20 Breakfast Foods You Didn't Know You Could Make In Your Air Fryer

The air fryer has arguably gotten much more buzz than any other kitchen appliance in recent years. This countertop appliance is so popular for both its affordability and because the machine requires much less oil than cooking foods on the stovetop or in an oven. Moreover, air fryers can be used for much more than just cooking crisp French fries or reheating leftovers. They're very useful for the most important meal of the day: breakfast. 

It's the perfect appliance for preparing many varieties of breakfast fare. The air circulation in the machine will perfectly crisp up everything from frozen waffles to hash browns, while also reducing the need to add a hefty dose of oil to dishes like fried eggs. In an effort to make the most of your air fryer, we've compiled a list of some of the breakfast foods you should consider cooking with it. 

If we could only have one Sunday breakfast food for the rest of our lives, it would probably be French toast. What we don't love about this classic battered dish, though, is that it takes forever to dredge and cook on the stove. Your air fryer will make French toast so much easier to cook and still produce the same nostalgic texture we all know and love. 

Start with a few slices of sturdy brioche bread dipped in a mixture of egg, milk, butter, and vanilla. From there, transfer your slices to a perforated parchment paper-lined air fryer basket. Top tip: Ensure a perfect and even brown color by flipping the bread. Typically, you can fit two to three slices of bread in the air fryer at any time, which makes this a great recipe for when you want a quick breakfast for yourself. 

We love the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning. Cooking cinnamon rolls in your air fryer will take your store-bought canned rolls to the next level by giving them an irresistibly crunchy edge. If you're working with the pre-packaged rolls, you simply pop open the package and place the pieces in the appliance to cook. For even-crispier edges, you can keep the rolls in for a couple more minutes. But because air fryers tend to vary in heating efficiency, it's best to check your rolls about halfway through the cooking time. 

Once your rolls are completely baked, slather them with your favorite cream cheese icing and enjoy. This method is so much more efficient than turning on your oven and will have piping hot rolls on your plate very quickly.

Homemade bagels are not for the faint of heart. Not only do you have to worry about getting the perfect yeasty puff, but you also have to think about boiling your bagels to develop the characteristic malty color and flavor. However, with only two ingredients and your handy air fryer, you can have bagels ready in no time. 

You should consider making bagels in your air fryer because it eliminates the need to boil them. You'll just need to combine Greek yogurt with self-rising flour in a bowl before kneading it on a clean, flat surface. Once you've preheated your air fryer, add an egg wash and toppings, and bake your bagels until they're perfectly brown and crisp on the outside. They're great with a schmear of cream cheese or a piece of lox. 

Poached eggs are a bit of a culinary anomaly. It takes a lot of patience to swirl your egg in hot water and cook it just until the white has set and the yolk is still soft. But your air fryer will replace all of the gimmicky tools you'd otherwise need to help you make this egg style at home. 

To cook poached eggs in your air fryer, add two or three tablespoons of water to a ramekin and warm it up in the air fryer for a few minutes. Then, gently crack your egg into the ramekin and bring down the temperature. In four to seven minutes, your eggs will be ready to eat. Just be sure to express caution when removing the egg from the ramekin to prevent it from cracking. 

Some like it short, some like it tall ─ and we're not talking about boozy beverages. We're talking about carby stacks of pancakes, which are a great, filling way to start the morning. 

It is possible to make pancakes in your air fryer, but you need to express caution. Some outlets argue pancakes are the one breakfast food you should never cook in an air fryer because the batter more easily spreads out in the pan and results in a flimsy consistency. Moreover, plate-sized pancakes are so potentially wide and thin that you would have to make many batches to get enough pancakes to feed everyone at your table. But if you're using small aluminum tins, you can keep your batter from spreading and minimize the amount of cleanup afterward. 

Oatmeal is always a wholesome, nutrient-dense way to start the morning. And making a bowl just became so much easier with this air fryer hack. The appliance will give your oatmeal a texture similar to if it was baked in an oven. Plus, you won't have to worry about standing over your stove and constantly stirring your oatmeal to get the perfect consistency. It's an easy way to make breakfast for many eaters, too. 

Start by preheating your appliance and greasing an oven-safe dish or ramekin. Pour in your oatmeal ingredients (the milk, oats, and seeds), set a timer for 15 minutes, and watch your breakfast be transformed. Once you've removed your bowl from the air fryer, garnish your oats with your favorite toppings like peanut butter, banana, and berries. 

Diner-style hash browns are difficult to replicate at home, but making this side dish in an air fryer makes the whole process so much easier. Similar to other potato products, the heat from the appliance will perfectly cook the edges of the hash browns and render the taters nice and crisp. The time it takes to cook perfectly crispy hash browns in the air fryer depends on if you're using frozen or fresh hash. The former takes about 10 minutes longer to cook than the fresh stuff. 

The secret to making fresh hash browns in an air fryer is to soak the raw, gratedpotatoes in cold water before cooking them. Not only will your potatoes have a better color than if you skipped the step, but you'll essentially wash away the starches that would otherwise make your spuds gluey. After the shreds are soaked, wring them out with a clean dish towel before shaping and seasoning the patties. We recommend using seasoned salt and a splash of avocado oil for extra crispy spuds. 

Frozen waffles scratch the itch if you don't have a waffle maker. Getting these carby treats perfectly crisp, though, is always a challenge ─ especially if you're using a microwave. You can cook frozen waffles in your air fryer instead. The circulating air will get into all the nooks and crannies of the waffle and ensure the outside is perfectly crisp while the inside stays soft. 

Place your waffles directly on the air fryer grate and cook them for a few minutes. The exact time is dependent on the thickness of the waffle, so you'll want to keep track of how dark the waffles get to know when to pull them. You can top your toaster waffles with an array of different tasty accompaniments, including a pat of butter, maple syrup, or chocolate chips. 

An omelet is often our go-to breakfast if we stop by our local diner. It's customizable, protein-dense, and food that we can confidently say we struggle to make at home. If we ever try to make this eggy breakfast in our own kitchen, we're using an air fryer rather than cooking it on the stove. 

Cooking an omelet in your air fryer is easier than you'd think. Preheat the appliance and pour your egg mixture into a lined pan nestled in the basket once it's perfectly hot. You'll have breakfast waiting for you from five to 10 minutes (depending on how hard you prefer your eggs cooked). The cleanup on this recipe is so much easier than having to cook it on the stove, and we think that it tastes pretty darn good, too. 

Breakfast sausage is out, and sausage balls are in. These air fryer keto sausage balls are made with low-carb ingredients like breakfast sausage, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese to help keep them deliciously moist and protein-dense. Plus, they can be easily customized with extra herbs and seasoning. 

After you've added all of your ingredients to a bowl, shape it into one-tablespoon spheres. The sausage balls will need to cook until browned and juicy, and should read an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit when they're done cooking. The appliance significantly reduces the amount of time these protein balls have to cook, and they're also a freezer-friendly recipe that you can make ahead for the week. Defrost them in the fridge the night before and pop them in your air fryer or microwave until warm when you're ready to enjoy them. 

Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table, Mashed, The Daily Meal, and Food Republic.