Thanksgiving prep can feel like a marathon of cooking. With turkey monopolizing your oven and sides like gravy and mashed potatoes on the stove, it can feel impossible to get every dish hot and ready at the same time.
That’s where your air fryer comes in. Whether you’re cooking for two or 20, you can use an air fryer to make a seriously tasty Thanksgiving meal.
I’ve been working in food for more than 15 years, including stints in commercial kitchens and managing Thanksgiving turkey preorders for an independent grocer. I’ve also been the go-to holiday chef in my family since I was a teenager. These days, I lean on my air fryer to help make cooking simpler and faster, even for festive occasions like Thanksgiving. This trusty little appliance really comes in handy during the holidays, when you’re making several things at once, cooking space is at a premium and hungry guests are waiting.
Taking care of even one dish on your holiday menu with a convenient, hands-off tool like the air fryer can make a huge difference in your holiday meal. You can’t fit a turducken — or even a small turkey — into an air fryer, but plenty of holiday favorites are made easy and delicious with this trusty, compact appliance.
Here are 5 classic dishes I’ve personally made in the air fryer that will work great for anyone this Thanksgiving.
Candied sweet potatoes
Craving candied yams without the hassle? Try making them in the air fryer this Thanksgiving. Here’s how:
- Peel a few orange sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch rounds or cubes
- Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg and a pinch of salt.
- Preheat the air fryer, line it with foil, and air fry at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes or until tender, stirring halfway through.
With only a handful of ingredient’s and a few easy steps, you can free up space in your kitchen with candied sweet potatoes.
I love using my air fryer to cook up root veggies quickly, and this sweetly spiced recipe is no exception.
Want that classic marshmallow topping? Adapt the air fryer s’mores method to toast up some molten marshmallows, then spoon over the sweet potatoes just before serving.
Stuffing
I’m one of those people who love sides even more than I enjoy Thanksgiving turkey — and since stuffing is so closely associated with the holiday, it’s always the first dish I heap on my plate.
It’s super easy to make stuffing in the air fryer. Here’s how I do it:
You’ll need:
- A bag of seasoned bread cubes (about 3 cups)
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons of melted butter
- 1 medium onion
- 2 sticks of celery
- A little oil
Dice the onion and celery into half-inch pieces, toss them with oil, and cook in a preheated air fryer for 10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, tossing the basket halfway through cooking time.
Meanwhile, combine the bread cubes, broth and melted butter and stir to combine. When they’re ready, add in the celery and onion. Wipe out the air fryer with a paper towel, preheat it to 375, and line the basket with foil. Add the stuffing mixture and air fry for about 15 minutes. The result is savory, crunchy-topped stuffing in about 30 minutes — no stove burners or oven space needed.
Easy stuffing recipe ingredients for the air fryer.
Free up oven space by making your stuffing in the air fryer this year.
Read More: Keep These 7 Foods Out of Your Air Fryer
Brussels sprouts
Brussels sprouts have gone from a bitter-tasting punchline to one of the hottest veggies around in the space of a few decades. That’s thanks in no small part to the roasty, toasty flavors and crisp outer leaves that high-heat convection cooking methods like air frying can create.
For a super simple Thanksgiving side, simply toss halved sprouts with olive oil and salt, air fry and dress with your favorite seasonings. Consider tossing them with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a splash of maple syrup and a handful of dried cranberries for a festive, autumnal side.
Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper before cooking. You can do this inside the air fryer basket to save yourself a dish.
Dense Brussels sprouts make perfect air fryer food.
A perfectly simple side that takes almost no effort in the air fryer.
Read More: All the Supermarket Chains Giving Away Free Turkeys for Thanksgiving
Baked potatoes
In my house, potatoes in some form are essential on Thanksgiving — whether they’re mashed, baked, scalloped or au gratin. Air fryer baked potatoes are a delicious, crowd-pleasing and low-maintenance side to include in your Turkey Day toolkit.
Start with big, starchy potatoes like russets, then poke each one all over with a fork. Now, you have two options for getting your spuds to hot, fluffy, starchy glory:
1. Pop them in the microwave for about 10 minutes, then crisp them up in the air fryer for a few minutes on each side to finish.
2. You can also cook them entirely in the air fryer for 40 to 50 minutes; no microwave needed.
Once your air fryer potatoes are cooked, dress ’em up with butter, gravy, sour cream, bacon bits, shredded cheese… whatever your heart desires. Individual baked potatoes are a great option when feeding little kids or picky eaters, as everyone can customize with their own favorite toppings.
Roast chicken
If your Thanksgiving gathering is more intimate — think two to four people — you can swap out that big, expensive turkey for poultry that’s easier to handle, more affordable and just as delicious as the traditional bird. When cooking for just a few friends on Thanksgiving, I’ve found it’s a great way to keep what can be a stressful holiday meal a little easier. Plus, turkey is easy to screw up, but most cooks feel pretty comfortable preparing chicken.
A roast chicken prepared in the air fryer looks beautiful, tastes great and offers that crispy, golden-brown skin air frying is known for. This air fryer roast chicken recipe is ready to eat in a fraction of the time it takes to roast a turkey, and you can still save those delicious pan drippings to make classic gravy.
The roasted bird in all its glory.
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