Air-Fryer Breakfast Ideas To Start Your Day

Air fryers are a great way to make breakfast, offering speed and convenience, and a healthier alternative to traditional frying. They are versatile and can cook a wide range of foods, from sweet to savoury, with minimal oil. You can make everything from French toast sticks, cinnamon rolls, and doughnuts to breakfast burritos, egg frittatas, and bacon in an air fryer.

Air fryers are especially useful for busy mornings, cutting down on cooking time and offering a simple way to prepare a variety of dishes. With an air fryer, you can enjoy crispy, golden breakfast foods without the mess and grease of traditional frying methods.

Air Fryer French Toast

Ingredients:

• Bread (white sandwich bread, whole wheat, multigrain, French or Italian bread, challah, or brioche)
• Eggs
• Milk (regular, almond, coconut, or plant-based milk)
• Vanilla extract
• Cinnamon
• Butter (optional)
• Maple syrup (optional)

Method:

• Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (or 370°F) and line the basket or a pan with parchment paper. Spray with a bit of non-stick cooking oil or butter.
• In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs and then add the milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Whisk until well combined.
• Dip each piece of bread into the egg mixture, making sure it's well coated.
• Place the coated bread into the air fryer basket or pan, ensuring they don't overlap.
• Cook for 3-6 minutes at 375°F, flipping halfway through, until golden brown.
• Serve with butter, maple syrup, or a dusting of powdered sugar.

Tips:

• Use stale or day-old bread for a crispier outside and softer inside.
• Don't overcrowd the air fryer to ensure even cooking.
• Experiment with different toppings like cinnamon sugar, fresh fruit, or whipped cream.
• For a thicker batter and a better coat on the bread, use less milk.
• For a vegan option, use plant-based milk.

Air Fryer Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients

• Burrito-size tortillas (10-inch)
• Scrambled eggs
• Bacon or breakfast sausage
• Cheese
• Avocado
• Tomatoes
• Salsa
• Guacamole
• Ground pork with fire-roasted green chillies
• Breakfast potatoes
• Sauteed onions
• Sauteed bell peppers
• Fried potatoes or hash browns
• Black beans
• Sauteed peppers and onions

Method

• Prepare your fillings using the stovetop and oven. You can cook your eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes this way.
• Set up a breakfast burrito-making station with all your fillings.
• Assemble your burritos with your choice of fillings, putting about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of filling in total in each burrito.
• Place 2-3 burritos in the air fryer basket and spritz with avocado or olive oil spray.
• Air fry at 350°F for 6-10 minutes, or until the burritos are crispy and golden brown.
• Enjoy with salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, or a dipping sauce made with sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and basil.

Tips

• Don't overfill your burritos. Use about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of filling in total and leave at least 1.5 inches of space at the top and bottom of the tortilla.
• Use room-temperature tortillas to prevent them from ripping.
• If you're making several batches, preheat your air fryer to prevent the final few burritos from cooking faster than the first batch.
• You can make these burritos ahead of time and reheat them from the fridge or freezer.

Air Fryer Hash Browns

Ingredients:

• Frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
• Olive oil spray or any cooking oil spray
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Garlic powder

Optional Ingredients:

• Red onion
• Red and green bell peppers

Instructions:

• Preheat the air fryer to 350˚ F.
• Spray the bottom of the air fryer basket with olive oil to fully coat the bottom and edges of the basket.
• Place the shredded frozen potatoes in the basket and spread them into a single layer. Spray the top of the potatoes generously with olive oil to fully coat.
• Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder over the potatoes evenly.
• Air fry for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to divide the potatoes into four equal sections and flip each section carefully.
• Air fry for another 10 minutes until you have golden brown potatoes throughout with crispy edges.

Tips:

• Use frozen hash browns rather than fresh for the best crispiness. Frozen hash browns contain less moisture.
• Do not overcrowd the basket. Spread the potatoes into a single layer to avoid sogginess.
• Store leftover hash browns in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
• To reheat, simply pop them back into the air fryer at 350˚ F for 4-6 minutes.

Air Fryer Bacon

How to Cook Air Fryer Bacon

First, arrange the bacon slices in a single layer in the air fryer basket. It is okay to have a few folds or overlaps but try not to overcrowd the basket. If you are cooking a large quantity of bacon, you may need to do multiple batches.

Next, air fry the bacon! The cooking time and temperature will depend on your desired level of crispiness and the thickness of the bacon. For example, thinner slices of bacon will likely need less cooking time than thick-cut bacon.

• Regular cut bacon: 7 minutes at 350˚F for softer bacon, 8-9 minutes for crispy bacon
• Thick-cut bacon: 9-10 minutes at 350˚F for softer bacon, 10-12 minutes for crispy bacon
• Super crispy bacon: 10 minutes at 400˚F

Halfway through the cooking time, check on the bacon and rearrange the slices if needed.

Once the bacon is cooked to your liking, use tongs to transfer the bacon strips to a plate lined with paper towels to blot and drain off any excess grease.

Tips

• If you are doing multiple batches, be sure to empty the bacon grease from the lower portion of the air fryer basket before cooking the next batch.
• To prevent the air fryer from smoking, add a cup of water to the lower pan or a slice of bread to the basket to soak up the bacon grease.
• You don't need to flip the bacon during cooking, but if you want to, try flipping it halfway through.
• Parchment paper can be used to line your air fryer basket for easier cleanup.

Air Fryer Eggs

Air fryers are a great way to cook eggs, whether you like them fried, poached, or in an egg cup, frittata, or quiche. Here are some ideas for air-fried egg dishes to get you started.

Fried Eggs

Fried eggs in an air fryer are a quick and easy breakfast option. You will need a non-aerosol cooking oil spray—avocado oil, olive oil, canola oil, or coconut oil are all good choices. You'll also need a 5-inch diameter non-stick pie tin for each egg. Spray the tin with oil, crack an egg into it, and place it in the air fryer for 3–5 minutes at 375°F (190°C). If you want your eggs over easy, over medium, or over hard, just flip them with a spatula and air fry for a few more minutes.

Poached Eggs

You can also make poached eggs in an air fryer. Spray your mini pie tins or ramekins with oil, crack an egg into each one, and place them in the air fryer. You'll need to experiment with the timing and temperature, but a good place to start is 3–5 minutes at 375°F (190°C).

Egg Cups

Egg cups are a great make-ahead breakfast option. Line the cups of a muffin pan with bacon, then fill each cup with scrambled eggs and a whole egg, along with cheese and green onions, if desired. You can also add other ingredients like caramelized onions or roasted red peppers. Air fry for about 35 minutes at 350°F (180°C).

Frittata

An air fryer frittata is another option for feeding a crowd. Simply whisk together eggs, diced vegetables, cheese, and breakfast meat, if desired. Pour the mixture into a greased cake pan that fits in your air fryer and cook at 360°F (180°C) for 18–20 minutes.

Crustless Quiche

For a crustless quiche, whisk together eggs, cream or milk, and your choice of meat, cheese, and vegetables. Pour the mixture into greased muffin cups or a pie tin and air fry at 350°F (180°C) for 15–20 minutes.

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