
5. Serve.

Recipe credit: Recipe This

Air fryer pork belly

Ingredients

• 1kg piece boneless pork belly, rind scored
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
• Olive oil spray

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 200°C for 3 minutes.

1. Pat pork dry with paper towel. Rub salt into pork rind.
2. Place the pork in the air fryer basket and spray with oil.
3. Set timer for 25 minutes and cook until the rind crackles.
4. Reduce temperature to 160°C. Set timer for 30 minutes and cook until pork is tender and cooked through.

Get ready for Christmas dinner with Wren

These recipes are ideal for that busy festive period, but if you want some more inspiration, we’ve got plenty of fun recipes and lifestyle advice on our blog. If you’re thinking about asking Santa for a new kitchen next year, then check out our kitchen buying guides so you know exactly what to ask for on your Christmas list!