5 of the tastiest snacks from the Airfryer

Okay guys, ready? Step on it with that Airfryer! (I do know perfectly well that it plugs into the wall). We’ve lined up the five tastiest Airfryer snacks for you, so you can WIN every drinks-and-snacks hour.

We don’t mean it competitively or anything; we just think it’s important that you show up well-prepared snack-wise, whether it’s day (or evening), and these insanely delicious snacks will make sure you do. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past locked-down months, it’s this: never underestimate the power of a mega-good party snack!

Wonton mozzarella sticks

Do you always go straight for the cheese stick when the bowl of ‘mixed bittergarni’ comes around? Then try this version! And yes: in this recipe from The Two Bite Club, you make the roll from wonton wrappers. Less unhealthy than fried cheese sticks and super quick to make. For 6 pieces:

• Cut 200 g mozzarella into 6 thick strips.
• Take 6 wonton (or spring roll) wrappers and place a strip of (cold!) mozzarella on the point of a wrapper, which you lay in front of you like a diamond.
• Start rolling away from you until you’re halfway, then fold the sides inward over the cheese roll.
• Wet your finger with water and seal the edges.
• Continue rolling and seal the roll tightly with a wet finger.
• Repeat with all the wrappers.
• Put them in the Airfryer (make sure they don’t touch one another) and spray a little olive oil over them (from one of those spray bottles).
• Sprinkle with salt and bake for 3 minutes at 175° C.
• Turn them over and repeat the olive oil and salt treatment. Bake for another three minutes and serve with a delicious dipping sauce.

Sticky chicken drumsticks

So delicious, and literally finger-licking good. This recipe from Philips is easy to make in their XXL model, meaning you’ll soon have 18 chicken drumsticks made in a single batch! Now that’s how you make friends.

• Make a marinade with 2 tbsp peanut oil, 3 tbsp barbecue sauce, 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, and a pinch each of curry powder, salt and pepper.
• Put the marinade and 18 chicken drumsticks in a large resealable bag and leave to rest for 1 hour.
• Put them in the airfryer basket and bake for 13 minutes at 200° C.
• Turn them over and bake for another thirteen minutes.
• Delicious served on a platter with a few drops of lime juice and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro (at least if you’re on Team Cilantro).

Crunchy onion rings

Fried onion rings, anyone? Uhm, YAAAAS! When you hear ‘southern recipes’, you start salivating already, right? And then comes the bonus word: skinny! Okaaay, not bad! (Can we have more of them, then?) This recipe from Skinny Southern Recipes will give you amazing breaded onion rings, which, as far as we’re concerned, absolutely require an ice-cold beer! Here’s how to make them:

• Cut a large yellow onion into rings and separate the rings.
• In a shallow bowl, mix 50 g flour with 1 tsp paprika and 1/2 tsp salt.
• In a second shallow bowl, mix 120 ml buttermilk with 1 egg. Add a quarter of the flour mixture to the buttermilk-and-egg bowl and mix.
• In a third shallow bowl, mix 125 g panko (breadcrumbs), 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp olive oil, stirring well with a fork.
• Dip half of the onion rings first in the flour mixture, then in the buttermilk-and-egg mixture, and finally in the panko mixture.
• Place them in the Airfryer basket and bake for 6 minutes at 200° C, turn them over, spray with a little olive oil, and bake for another 6 minutes.
• Repeat with the second half of the onions. Yum.

Crispy cocktail shrimp

You’ve just seen that breading is something you can learn with the onion rings, and we’re using that trick once again here for this top recipe from Delish. Ever heard the English term dredging station? Loosely translated: a breading production line, where you neatly prepare your three plates in a row and dip your ‘object’ into them one after another. First the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. And very important: season everything generously.

• First, mix 50 g flour with salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.
• In a second bowl, beat two eggs with a little salt and pepper.
• In a third bowl, mix 120 g panko with 60 g grated coconut.
• Then take approx. 500 g (defrosted) cocktail or jumbo shrimp (with tails, peeled and deveined).
• Dip the shrimp one by one in the flour, then the egg, then the panko.
• Bake them in the Airfryer basket for 10–12 minutes at 200° C.
• Do this in batches if they don’t fit easily all at once, without placing them on top of one another.
• Insanely delicious with a dip made from mayo mixed with Sriracha and sweet chili sauce.

Spicy Buffalo cauliflower bites

Buffalo chicken wings are a wonderful American party snack; I love them, but they’re not for everyone. The chicken is marinated and cooked in a sauce of melted butter and hot sauce, served with blue cheese dressing and then (I assume for balance?!) accompanied by raw celery. Call it strange, but I love it. This recipe from Diethood is a fantastic vegetarian alternative!

• Break a cauliflower into florets and place them in a large mixing bowl.
• Melt 2 tbsp butter, add 1 tbsp olive oil and 120 ml hot sauce of your choice, and mix well.
• Pour this over the cauliflower florets and toss gently until they’re all coated.
• In a separate small bowl, mix 60 g almond flour, 3 tbsp dried parsley, 1/2 tbsp garlic powder and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle the almond flour mixture over the cauliflower in batches, mixing gently until everything is coated.
• Place half of the cauliflower in the Airfryer.
• Bake for 15 minutes at 175° C, shaking occasionally in the meantime.
• Remove this batch, cover it to keep it warm, and repeat with the second half.
• Blue cheese dressing and celery sticks are highly recommended.

Also read:

• 5 of the tastiest sweet dishes from the Airfryer
• Recipe: Flügel cupcakes from the Airfryer (oven works too)
• 6 common Airfryer mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Header image: The Two Bite Club