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7 best air fryer cookbooks full of recipes for delicious dinners and healthy snacks

Looking to elevate your air frying game? Get hold of one of these cookbooks

Lauren Cunningham
Wednesday 03 April 2024 10:06 BST
With these cookbooks in hand, you’ll be firing up the air fryer for breakfast, lunch and dinner
With these cookbooks in hand, you’ll be firing up the air fryer for breakfast, lunch and dinner (The Independent)
Our Top Picks

Our love for air fryers is showing no sign of waning, as these kitchen gadgets help us serve up daily dinners of crispy chicken, roast potatoes and chips, vegetables and even pancakes, within just a matter of minutes. However, although we like to think of ourselves as confident home cooks, working out what to eat every night can start to feel a little like Groundhog Day.

Luckily, air fryercookbooks are now available, thanks to the ever-growing interest in the health-focused home appliance, and we’ve rounded up our favourite finds below.

Just as you’d find with any cookbooks, there are options for almost every kind of diet, from vegan and keto to cakes and baking. So, whether you’re looking to find some new favourite recipes or need some inspiration for a particular diet, there’s sure to be something to suit everyone.

The one thing we will note is that most air fryer cookbooks seem to be American, meaning ingredients are listed in pounds, cups and ounces rather than grams or kilograms. If you’re used to using the latter, an online measurement converter or a quick Google search can help.

So, if you’re ready to upgrade your air frying game, just keep reading below.

How we tested the best air fryer cookbooks

A selection of the air fryer cookbooks we tested
A selection of the air fryer cookbooks we tested (Lauren Cunningham/The Independent)

We certainly know our way around an air fryer, having tested several for our best air fryer guide. Excited to try new recipes and find new favourites, we set our to try as many appliance-tailored cookbooks as we could find. Looking at variety of recipes, difficulty level, and how each book looked – a key factor when deciding on what to eat – the below are our favourite cookbooks for all kinds of diets.

The best air fryer cookbooks for 2024 are:

  • Best air fryer cookbook overall – Air-fryer Cookbook: £7, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best air fryer cookbook for vegans – Vegan Air Fryer Cookbook: £10.73, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best air fryer cookbook for keto diets – Keto Air Fryer: £30.35, Whsmith.co.uk
  • Best air fryer cookbook for beginners – Epic Air Fryer Cookbook: £10.99, Amazon.co.uk

‘Air-fryer Cookbook’ by Jenny Tschiesche, published by Ryland Peters & Small

air fryer cookbook
  • Best: Air fryer cookbook overall
  • Recipe type: Everything, including meat, fish, veg and cakes
  • Number of recipes: 101
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Why we love it
    • Easy to follow with UK and US measurements
    • Almost every food category included

No matter if you’re new to using an air fryer or a well-versed home chef, we don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this colourful cookbook. Not only is it bright and bold, with amazing imagery of each tasty creation, it’s incredibly easy to follow and uses both UK and US measurements, so consider us sold. Almost every category of food is included, from pub staples such as scotch eggs to more-adventurous finds, such as Thai turkey burgers and crispy chicken wings. As it’s tailored towards beginners, it’s incredibly easy to follow, and we enjoyed trying out the recipes. So, while the dishes may not all be the most exciting, it’s sure to be a great helping hand when whipping up breakfast, lunch, dinner and even snacks.

Read the eBook now:

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‘Bored of Lunch: The healthy air fryer book’ by Nathan Anthony, published by Ebury Press

bored of lunch.png
  • Best: Air fryer cookbook for lunch
  • Recipe type: Everything, including meat, fish, veg and cakes
  • Number of recipes: More than 70
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Why we love it
    • Great fakeaway section
    • UK and US measurements

Another bright and bold cookbook, this one will have you salivating every time you turn the page. But we will first stress that it does have a health and/or weight-loss angle, with calorie counting at the top of each recipe and phrases such as ‘slim down’ and ‘keep an eye on calories’ in the descriptions, which people are sure to either love or loathe. With recipes such as prawns pil-pil, firecracker chicken, sausage rolls and crab puffs, and even some sweet treats, it has something to suit almost every occasion. Our favourite part was probably the ‘fakeaway’ section, with katsu curry, burgers, and duck and pancakes all included. It also includes UK measurements, making it incredibly easy to follow. A handy air frying cooking guide shows what settings are best for each type of food, too, covering all bases.

Read the eBook now:

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‘Vegan Air Fryer Cookbook’ by Diana Parker, published independently

vegan air fryer cookbook.png
  • Best: Air fryer cookbook for vegans
  • Recipe type: Plant-based
  • Number of recipes: 250
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Why we love it
    • We loved the vegan doughnuts
    • Easy instructions to follow
  • Take note
    • No images, making it boring to read
    • No UK measurements

For vegans, vegetarians or anyone looking to increase the plant-based portion of their diet, this cookbook is sure to be a welcome helping hand. But, be warned, it certainly isn’t the prettiest of options. In fact, you won’t find a single image inside, which makes recipes such as the ‘turnips side salad’ seem a little bit flat. But if you can use your imagination, we don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Each recipe consists of ingredients, a simple direction paragraph, prep time, cook time and servings, as well as a note on nutrition, including the number of calories, fibre, carbs, protein and fat.

As with most air fryer cookbooks we’ve tested, the measurements are in ounces and pounds rather than grams or kilograms, although most recipes use teaspoons, tablespoons and the number of veg to include, so you won’t need to convert each and every measurement. So far, we’ve been introduced to a whole host of vegan-friendly recipes – the brussels sprouts with coconut cream, and the vegan doughnuts are just two of our favourites so far.

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‘The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook’ by Clare Andrews, published by Michael Joseph

ultimate air fryer cookbook.png
  • Best: Air fryer cookbook for quick recipes
  • Recipe type: Everything, including meat, fish, veg and cakes
  • Number of recipes: 75
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Why we love it
    • Short, simple recipes
    • Every kind of meal catered for

Considering its title, this one has a lot to live up to. But, as far as we can see, it really does cover all bases. At the beginning, there’s a guide to choosing an air fryer, an oven-to-air-fryer time and temperature conversion, cooking guide for each ingredient, and a list of all air frying extras you may need. Recipes include breakfast muffins, prawn skewers, fishcakes and mini sausage pies, as well as cupcakes and cookies, meaning there is something for every occasion. Ingredients are listed in grams and kilograms, and each recipe is short and simple, often with as few as three steps. Tasty-looking images are included throughout, as well. So, this really is a great option for those after a little bit of everything.

Read the eBook now:

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‘Keto Air Fryer’ by Maria Emmerich, published by Victory Belt Publishing

keto recipe book .png
  • Best: Air fryer cookbook for keto diets
  • Recipe type: Everything, from breakfast bagels and BBQ ribs to desserts
  • Number of recipes: More than 100
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Why we love it
    • Easy to follow instructions
    • Enticing images

A keto diet revolves around attaining more of your calorie intake from fats over carbs, so think less pasta and bread and more meats, fish and vegetables. If you’re new to this way of eating, this book explains it in detail at the beginning. If you’re well-versed in this diet, expect to find some new favourite recipes. Everything from breakfast bagels to barbecue ribs are included, as well as a handful of desserts with easy-to-follow instructions and enticing images. The ingredients are listed in pounds and ounces, so you may want to convert these beforehand – there are lots of online tools to help you do this – but the recipes are short and easy to follow. There are even handy tips on what to pair with each dish and how to make them even easier, if you’re short on time.

Read the eBook now:

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‘Air Fryer Baking Cookbook’ by by Kristen Kates, published independently

air fryer baking .png
  • Best: Air fryer cookbook for baking
  • Recipe type: Cakes and baked goods
  • Number of recipes: 32
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Why we love it
    • Good doughnut, muffin and scone recipes
  • Take note
    • No pictures
    • Very short

Yes, you can bake cakes in an air fryer (so long as it’s big enough), and some even have specific baking settings. But it isn’t quite as easy as frying up some chips or creating crispy chicken wings. Your best chance of making baked goods will be in a single-tray, flat-bottomed air fryer with quite a large capacity, so maybe don’t get your hopes up if it’s a dual-zone you own. Also, you are rather limited when it comes to options, as this baking book highlights perfectly – it looks more like a brochure than a book.

Instead of cheesecakes, creampies and chocolate mousses, which you’ll find in most recipe books aimed at sweeth-toothed chefs, this one has only three categories: doughnuts, muffins and scones, and cookies and cakes. There are no pictures, either, although all the recipes sound incredibly tempting.

The measurements are in cups and ounces, but you can easily convert these using any online tool. An ingredients list sits above short and simple directions, and it’s incredibly easy to follow – although, execution wasn’t the easiest, so we would say it’s best for those confident in the kitchen or who know their way around an air fryer.

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‘Epic Air Fryer Cookbook’ by Emily Paster, published by Harvard Common Press

epic air fryer cookbook.png
  • Best: Air fryer cookbook for beginners
  • Recipe type: Everything, including meat, fish, veg and cakes
  • Number of recipes: 100
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Why we love it
    • Includes UK and US measurements
    • Churros are great
    • Good air fryer tips and tricks
  • Take note
    • Needs more pictures

With tips on how to choose and use your air fryer, you may want to buy this book before you pick up the appliance, if you haven’t already got one. If you do already own one, be sure to still flick through the pages on how to use it, as we’ve learnt some very helpful tips and tricks.

Housing recipes for every meal, from breakfast bowls to profiteroles (yes, really), as well as meat, fish and veggie dishes, you’re sure to find some new favourites in here. The ingredients lists are in both UK and US measurements, making it easy for everyone to enjoy. Although there are fewer pictures than some of the other options in this list, it’s still easy to follow – you just need to use your imagination for how it should actually look. Our favourite dishes included the tandoori-style chicken skewers, Mexican corn, and churros, although some recipes do call for a little more kitchen confidence.

Read the eBook now:

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The verdict: Air fryer cookbooks

We had a few favourites at the top of our air fryer cookbook list: the Epic Air Fryer Cookbook, the Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook and Bored of Lunch, but it was the impressive imagery and easy recipes of the Air-fryer Cookbook that takes the top spot.

For vegans, the Vegan Air Fryer Cookbook will have you creating all the plant-based dishes your heart desires. For bakers, the Air Fryer Baking Cookbook is sure to be best in your books. And for keto diets, we found an air fryer cookbook for you too.

If these recipes sound tempting, check out our guide to the best air fryers

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