I have to admit, I’m a little late to the air fryer game. I’ve been missing out on this mini oven for years! I didn’t realize how much it would simplify just about every meal. I’ve been experimenting with it for the past few months and have discovered the absolute best things to cook in an air fryer (I’ve also had a few fails which I’ll list later).

　　All of the mouth-watering things about a grilled cheese are made better in an air fryer. The buttered bread gets super crispy and the cheese melts quickly making it ooey gooey and extra delicious.

　　I’ve never been a fan of chicken cooked in the oven, but this is where the air fryer somehow works its magic! The chicken stays juicy on the inside with a beautiful charred outer layer.

　　No matter how you like them– sautéed, caramelized, or crispy– you can achieve the onions of your dreams in your air fryer. The temp is the same, just adjust the time according to your personal preferences.

　　when it comes to bacon, nobody has ever said “make mine soggy”. This is the beauty of an air fryer! It makes everything crispier, including your favorite pork.

　　Crispy is my favorite word when it comes to hash browns, and the air fryer certainly doesn’t disappoint. You can also make them on a sheet pan in the oven. Both techniques have proven amazing for me.

　　Crispy seasoned skin with tender insides! That’s my idea of the perfect baked potato. If you feel the same, you really can’t mess up a potato in your air fryer.

　　While we are talking about spuds, I might as well mention that just about any potato cooks well in an air fryer, including chips! You’ll never want to eat the store-bought stuff again. Sweet potato chips are my favorite!

　　We love the jumbo bag of frozen meatballs from Costco because you can make so many meals with them. The air fryer will give you even better results than the oven, and it’s ideal if you just want to make a quick, small portion.

　　Any kind of refrigerated sausage or meat cooks perfectly in your air fryer, and we absolutely love andouille sausage! You can mix it with so many meals for added flavor including this Cajun Cauliflower Rice. Healthy but OMG DELISH!

　　Eggs are probably the perfect healthy food, and we enjoy them cooked in just about every way in our house. Hard boiled is the fastest way to get a quick fix of protein, and your air fryer will make the process painless.

　　Frozen fries cook up just right in this magical cooking machine! And, because they are almost always a side dish, it frees up your oven to cook other things. It’s great for leftover fries, too.

　　To be honest, any frozen fried food is excellent in an air fryer. We always use it for jalapeño poppers, coconut shrimp, French fries, mozzarella sticks, corn dogs, fish sticks, tater tots, etc.

　　I’m willing to bet we’ve had more chicken nuggets and chicken fingers in our air fryer than anything else. There’s nothing like the extra crispy crust!

　　If you’re looking for healthy air fryer recipes, you can’t go wrong with a can of chickpeas! The air fryer completely changes them into the ultimate snack.

　　Just about any vegetable is way better an in air fryer. Brussels sprouts are a total game changer. Even if you’re not a fan, the crispy leaves and perfectly cooked centers are delicious.

　　Carrots are one of our favorite colorful side dishes, and the air fryer will free up room in your oven! It’s helpful to have during the holidays when you have several side dishes to make at once.

　　My family buys a huge bag of organic frozen green beans from Costco because we’ve discovered green beans to be one of the only frozen veggies that doesn’t turn out soggy. If you make them in the air fryer, they are almost like fries!

　　I like my bell peppers with a little bit of char, and the air fryer is the perfect appliance for cooking them just right. Now that we have this amazing countertop oven, we make them often to add to just about any meal, including our breakfast eggs.

　　Just about all veggies (other than leafy greens) are better cooked in an air fryer, but asparagus is my absolute favorite. They get this amazing texture while still being soft in the middle. I’ll never roast them in the oven again!

　　You can make sweet things in your air fryer, too! Caramelized bananas are surprisingly delicious served with yogurt, ice cream, or peanut butter toast. Even your picky kids will enjoy this healthy treat!

　　I’m not a fan of soggy French toast, so for obvious reasons, I now prefer it cooked in my air fryer. The edges crisp up just right!

　　Cookies in the air fryer? Yes! This is excellent for when you just want to make a few, but don’t want to turn the oven on for 2 cookies (not to mention the wait time for your oven to preheat when you’re trying to quickly satisfy your sweet tooth).

　　Leftovers can be even BETTER the next day thanks to your air fryer! We’ve discovered this with pizza, French fries, veggies, chicken wings, biscuits, garlic bread, hamburger patties, hotdogs, and any fried food.

　　Kale – It actually turned out delicious, but leafy greens tend to fly around in an air fryer so you have to constantly babysit them and mix every minute or so. I had a few pieces fly up into the heating element and start to smoke!

　　Potstickers – Most foods that are meant to be soft don’t work well in the air fryer. I tried making some frozen pot stickers, and they turned out crunchy and weird.

　　Steak Bites – We eat a lot of steak, so I figured why not give the air fryer a try! Unfortunately, it’s hard to get that delicious charred edge, and super easy to overcook them. A grill or cast iron skillet is so much better.

　　Burgers – We’ve discovered that burger patties lose a lot of their juices in the air fryer and overcook really quickly.

　　Broccoli – Don’t get me wrong, broccoli is great in an air fryer, but I prefer it in the oven. All the little beads on the ends burn very easily (especially broccolini), so sometimes you have to pull it out before it’s soft enough. If you do make it in the air fryer, I recommend placing a few tablespoons of water under the crisper plate.

　　Cabbage – We love roasting cabbage in the oven! It turns out yummy in the air fryer too, however, it’s difficult to fit an entire head in there, and you have to toss every few minutes, so you can’t just “set it and forget it” like in the oven. It’s amazing for leftover cabbage, though!