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by Todd + Diane
Air Fryer Salmon is amazing. Last night we came home after a long day and were debating whether to eat out or dirty the kitchen to cook dinner. The thought of cleaning another kitchen was exhausting. This healthy air fried salmon came to dinner rescue.
Air Fryer Salmon Recipe
This healthy air fried salmon came to the rescue and it definitely did not disappoint. We’re still overwhelmed at how quickly and perfect salmon can cook in the air fryer.
In fact, almost anything cooked in the air fryer always has come out wonderful. After our air fryer brussels sprouts recipe tests, we started experimenting more with this fantastic way to cook. It’s a great way to get dinner on the table, especially for two after a long day’s work.
Video of Healthy Air Fryer Salmon Recipe
How to Make Healthy Salmon in Air Fryer with Little Oil
The salmon need very little oil and it was moist, tender and supremely delicious. We added a green salad and we were ready for dinner in less than 15 minutes.
- We used our favorite oil spray and lightly misted the salmon with oil.
- For extra flavor, add a sprinkle of garlic powder, onion powder, lemon pepper or your favorite seasonings.
- Make sure to add a light mist on top of any dried herbs that you place on the salmon. The herbs might fly off or burn from the hot circulating air.
- We used fresh salmon not frozen. After air frying for the first 7 minutes, check on the salmon. If you want it more cooked, add additional 1-2 minutes or until it’s cooked to your preference.
- This air fried salmon had the same texture as a perfectly baked salmon. Think of simple baked salmon the air fryer for dinner and without a dirty kitchen to have to clean. Dinner was way too easy and couch-time came sooner than we realized.
- You can use any type of salmon.
Can you use frozen salmon?
Sure, but you should allow it to thaw completely. Air frying salmon that’s frozen will dry out the outside too much before the inside is cooked. It’s best to thaw it, then use paper towels to squeeze out all the excess moisture.
enjoy,
diane and todd
Air Fryer Salmon
Yield: 2 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 15 minutes mins
You'll need to adjust cooking times slightly if your salmon is smaller or larger than 6 oz. Salmon filets vary so much in length and thickness, so cook your salmon to your preferred texture. Here are options for either a simple salt and pepper salmon, or for a garlic herbed salmon.
4.82 from 22 votes
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Ingredients
- 2 6 ounce (2 170g) fillets of salmon , skin and bones removed
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil or light spray of organic cooking spray
- kosher salt or flakey salt, to taste
- black pepper , to taste
Additional Seasoning for Garlic Herb Salmon
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic , or garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (dill, tarragon, thyme, parsley, etc.) or 2 teaspoons dried herbs
Equipment
Oil Sprayer optional
Instructions
For Salt & Pepper Salmon
Coat salmon with oil or cooking spray. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper on both sides (to make it extra special, use a nice flakey salt – our favorite is the Murray River Salt). Place salmon fillets in air fryer basket.
Air Fry the salmon at 360°F/182°C for 7 minutes. Check the salmon and if needed, continue to air fry for 1-3 minutes or cooked to your preferred doneness. Serve warm.
For Garlic Herb Salmon
Coat salmon with oil or cooking spray. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs. Coat both sides.
Place salmon fillets in air fryer basket. Make sure there is space between the fillets and they aren't touching.
Air Fry the salmon at 360°F/182°C for 7 minutes. Check the salmon and if needed, continue to air fry for 1-3 minutes or cooked to your preferred doneness. Serve warm.
Notes
Don’t crowd the air fryer basket (we used a 3.7 qt. air fryer). If you decide to double the recipe, make sure your air fryer is large enough to fit more of the salmon filets. With a fuller basket, add an 1-2 minutes of cooking time if needed to make sure the salmon is cooked through.
If cooking in multiple batches, the first batch will take longer to cook if Air Fryer is not already pre-heated.
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Calories: 259kcal, Protein: 33g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 93mg, Sodium: 74mg, Potassium: 833mg, Vitamin A: 70IU, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1.4mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 259
Our Favorite Air Fryer Tools
We LOVE theEvo Oil Sprayers. Great for grilling, air frying, and everyday cooking. They don’t clog up like many others we’ve bought. There’s different styles, but all seem to have the same great spray head. Works great for grilling!
Square MatsorRound Mats depending on your needs. Perforated non-stick silicone mats minimize food sticking in your air fryer or steamer. Holes allow the hot air to circulate, cooking quick & even.
Parchment sheetsmake clean up easy and minimize sticking food in your air fryer or bamboo steamer. Choose from different sizes, shapes, white and brown (unbleached). Holes allow air to cook food evenly.
What is the Best Air Fryer?
We have 15 different air fryers, all different brands and we definitely have our favorites.
Here’s our extensive write up onAir Fryer World’s Best Air Fryer Guide. There’s so many on the market now. You just need to research and find the ones that fits your needs, capacity and style. We group the basket style air fryers into 2 main size groups: 3-4 qt. range & the 5-6 qt. range. There’s oven style and basket style. With so many to choose from, we highlight the ones that are most popular for small to medium sized families. Here’s our favorites:
Good Mid-Sized Air Fryers
The non-stick basket style(non-wire base)& smoothness of the basket tray is great for clean up. Easily cooks 2-3 servings of fish & meat.
Great ceramic coated basket for easy clean-up. Super powerful fan that often cooks food hotter & faster than other air fryers.
Good Larger Air Fryers
One of our favorite larger basket style air fryers. Great basket size for about 4 servings. Clean up is great. It has become one of our kitchen favorites.
Instant Pot Brand makesair fryers. TheVortex plus 9-in-1is beyond the conventional air fryer. Broil, Bake, Dehydrate, Rotisserie, Roast and Re-heat.
More Easy Recipes:
- Low carb garlic parmesan salmon in the oven
- Crumbly cherry crisp recipe
- What is Vinho Verde wine?
- Japanese Teriyaki style glazed salmon
- Air fryer sriracha cauliflower
- Broiled miso glazed salmon
- Check out all our Air Fryer recipes here
- this recipe was originally published in 2018
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100+ Easy Meals 30 Minute Recipes Air Fryer Food Gluten Free Healthy Low Carb | Keto Recipes Seafood
25 Comments / Leave a Comment »
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25 comments on “Healthy Air Fryer “Baked” Salmon”
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Grace — October 13, 2022 @ 11:50 pm Reply
I’m so glad I was able to find a good air fried salmon recipe. This one has been the best by far.
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Alexandra — February 28, 2022 @ 10:57 pm Reply
It was much easier cooking salmon in the air fryer. The cleaning after was definitely better than oven baking them. Thanks for your recipe.
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Russ J. — January 21, 2020 @ 8:58 pm Reply
I’m in air fryer heaven and salmon is one of my favorite ways to make a healthy dinner.
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CINDY JONES — November 16, 2019 @ 11:58 pm Reply
Your recipes are easy to follow. Having the pictures is a big help and makes the recipes come alive with flavor.
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russell — October 15, 2019 @ 12:35 am Reply
just had this salmon very nice
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David — July 21, 2019 @ 4:49 pm Reply
Wow, this came out great. I have to say I was skeptical, and thought it would come out dry. I usually grill the salmon, but where having a heat wave so I tried your recipe and it came out absolutely perfect. I will definitely be using this recipe again and again. Thank you for sharing it!
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— July 29, 2019 @ 9:25 pm Reply
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing David.
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Nicole — June 20, 2019 @ 2:04 am Reply
I never tasted better salmon than from the air fryer. I doesn’t dry out the fish and it makes it just perfect. Thank you for the recipe I can’t wait for more ideas.
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Cary — June 11, 2019 @ 7:43 pm Reply
I love all your air fryer recipes. This one in particular I’ve been making a lot more recently because I love salmon!
