21 delicious air fryer recipes that will get you through the holiday season

Although you can make a whole apple pie in your air fryer if the basket is large enough, these apple hand pies from AllRecipes will work for air fryers of all sizes. Plus, hand pies allow you to customize the number to fit your needs—double it for eight guests or cut it in half for two.

Just because it’s called “baked” brie, it doesn’t mean you need your oven. You can make this ooey-gooey cheesy treat in a fraction of the time by using your air fryer. This version from Appetizer Addiction tops the finished product with cranberries, pears, and pancetta, but feel free to customize the toppings to your liking.

No oven? No problem! You can make a beef roast right in your air fryer. This recipe from Air Fryer Fanatics has plenty of tips to cook your roast right and still get that satisfying sear on the outside.

Did you know you can make biscuits in your air fryer? If you were planning to use pre-made biscuit dough from a tube, plan to enlist your favorite kitchen appliance, which can make these golden-brown beauties in just 10 minutes. Get some tips from Air Fryer Eats.

Forget holiday candy, we’d much rather have candied pecans—especially if they can be made in the air fryer. This recipe from The Busted Oven will show you how to fry them to perfection, and all you need are pecans and some common kitchen ingredients: butter, maple syrup, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and an egg white.

Aw yeah, keep the candied concoctions coming! Candied sweet potatoes and yams are crowd-pleasers that are acceptable on any holiday dinner table. Combine butter, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin spice, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and lime juice; drizzle it over some sliced tubers; and air fry for 10 minutes. Healing Tomato has the details for a vegan version.

Seven ingredients, five minutes of cooking time, and one air fryer. That’s all you need to make this irresistible garlic pull-apart bread from Stay Snatched. It’s just as easy as traditional garlic bread but more likely to impress your family!

The kids will love these gingerbread cookies that come courtesy of Recipes From a Pantry…and so will you! You only need eight ingredients—all of which you probably already have—and the process is easy. Just mix everything together, chill it for 10 minutes, roll out the dough, and break out the cookie cutters! Each batch only takes 8-9 minutes to cook, and then the kiddos can do the decorating.

If you’ve got a ham fam, they’ll be delighted by this air fryer ham with a honey-brown sugar glaze from Best Recipe Box, which is crispy on top but oh-so-juicy inside. You’ll likely be able to make a ham that weighs two or three pounds, but be sure whatever size you buy will fit in your fryer, or else you’ll have to trim it. 

In our household, green bean casserole is a must during the holiday season. We like to use our air fryer year-round, so of course, we’d be interested in an air fryer green bean casserole recipe like this one from Everything Air Fryer. It’s faster, just as tasty, and still requires only green beans, a can of soup, and fried onions.

This Jamaican jerk chicken recipe from My Forking Life includes directions for the air fryer, the oven, and the grill. If you’re short on time prepping for a Kwanzaa meal, go with the air fryer. While the chicken needs 45-50 minutes in the oven and even longer on the grill, this juicy, flavorful meal can take as little as 25 minutes in the air fryer.

If mac & cheese is a must on your Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Kwanzaa table, then you must try making it in your air fryer. Not only is it insanely tasty, but it’s so easy—with this recipe from My Forking Life, you don’t even need to boil the noodles!

Instead of plain ol’ mashed potatoes, try something new with these mashed potato cakes from Daily Yum. They’re made of potatoes, egg, garlic, flour, breadcrumbs, and cheese and can be dressed up like a baked potato with sour cream and bacon! Make it for your holiday dinner or in the days that follow as a creative way to use leftover mashed potatoes.

If the mashed potato cakes recipe got you wondering about latkes, allow us to answer your question: yes, air fryer latkes are possible, and yes, it is highly recommended. This recipe from Kitchn differs from the mashed potato cakes because the former includes a matzo meal and onion but does not use flour, garlic, breadcrumbs, or cheese.

If your air fryer can fit an entire pumpkin pie, then it can make an entire pumpkin pie. Try this version from Love Food Not Cooking when you’re short on oven space, and it might just become your new favorite way to “bake” a pumpkin pie! If you use premade pie crust and pumpkin spice mix, then you’ll only need nine ingredients and about a half hour of cooking time.

Don’t serve your guests raw carrots—those should be reserved for snowmen noses—and instead serve the traditional holiday side dish of roasted glazed carrots. Inspirational Momma’s version of this side calls for just five ingredients (carrots, brown sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper) and about 20 minutes of cooking time.

Salmon that’s seared on the outside and tender & flaky on the inside? You might think it isn’t possible with an air fryer—until you try it. This is a great option if you have a smaller air fryer basket, as you can cut the filets to fit, and as Feel Good Foodie will tell you, the whole thing only requires 10 minutes of cooking time.

Once you try air fryer stuffing, you’ll never go back to using the oven. This recipe from Air Fryer Eats contains carrots, celery, leeks, butter, broth, a whole bunch of bread, and some spices—and it’s both quicker and easier than traditional stuffing recipes.

Air fryer donuts are delicious, so why not welcome your favorite appliance into the holiday season with these air fryer sufganiyot from Fork to Spoon. Your family will love these jelly donuts during Hanukkah or any other time of year, and you’ll love how easy they are.

Yes, you really can air fry an entire holiday turkey—assuming your basket is large enough to accommodate a whole bird. Deep-frying a turkey can be a hassle (and dangerous, too), but this version from Weekend Craft is much safer and just as tasty.

If you prefer your potatoes baked, but your oven is busy with other tasks, your air fryer has you covered. Cook and crisp your spuds to perfection with this twice ”baked” recipe from Upstate Ramblings. They only take 10 minutes (seriously!) to make, and of course, are topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, and sour cream.