24 Quick And Healthy Snack Recipes You Can Make In An Air Fryer

It's snack time, and you're looking for something a little more substantial than a candy bar or a bag of chips. At the same time, you still need it to be quick, and you're looking for a reasonable level of healthiness to boot. When this is the sort of snack you have in mind, an air fryer can really come in handy. You can whip up a surprising number of snacks right in your air fryer, without spending a ton of time prepping. An air fryer can help you get the crispiness you're looking for in a good snack, all while getting your dish piping hot at the same time.

We've compiled a list of some of our best quick and healthy snack recipes you can make in your air fryer. Whether you're hosting a party where you want to serve a variety of snacky food items or you're just trying to make yourself something quick to eat between work-from-home meetings on your busiest day of the week, these recipes will have you covered. Once you start snacking this way — with both nutrition and flavor in mind — you'll never be able to go back to a sad bag of stale chips again.

Is there any snack better for spicy food lovers than jalapeño poppers? We think not. They're spicy, creamy, cheesy, and offer just the right amount of crisp. And the good news is that they're really easy to make at home, especially if you decide to make them in your air fryer. We choose to top ours with chopped green onions and then dipping them in a creamy sauce before taking a bite. And because you're cooking them, they'll have a milder, sweeter flavor than they do when they're fresh.

Recipe: Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers

With just a few simple ingredients, you can make one of the best corn-based snacks out there. These corn fritters come together in a flash, and they offer a lovely combination of crispiness and sweetness from the corn. While that corn is the star of the show here, it's the chives that really bring a whole new level of flavor to the snack. They provide just the right pop of flavor intensity, which pairs exceptionally well with the otherwise pretty neutral flavor of the corn. This is a snack you'll want to revisit time and time again.

Recipe: Air Fryer Corn Fritters

Sure, you can always grab a box of frozen coconut shrimp at the grocery store when you're looking for a substantial snack, but this kind of treat tastes way better when you make it fresh. That might sound intimidating, but this recipe for air fryer coconut shrimp is a lot easier than you might expect. Follow the directions to get shrimp that's perfectly plump on the inside with a crispy and slightly sweet exterior layer. Not only can you serve this dish as a snack or an appetizer, but it can also make for an excellent lunch alongside a crunchy salad.

Recipe: Easy Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

When you're really pinched for time, you need a recipe that requires very few ingredients and doesn't involve much prep at all. That's just what you'll get when you make plantains in an air fryer. These sweet treats might sound complicated to make, but all you really need is the plantains themselves, some cooking spray, and a bit of ground cinnamon. The plantains crisp up nicely in the air fryer, and they're already sweet enough to join forces in the most delicious of ways with the cinnamon. The cooking oil increases that crispiness and helps the cinnamon stick to the snack.

Recipe: Air Fryer Plantains

Forgot those greasy potato chips that never make you feel your best. Instead, try making crispy, crunchy crisps in your air fryer instead. By slicing a zucchini really thinly and then air frying it, you can get that same crunchy texture you're looking for in an arguably much healthier package. But when it comes to this recipe, you're not going to want to skip the dip. It's what really brings the whole snack together in a creamy and refreshing package. Save the leftover dip, and drizzle it into meats, rice, or anything else that needs a creamy boost.

Recipe: Air Fryer Zucchini Chips with Mint Dip

Yes, you absolutely can make popcorn in your air fryer, and it may just be one of our favorite ways to make this simple snack. You'll get a similar texture to popcorn you make in the microwave, but this method is perfect for those who don't have a microwave or are just looking for an alternative cooking method. And since it's a pretty hands-off method, you'll have your freshly popped popcorn with very little work on your part. Once the popcorn is seasoned to your preferences, you'll have a wildly easy air fryer snack you can turn to any day of the week.

Recipe: Air Fryer Popcorn

Who says that you can only make salty, savory snacks in the air fryer? Certainly not us! These air fryer ginger cinnamon apples are one of our favorite healthier sweet treats to make, since they pack plenty of natural sweetness, along with a nice degree of complexity from both the ginger and cinnamon. That touch of ginger offers a slight spiciness that plays well with the earthy cinnamon notes. Then, the apples' natural sweetness really brings the whole bite together. Call it a dessert or a sweet snack, but this is an apple dish we could easily eat every day of the week.

Recipe: Air Fryer Ginger Cinnamon Apples

Not only do apples taste delicious when you cook them in an air fryer, so do bananas. We love the flavor and texture they take on when they've been cooked to golden brown perfection in an air fryer. They have an enhanced sweetness to them, along with a rich complexity that tastes almost caramel-adjacent. Other than the bananas themselves, all you'll need to make this snack is some rapeseed oil and cinnamon sugar. Who knew a dessert could be this easy and healthy — and involve almost zero prep work to boot?

Recipe: Air Fryer Bananas

You can always grab a few pieces of cheese out of the fridge when you're looking for a quick and easy snack, but if you're willing to put in just a bit more effort, you can make a really incredibly crispy, cheesy snack in no time at all with some help from your air fryer. These paneer sticks are coated in a flavorful spice mixture with some oil and then left in the air fryer until they take on the crispy texture you crave. But because paneer holds its shape so well, they won't get all melted the second you take a bite.

Recipe: Crispy Air Fryer Paneer Sticks

Freshly made chips are basically always going to taste better than the bagged, packaged version, and making them yourself also gives you the freedom to control what ingredients you want to use, how much oil to incorporate, and the level of salt and seasonings you're craving. For this recipe, you'll use salt, pepper, and oregano, but feel free to experiment with your favorite seasonings to switch up the flavor. This is why this recipe for air fryer sweet potato chips is one of our favorites. They're so easy to make that you'll wonder why you never made homemade chips before.

Recipe: Air Fryer Sweet Potato Chips

Craving zucchini chips with maximal crunch? Look no further than this recipe that only calls for a few ingredients. Zucchini is at the heart of the recipe, of course, but it's the seasoned breadcrumbs that are providing the snack-like crisp. Adding the Parmesan cheese, though, is what really takes them to the next level, with a flavor complexity and creaminess you might not expect from such a simple combo. You can season them however you see fit, but we used a basic blend of salt and pepper. A sprinkle of garlic or onion powder could also be nice.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Air Fryer Zucchini Chips

Corn ribs are one of the simpler snacks you could make, but their shape makes them super fun to eat. This is why this recipe is one of our favorites for barbecues, casual get-togethers, and everyday snack times alike. While the term "ribs" might make you think you need to start up the grill to make this snack, that's not the case at all — they come together quickly in the air fryer. The flavorful marinade is what really makes this snack stand out and taste like more than a basic corn on the cob.

Recipe: Air Fryer Corn Ribs

Mushrooms may not exactly sound like the most appealing snack on their own, but that's because you've never made these crispy air fryer mushrooms before. They get their crisp from a flavorful breadcrumb mixture that browns really nicely in the air fryer. And when you dip the cooked mushrooms in that delicious, creamy, spicy aioli, you'll understand why this is one of our all-time favorite air fryer snacks. It tastes just like your favorite fried bar food, except it's a lot lighter and, by some standards, much healthier to boot.

Recipe: Crispy Air Fryer Mushrooms with Spicy Aioli

Are you someone who's always trying to get more protein into your diet? We have the recipe for you. These are fries, but they're made with chicken breast, so they'll help you feel full after just a few bites. But this isn't just some old, boring air fryer chicken recipe. Rather, the chicken "fries" are coated with crunchy pretzels for that crisp, fry-like texture you're going for. The secret ingredient here is apricot preserves, which creates a deeply flavorful dipping sauce that really takes the main part of the recipe to a whole new level.

Recipe: Crispy Air Fryer Pretzel Chicken Fries

Shrimp make for the perfect healthy snack, since it's light but still packed with plenty of protein. But unless you're making shrimp cocktail, the idea of eating plain boiled shrimp may not sound that appealing when you're in a snacky mood. That's where these air fryer spicy shrimp come into play. They have a crisp coating on them that's generously seasoned for maximum flavor, and they pack a spicy punch from the inclusion of Cajun seasoning and chili powder. Making a creamy, cilantro-forward dipping sauce makes them even more satisfying, either as a snack or a main course.

Recipe: Air Fryer Spicy Shrimp

If you don't like tofu, it's probably because you've never learned to make it well. But once you try these tofu nuggets, you might just change your mind about the high-protein snack. The breading, made with panko breadcrumbs, really transforms the texture of the tofu, making for a more interesting bite. But by making the dish in the air fryer, you don't have to worry about your fried tofu coming out too heavy and greasy, since you'll only need to use a small spray of oil to get that coating as crispy as you want it.

Recipe: Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets

Yes, plain fries are okay when you want a simple snack, but sweet potato fries can be even better. Not only do they pack a bolder, sweeter flavor, but they also provide larger quantities of some beneficial nutrients, like Vitamin A, than regular potatoes do. Luckily, it's really easy to make your own sweet potato fries at home, especially with your air fryer. The final product will come out sweet and crunchy, making for the perfect filling snack when you need a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

Recipe: Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes

Chips come in all shapes and sizes, but they don't have to be made out of starchy ingredients. For a much lighter, greener option, we love making kale chips. This is one of the easiest air fryer snack recipes you could ever make, but it packs a surprising amount of flavor. First of all, the kale offers an unusual but appealing bitter flavor all on its own, which just happens to pair well with a wide variety of different seasonings. This recipe calls for salt and black pepper, but you can include other spices if you want to up the flavor ante.

Recipe: Air Fryer Kale Chips

Even if you're following a strict keto diet, you can still snack on these indulgent-tasting sausage balls. It's one of our favorite snacks when we're really craving something that feels filling, and the best part is that it requires very few ingredients. The pork breakfast sausage is playing a starring role, and it's a great option because it already comes pre-seasoned. Shredded cheddar cheese, cream cheese, an egg, and almond flour all come together to make the meatballs more substantial from there. These sausage balls come out moist and cheesy with a meaty bite you'll want to enjoy on repeat.

Recipe: Air Fryer Keto Sausage Balls

As much as we love chicken wings, there are times when we're craving something a bit lighter. Whether you're trying to get more veggies into your diet or you avoid eating meat altogether, these BBQ cauliflower wings should be the newest addition to your snack rotation. Cauliflower florets have a nice bite to them that's somewhat reminiscent of chicken, and the panko breadcrumb coating gives you that signature wing texture you're going for. We love the addition of BBQ sauce, which allows you to customize the flavor of the snack according to your favorite brand and variety.

Recipe: Easy Air Fryer BBQ Cauliflower Wings

Yes, chicken wings can make an excellent snack, especially when you're looking for a dish that's a bit higher in protein. But you don't have to settle for the typical buffalo sauce coating. Instead, try making these deeply flavorful lemon pepper wings. You get some nice acidity from those citrus notes, as well as a rich earthiness from the pepper. And with the addition of hot honey, you get just enough sweetness to balance things out nicely. Making these wings is even easier than ordering takeout (and they might be tastier, too).

Recipe: Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings

When you want to ditch the potatoes altogether, try making these jicama fries, which come together in a flash when you cook them in your air fryer. They're a bit sweeter than fries made with regular potatoes, but the veggie also has a nice crunchiness to it that makes for maximum snackability. It's a fun alternative to a classic snack that'll make you rethink how you make fries going forward. This recipe calls for spices like cumin, smoked paprika, and garlic powder for a bold, earthy flavor that pairs exceptionally well with this root vegetable.

Recipe: Air Fryer Jicama Fries

Cheese straws aren't just delicious — they're also a really fun snack that's bound to brighten up your day. They're made with a simple combination of cheese and puff pastry, along with a simple selection of seasonings. After they're all prepped, rolled, and cooked in the air fryer, they take on a pillowy soft texture and decadent gooeyness that'll make you want to eat several in a row. And by using both cheddar and Parmesan, you're getting an incredible depth of flavor in a relatively simple snack.

Recipe: Air Fryer Cheese Straws

Avocado lovers, you're in luck, because we have the perfect excuse for you to eat an entire avocado in one sitting. It's these air fryer avocado fries, which might just be the richest you've ever had. And the best part? They're not even deep-fried! Panko breadcrumbs are used to create that crispy exterior, and once you cook the fries, they take on a beautiful golden brown color that immediately lets you know you're about to dig into a delicious snack. If you love that creamy green fruit, you're going to want to make these "fries" on repeat.

Recipe: Air Fryer Avocado Fries

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