Air Fryer Tempura: Can You Use Batter?

Tempura is a Japanese dish that consists of shrimp and/or vegetables dipped in a batter and then deep-fried. It is usually served as a side dish in Japanese restaurants or as a main dish over rice. While it is possible to make tempura at home, achieving the perfect lacy, crispy batter is quite challenging. Air fryers are not ideal for battered foods as the batter tends to fly off or drip down when the air starts circulating. However, with some adjustments, it is possible to make tempura in an air fryer.

Air fryer tempura vs deep frying

Tempura is a Japanese dish that consists of shrimp and/or vegetables dipped in a batter and then deep-fried. It is usually served as a side dish, but can also be a main course served over rice.

Deep frying tempura gives it a lacy, crispy batter that is light and not soggy, thick, or oily. However, deep frying can be a hassle due to the strong scent and residue it leaves behind.

Air frying is a convenient alternative to deep frying as it requires minimal effort and creates less of a mess. It is also healthier and gives similar results to deep frying in terms of flavour and texture. However, air frying tempura batter can be tricky as the batter tends to fly off the food or drip to the bottom of the air fryer basket when the air starts circulating.

To prevent this, the batter should not be too liquidy. One can also dip the battered food in flour to dust the outsides, creating a breaded food that still has batter. Additionally, lining the basket with parchment paper may help to prevent dripping. Using cold water or ice water in the batter will also help to create a light and airy texture.

In conclusion, both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. Deep frying yields better results in terms of the crispiness of the batter, but air frying is more convenient, healthier, and still produces tasty tempura.

Air fryer cooking tips

Air fryers are a great alternative to deep-frying, offering a healthier and quicker way to cook. They are especially useful for cooking battered foods, such as tempura. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your air fryer:

Choose the Right Batter

The key to successful air-fried tempura is to use a batter that is not too thin. Traditional tempura batter tends to be thin and requires hot oil to set. For air frying, it is best to use a thicker batter that will not drip off the food or fly away when the air circulates. You can achieve this by using a batter with less liquid or by dipping the battered food in flour before placing it in the air fryer.

Prepare Your Food

When making tempura, it is important to prepare your food properly. For example, if you are using shrimp, you may want to score the underside and straighten it out before cooking to achieve the traditional straight presentation. Additionally, slicing your root vegetables thinly, around 1/4 inch thick, will ensure they cook through properly.

Preheat Your Air Fryer

It is important to preheat your air fryer to the recommended temperature before adding your food. For tempura, a temperature of around 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit is typically recommended.

Use Parchment Paper or Cooking Spray

To prevent your food from sticking to the air fryer basket, you can line it with parchment paper or coat it with cooking spray. This will also make cleanup easier.

Cook in Batches

When air frying tempura, it is best to cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the air fryer. This will ensure that your food cooks evenly and becomes crispy.

Serve Hot

Tempura is best served hot and can be served as a main dish over rice or as a side dish. It is typically served with a dipping sauce called tentsuyu, which can be purchased or made from scratch.

Tempura batter ingredients

Tempura batter is typically made with three main ingredients: eggs, all-purpose flour, and water. However, there are variations on this basic recipe that you can try.

One recipe suggests using Japanese mayonnaise instead of eggs, which helps to emulsify the oils in the batter and prevents the tempura from becoming soggy. It also means that you can mix the batter ahead of time. You can also add salt to the batter to compensate for the lack of flavour that comes from not deep-frying.

Another recipe recommends using egg whites only, which results in a lighter colour. You can also add cornstarch to the mix, which one person says is a great recipe that saves money and works for vegetables, fish, and onion rings.

If you want to make your tempura batter extra crispy, you can add potato starch, carbonated water, and vodka. The potato starch helps to lighten the texture of the batter, while the carbonated water gives it a lighter, bubblier texture. The vodka helps to remove excess moisture while frying, leaving you with an ultra-crispy tempura skin.

Other variations include using beer instead of water, which one person says gives "the crispiest tempura I have ever eaten". You can also use cold sparkling water or beer, which will help to give the tempura a lighter texture.

Finally, one recipe recommends using club soda instead of water, which several people say works well.

Tempura fillings

Tempura is a typical Japanese dish that usually consists of seafood and vegetables coated in a thin batter and deep-fried.

Seafood

• Prawns/shrimp
• Abalone
• Anago
• Barracuda
• Botan shrimp
• Chikuwa fish cake
• Cuttlefish
• Dagger-tooth pike conger
• Icefish
• Japanese sea bass
• Japanese smelt
• Japanese tiger prawn
• Japanese whiting
• Octopus
• Orient clam
• Oyster
• Pufferfish
• Sakura shrimp
• Salmon
• Scallop
• Sea bream
• Sea eel
• Sea urchin
• Shirako (milt, soft roe)
• Shishamo
• Squid
• Unagi
• White-fleshed fish

Vegetables, Mushrooms & Seaweeds

• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Baby corn
• Bamboo shoot
• Bell pepper
• Bitter melon
• Black-eyed pea
• Broccoli
• Carrot
• Chestnut
• Corn
• Daikon
• Eggplant
• Fava bean
• Ginkgo seed
• Gobo (burdock)
• Green beans
• Japanese maple leaf
• Japanese mountain yam
• Japanese pickled ginger
• Japanese sweet potato
• Kabocha
• Lily bulb
• Lotus root
• Maitake mushrooms
• Matsutake mushrooms
• Mountain vegetables
• Mozuku (edible seaweed)
• Myoga (Japanese ginger)
• Nameko
• Nori seaweed
• Okra
• Onion
• Potato
• Romanesco
• Shiitake mushroom
• Shimeji mushrooms
• Shishito pepper
• Shiso leaves
• Tomato
• White asparagus
• Zucchini

Serving suggestions

Tempura is a Japanese dish that is typically served as a side dish, but it can also be a main dish served over rice. It is traditionally deep-fried, but you can also make it in an air fryer for a healthier alternative.

• As a side dish: Tempura is often served as a side dish with noodles like udon or soba. It can also be served as part of a bento box.
• As a main dish: Serve your tempura over rice for a heartier meal. This dish is called tendon and is pronounced "ten-don" with a long "o", not like the tendon in meat.
• With a dipping sauce: Tempura is typically served with a dipping sauce called tentsuyu, made from soy sauce, which adds a salty flavour to the dish. You can either buy this from a Japanese market or make it yourself from a concentrate.
• With other dishes: Tempura goes well with sushi, spring rolls, or a bowl of miso soup or egg drop soup.
• Variations: You can add your own twist to your tempura by serving it with different sauces. Try sweet chilli, yum yum sauce, sesame sauce, or peanut sauce. You can also experiment with different types of tempura by using various vegetables, such as sweet potato, carrot, lotus root, kabocha squash, bell pepper, broccoli, zucchini, or shiitake mushrooms.

Remember, tempura is best served hot, so enjoy your creation while it's fresh and crispy!

Frequently asked questions