Air-Fried Curry: A Quick, Easy, And Healthy Option

Air fryers are a convenient alternative to deep and shallow frying, but can you use them to make curry? The answer is yes! Air fryer curries are not only possible, but they also taste great and are less messy than traditional pan-fried curries. You can make a variety of curries in an air fryer, including chicken tikka masala, lamb rogan josh, and kidney bean curry. The key to success is preparing a thick curry sauce and using a suitable metal pan that fits into your air fryer basket. While air fryers are not designed for cooking liquids, a curry sauce is thick enough to work well in an air fryer and won't cause splattering or spitting. So, if you're looking for a quick, tasty, and easy weeknight meal, give air fryer curry a try!

Air fryer chicken tikka masala

Ingredients:

• Chicken thighs or breasts
• Rapeseed (canola) oil, ghee or oil spray
• Medium onions, thinly sliced
• Red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• Garlic and ginger paste
• Sugar
• Ground almonds
• Coconut milk powder or thick coconut milk
• Passata
• Mixed powder or curry powder
• Tandoori masala
• Chicken stock, stock cube stock is fine
• Single cream, plus more to garnish
• Red food colouring (optional)
• Dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
• Garam masala
• Coriander (cilantro) to garnish

Method:

First, preheat your air fryer to 200°C/400°F and air fry the chicken in the basket for 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Next, mix the oil, sliced onions and salt in a mixing bowl, ensuring the onions are evenly coated. If you are on a reduced-calorie diet, squirt the veggies all over with kitchen oil spray instead of adding oil.

Pour the mixture into the air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. Add the garlic and ginger paste for the last two minutes of cooking.

Pour the fried onion mixture into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, ground almonds, coconut, passata, mixed powder or curry powder, tandoori masala, paprika and the water or stock. Blend until smooth, then pour into a suitable metal container that fits into your air fryer.

Air fry for 10 minutes. The sauce will begin to caramelise around the top—stir this in for more flavour.

Add the cooked chicken, butter and cream, and cook for another 5 minutes or until hot enough to serve.

Finally, add the food colouring (if using), kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and garam masala. Season with salt to taste and stir well. Garnish with coriander to serve.

Air fryer kidney bean curry

Yes, you can make curry in an air fryer! In fact, you can make a whole range of curries in an air fryer, including chicken tikka masala, chicken curry, and kidney bean curry.

This is a simple, tasty, and healthy recipe that can be made in around 30 minutes. It is a great vegetarian option and is perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or oil spray
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, cut in half, seeds and membrane removed
• 2 green finger chillies
• 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• 70ml unseasoned passata
• 125ml vegetable stock
• 1⁄2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (adjust to taste)
• 1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
• 11⁄2 tsp ground cumin
• 11⁄2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 – 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil, optional
• 600g tinned (canned) kidney beans, strained
• ½ tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• Coriander (cilantro), to garnish

Method:

• Preheat your air fryer to 200°C/400°F.
• Place the sliced onions, bell pepper, 1 tbsp oil, and salt into a mixing bowl. If you are on a reduced-calorie diet, spray with cooking oil to coat and mix well.
• Pour the mixture into the cooking basket and fry for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Carefully spread the garlic and ginger paste over the vegetables and cook for the last two minutes. Then, pour the mixture back into your mixing bowl.
• Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the bowl and blend until smooth.
• Set your air fryer to 200°C/400°F. Pour the oil, if using, into a cake tin or another metal pan that fits into your air fryer basket. If using oil, heat it for a couple of minutes and then pour in the smooth sauce.
• Cook for 10 minutes—the sauce will begin to brown on the top and around the sides. The sauce will be quite hot if you used oil and warm if you didn't.
• Add the kidney beans and stir them in. Continue air frying for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the curry is hot enough to serve.
• To finish, add the kasoori methi by rubbing it between your fingers over the curry. Add the garam masala and season with salt to taste. Give it a good stir and garnish with the chopped coriander.

Air fryer butter paneer curry

Ingredients:

• 250g paneer, cubed in bite-sized pieces
• 3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil (optional) or oil spray
• 2 medium onions (approx. 250g/9oz), thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cut in half, seeds and membrane removed
• 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp mixed powder or Madras curry powder
• 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
• ½ tsp sugar or to taste
• 250g (1 cup) passata
• 70ml (1/4 cups) vegetable stock or water. Stock cube stock is fine
• 2 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp yoghurt or all of the retained paneer marinade
• 1 generous tbsp butter
• ½ tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 2 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Method:

• Preheat your air fryer to 200°C/400°F. Place the sliced onions, bell pepper, 1 tbsp of the oil and salt into a mixing bowl. If you are on a reduced-calorie diet, spray with cooking oil to coat and mix well. Pour into the cooking basket to fry for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Carefully spread the garlic and ginger paste over the veggies to cook for the last two minutes and then pour it all back into your mixing bowl.
• Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the bowl and then blend with a stick blender or countertop blender until smooth and set aside. If you want a more authentic texture, pass the sauce through a fine sieve.
• Now pour 2 tbsp of the oil into a cake tin or another suitable metal pan that fits into your air fryer. Let it heat for 3 minutes and then add the cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon stick. Let these whole spices infuse into the oil for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. If you don't like whole spices in your curries, fish them out. Otherwise, you can leave them in to continue flavouring the sauce. You can always remove them before serving. If you are on a reduced-calorie diet, you could spoon out some of the oil at this stage but it's much better left in.
• Pour the blended sauce into the pan and air fry for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the sauce will be quite hot if you left the oil in. If not, it will be warm. Add the paneer and let it heat through in the sauce for about 5 minutes.
• If the sauce is spitting or steaming a lot, cover the pan with a lid or foil for the remainder of the cook, but that has never happened to me.
• At this stage, you might see some caramelisation around the edges of the sauce and a browned layer of sauce on the top. Stir that in for additional flavour.
• If using tandoori paneer, stir in the marinade or if cooking the paneer from raw, whisk in 2 tbsp yoghurt. Stir in the cream, chillies, garam masala and then add the kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) by rubbing them between your fingers. Add the butter and continue cooking for 2 minutes or until the curry is hot enough to serve.
• To finish, season with salt to taste. Give it all another good stir and garnish with the chopped coriander (cilantro).

Air fryer lamb achari curry

Air fryers are becoming increasingly popular and they can be used to cook delicious curries, including the Air Fryer Lamb Achari Curry. This recipe will show you how to make a restaurant-style lamb curry in your air fryer. Here is a detailed, step-by-step guide to making this mouth-watering dish.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil (optional) or oil spray
• 2 medium onions (approx. 250g/9oz), thinly sliced
• 3 green finger chillies, sliced lengthwise in half
• 1 red bell pepper, cut in half, seeks and membrane removed
• 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• 1 tbsp mixed powder or curry powder
• ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 150ml (1/2 cup) passata
• 1 tbsp lime pickle or 1 ½ tsp each lime pickle and mango chutney
• 250ml (1 ½ cups) warm meat stock, stock cube stock is fine
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ tsp panch poran
• 2 dried Kashmiri chillies
• 2 tbsp plain natural yoghurt
• ½ tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• Juice of one lemon or lime
• 2 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Instructions:

• Preheat your air fryer to 200°C/400°F.
• Place the sliced onions, bell pepper, 1 tbsp of the oil, and salt into a mixing bowl. If you are watching your calories, spray with cooking oil to coat and mix well.
• Pour the mixture into the air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Spread the garlic and ginger paste over the veggies and cook for an additional minute. Then, pour the mixture into a mixing bowl.
• Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the bowl and blend with a stick blender or countertop blender until smooth. Set aside.
• Pour 2 tbsp of oil into a cake tin or another suitable metal pan that fits into your air fryer. Heat the oil for 3 minutes.
• Add the panch poran and dried chillies to the pan and fry for 1-2 minutes. Then, stir in the sliced onion and fry for about 3 minutes or until the onion is soft.
• Pour the blended sauce into the pan and add the lamb. Air fry for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, the sauce will be warm. Stir in the precooked lamb tikka and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. If the sauce is spitting or steaming, cover the pan with a lid or foil.
• Stir in the yoghurt, kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), and garam masala. Continue air frying for 2-5 minutes or until the curry is hot enough to serve.
• Season with salt to taste and stir in the lemon or lime juice. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

Tips:

• You can prepare this dish up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge. The flavours will develop, making it even more delicious when served.
• Air fryers are not designed to cook liquids, so be cautious when adding liquids to the air fryer.
• You can use beef, chicken, or paneer instead of lamb if you prefer.

Enjoy your Air Fryer Lamb Achari Curry!

Air fryer chicken chasni

Ingredients

• 300g (10.5oz) chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces or tandoori chicken tikka
• 1 to 3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee (optional) or oil spray
• 2 medium onions (approx. 250g/9oz), thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• 125ml (1/2 cup) unseasoned passata or tinned (canned) chopped tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tbsp mango chutney
• 1 tbsp mint sauce, I use Coleman’s
• 250ml (1 cup) chicken stock, stock cube stock is fine
• 80ml (1/3 cup) single cream
• Juice of one lemon or lime
• 1/2 tsp red food colour powder, optional but needed for a traditional chasni
• 2 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped, plus more to garnish

Method

• If you are using raw chicken, preheat your air fryer to 200°C/400°F. Lightly spray your cooking basket with oil spray and place the chicken in one layer in the cooking basket and air fry for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Place the sliced onions, bell pepper, oil and salt into a mixing bowl. If you are on a reduced-calorie diet, spray with cooking oil to coat and mix it all up well.
• Pour it all into the cooking basket to fry for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. Carefully spread the garlic and ginger paste over the veggies for the last two minutes of the cook and then pour it all back into your mixing bowl.
• Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the bowl and then blend with a stick blender or countertop blender until smooth.
• Place a metal cake tin pan or another metal pan that fits into your air fryer in the basket. For a faster cook and more authentic Indian restaurant curry appearance, heat two tbsp oil in the pan for two minutes. This is optional. Pour the blended sauce into the pan and air fry for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, the sauce will be quite hot if you used oil and warm if not. The top of the sauce will have darkened. That is flavour, so stir it in. Stir in the precooked chicken and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, by which time the sauce should be hot enough or almost hot enough to serve.
• Once the sauce is good and hot, stir in the cream, lemon juice, garam masala and food colouring, if using, and cook for an additional two minutes or until hot enough to serve. Season with salt to taste and garnish with the chopped coriander (cilantro).

Tips

• Air fryers were designed as a substitute to cook crispy food that is similar to deep-fried food. They were not designed to make sauces or soups. Therefore, when cooking a curry, it is important to ensure that the sauce is not spitting or that there is too much steam. This could get messy and the water droplets could also be a fire hazard.
• This recipe serves 1 to 2 people as the pan is usually less than half full. It takes at least 10 minutes for the sauce to heat up so spitting and steam should not be an issue. If you find that it is an issue with your air fryer, be sure to cover the pan tightly with a lid or foil, which will solve that issue. You might need to cook a little longer for it to heat up, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
• You can prepare this air fryer chicken chasni up to 3 days before serving. As it sits in the fridge, the flavours will develop and it will be even better when you serve it.
• Feel free to work in stages. Air fry the onions, bell pepper, and garlic and ginger paste and place it in the fridge until you are ready to complete the curry, for example.
• Although the recipe calls for raw chicken that is then cooked in your air fryer, you can use air fryer tandoori chicken tikka for this recipe. That too can be cooked ahead of time. Your tandoori chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to three days and it freezes well for up to 6 months.

Frequently asked questions