Choosing to eat and live in a specific manner, or within particular boundaries is not as limiting as many people may think, and with the keto diet, you can stay on course, as such, and still eat gorgeously delicious food.
These keto air fryer recipes for healthier living and eating are just a small example of the nutritious and flavorful meals you can enjoy while on a bespoke eating plan lifestyle.
We are always trying to eat healthier, be more active and keep up our fitness to an extent, but often fall short in the kitchen, well now you don’t have to. Not only can you create beautifully full-flavored dishes but you can do it without breaking the bank, and within no time at all.
#1. Easy Air Fryer Steak Bites
Steak is full of protein and is great for building muscle fibers and maintaining strength, but this healthy keto air fryer recipe ticks all the boxes you want when cooking a nutritionally sound meal.
But the best part about this dish is that it is prepared and ready in as quick as a quarter of an hour, so you could pop the meat in the fryer and while it is cooking, plate a fresh summer salad to serve with it. The meat is juicy and tender, and the outside is crispy and firm, but the pieces of steak melt in your mouth when you eat them.
And with a salad, it’s the perfect lightweight meal when the weather outside is hot and humid, and the last thing you want is a heavy dish leaving you feeling lethargic.
You can serve it with a creamy garlic butter sauce which only adds to the richness and tenderness and its sill light, and effortless.
This is the ultimate method to get veggies into your kids.
These convection oven keto recipes will make vegetables taste great again (not that they ever didn’t but with kids, it’s all about the little steps) and when they are disguised in a crispy outer edge made from almond flour, feel free to use coconut flor if there is a nut allergy in the family, they go down so much easier.
What I love about this dish is that it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to prepare, it is budget-friendly, and so we can make it more often during the weeks and months. A quick cutting of the zucchini into quarters or wedges, drained onto a paper towel to catch any excreted water, dipped into the egg wash and rolled in the flour.
Be sure to place a single layer in the air fryer so they don’t crowd each other and enjoy in no time at all. They make for a great addition to a crudité platter, for lunch box snacks for when you are on the go (and aren’t you always busy when there are kids in the schedule), and to simply enjoy as a snack with a dip for a pre-dinner bite.
Deep-fried cheese in any form is my kid’s favorite dish, but the ones at the restaurants are always covered in a thick, bready coating, and I wasn’t particularly enjoying seeing them eating so many carbs, especially when I couldn’t taste them.
So I decided to look for a recipe version I could make at home and also enjoy with the rest of the family.
I managed to find a version you can make from frozen, and these easy air fryer keto recipes that make life easier are more manageable to stay on track with your eating plan. I don’t particularly enjoy ‘cheat’ days but they do happen, we are human, so this saved the day.
When I know the next day we will have people over or it is a busy day with the kids and their sporting events, I make sure to pop the cheese in the freezer. It makes it easier to handle than soft, melty cheese, and once they are in the air fryer they can crispy up and get beautifully golden without the cheese melting to liquid and all your hard work going down the drain.
Another thing to note is that using pork rinds as the crust adds good salt and good fats (yes there are such things).
Perfect with homemade tomato salsa, a chili dip for those who like a bit of heat, or even a pot of strawberry jam for a nice combination of sweet and savory.
The great thing about this dish is that it is lean and healthy, but tastes like it is naughty, and that’s what people don’t understand about eating a keto lifestyle. These are easy, healthy keto convection oven recipes that taste like you spent hours in the kitchen and are even more delicious than they look.
There are only a handful of steps and the result is phenomenal, even my husband was surprised that these taste and look the way that they do but are keto-friendly. A simple egg wash dipped in a delicate crumb mix and topped with marinara sauce and cheese, is heaven on a plate.
It goes well with noodles (zucchini or pumpkin versions to stay keto), creamy mashed potato, or with some greens which I like for lunch. There are so many options and something that suits all demographics in the family.
You may not realize it but there are a lot of meat and protein options you can consume when on this eating plan, and with keto, the fat content is key. This way the body uses the fat from the food, it does not convert it to sugar, and then when it runs out of that energy source it taps into the fat in the body and this is where the weight loss magic happens. So don’t be afraid to eat healthy fats, not processed oil versions.
Sometimes, during intermittent fasting, we may feel a little light-headed, and instead of reaching for a sugar-filled snack, rather opt for these salami chips.
These air fryer keto recipes make the keto lifestyle simple, and there is always a way to curb those cravings without eating donuts (boo I know because we love donuts).
Lay the salami on the air fryer tray, spray with cooking olive oil, and fry on high till crispy. Pile onto a paper towel to soak up any grease left on them, although it is minimal, and enjoy dipping them into your favorite sauces.
An excellent choice for a meat platter or appetizer option.
A recipe that only needs 3 ingredients? Yes, you read that right. And it still keeps you perfectly on track with your nutritional eating plan and lifestyle.
Choosing a slice of good quality meat is key as it makes up the main component of the dish, and when using keto air fryer recipes that have only basic ingredients, you want those items to be the best.
Mix everything in a bowl, season well, and add dried chili flakes as extra if you are making them for adults and they enjoy a bit of heat and shape into the balls. Place on the fryer tray and cook through. The edges become golden and crispy while the inside is moist and tender, and every mouthful is a pleasure.
Perfect for little skewers for functions at school or the next family BBQ gathering, or serve with a ranch dip or salsa to dig into while you relax outside with drinks enjoying the summer evenings. A humble meatball that is filling, light, and the easiest appetizer to make without having to slave away in the kitchen over a hot stove or oven. Win-win.
Who doesn’t love a good plate of sticky ribs with a sauce that is tangy and sweet and sticks to your fingers for you to lick off, kids adore these and they are a must-try for dinner one evening.
With a few minor ingredient substitutes, you can enjoy these ribs within the hour, while they cook you can set up the dining table and get the side dishes together. I prefer to make the sauce ahead of time and marinate overnight to infuse the flavor as much as possible into the meat, but if you don’t have the time then at least 30 minutes covered in the fridge is just as good.
Pop them in the fryer to cook and give them a turn around the halfway mark. The edges will begin to char a little which is only added flavor and become crispy, and the meat is fork-tender, this is when you know they are perfect and ready.
Serve as is with lots of napkins, it can get messy, with a generous sprinkling of spring onion for a gorgeous pop of color against the dark rich hue of the soy soaked meat, or fluffy rice to add a good starch but allow the ribs to remain the star of the show.
Perfect for weekends and games days, and the whole family will be raving about them.
I would never have believed it if I didn’t try it for myself, but these convection oven keto recipes are a breeze to make but look so much more complicated. And I never even considered using tinned tuna in this way, and I only wished I had discovered this recipe sooner.
All the ingredients go into a bowl, the cheese acting as the bulking and the binding agent, and form into balls. Once the balls are placed into the fryer, evenly spaced, press them slightly with a fork to form a patty. Fry till cooked and the exterior is crisp.
Serve alongside a fresh summer salad or a big bowl of dipping sauce for an appetizer platter, but we love eating them with cauliflower rice and a homemade spicy dressing which always goes down a treat.
This dish is not only elegant but is a true crowd-pleaser whenever we serve it to guests and visitors.
Even people who don’t enjoy tinned tuna (I am guilty of this) will change their minds completely after eating these and you telling them what is all inside.
I like to make a large bowl of these to snack on while watching my favorite series when the kids are at school and the hubby is at work, the house is quiet and I have a moment’s peace to myself. They are crispy and delicate at the same time, and perfect for dipping in sauce and a one-bite wonder.
Coated beautifully in a thin layer of egg wash, almond flour, and egg wash again, and then layer them in a single pile in the air fryer. You will know they are ready when they are firm when you touch them and they have a slightly tinged hue.
Eat them like I do (delicious although not as classy) or skewer them with other veggies for a great side serving at a BBQ or family gathering, and the kids particularly enjoy using toothpicks to stab them and eat. As long as I see the kids are eating some form of vegetable I don’t mind how they choose to do it.
A winner all around, and it is budget-friendly so it won’t break the bank.
The ultimate pasta alternative to serving with your favorite chops or sausages. Zucchini is so versatile and we almost always have some in the fridge at all times. They can be used in hundreds of recipes and prepared in so many ways, and these ket convection oven recipes version is a frequent visitor to our dining table and in our dinner rotation menu.
The rapid air circulation cooking method is perfect for getting out the maximum amount of liquid that zucchini tends to have, and the cheese is a great way to incorporate healthy fat to help fuel growing bodies.
A hit with the children, a breeze to make in the air fryer in just 10 minutes, what else could you want from a recipe. And the best part is, you are serving gorgeous veggies which is probably why my kids don’t blink an eyelid to fuss when they see it.
Simple and tasty, a side dish that goes with every main course.
The staple for the majority of people eating a health-focused lifestyle, but in the air fryer, there is something that little bit extra (for me time has to do with it because it is done in lightning speed, perfect for when you come home starving).
Prep and pop all the ingredients into the fryer on high, give them a shake at the halfway mark of the cooking time, and you have perfectly tender chicken and vegetables. You could make a few batches and freeze them down for a rainy day, portion them into Tupperware for meal prep, or use them for a lunch box snack for you and the hubby to take to work.
We have also tried the mix rolled into gluten-free wraps which was a huge hit around the dining table, and the wraps are great for game days too when the hubby has the boys coming over and he wants something they can nibble on while holding it, all the while screaming at the TV. It is safe to say this humble recipe does tick all those boxes, and while it is a lot to ask of mere chicken and veg, it delivers successfully every time.
Sometimes when we are bored we think we are hungry, the problem with this is we more than likely end up reaching for the most convenient (usually unhealthy) quick fix, and when you are on a keto eating plan the moment you go off track you fall out of ketosis.
Then it takes around 3-4 days to get back into it again slowly, so rather than all your hard work going to waste for one moment of hunger desperation, make these gorgeously crispy radish chips, a large batch so there is always on hand, and stay on your eating plan.
You can buy ready-sliced, but I like to buy them whole and slice them myself. Wash and pat them dry and then season generously, you can add dried chili flakes for some heat although the onion and garlic powder duo is delish. Fry for a total of 18 minutes but give them a shake and another spray with oil at the 10 and 15 minutes mark.
This way you know they will be extra crispy and just like crisps, only without all the unwanted grease and carbs. Enjoy with a sour cream dip between meals, or have some in your lunch box to nibble on throughout the day to keep you going.
Who said that eating healthy meant you can’t have pizza, they were wrong. And these air fryer keto recipes will prove it. You can certainly still enjoy all your favorite foods, you just need to know how to edit them, and using almond flour instead of the generic wheat flour opens up a whole new world to healthy living and eating.
Once you have made the dough and you have flattened it and popped the discs into the fryer, you add your sauce and toppings and cook till crispy and the cheese is golden and melted.
What the kids love about this is you have your favorite takeaway meals in the comfort of your home, without the hefty price tag which can soon add up if they want to eat out more often, and it tastes fantastic.
Everyone can make a batch of their own with personalized toppings, and they make for the perfect snack platter to sit and munch on outside when you just want something to fill the gap but not leave you feeling heavy during the summer.
So quick and simple, and my go-to feel-good food when I crave the carbs (but thankfully this has no carbs).
If onions were a food group my husband would be all over them, but until then, we soldier on to find the best recipes that combine both taste and efficiency, and this is the closest we have come to the perfect onion rings.
The combination of the almond flour with the pork rinds is what gives these rings that little something extra, a healthy bonus of salt and good fats from the pork add so much flavor, and won’t bloat you. Also using coconut flour helps to balance the flavor profile and your rings are light and airy, are beautifully crispy, and you don’t have a thick, greasy coating to deal with.
You can go wild with the seasonings in the flour, adding or omitting as you wish, and after 15 minutes you have gorgeous, crispy rings with a golden hue. Serve with homemade hot mayo sauce for a nice bite, or even a simple sour cream and chives creation for a tang, there are plenty of options, and if you can’t decide, just have both sauces, because why not.
When game day season is on us I like to make foodie snacks that are speedy and tasty because the hubby usually has the lads over, they are seemingly always hungry when they come to our house (I wonder why that is), and they don’t want a heavy sit down meal but rather grab-and-go type bites.
These were an experiment that went down a treat, and although they do have a bit of heat to them, once you start you just can’t seem to stop. They are packed with goodness, the world’s best ingredient, (bacon), and melted cheese, heaven in a bite.
I don’t spray the air fryer typically because the bacon is naturally greasy, but after a few minutes, they are golden and divine and go perfectly with homemade ranch dressing or BBQ sauce. Be sure to have double or even triple the recipe prepared because the family will love these and they will be gone in no time.
If I didn’t make these myself I would never have believed that healthy food could taste so delicious, but it does and it can.
No matter the eating plan you are on or the healthy living lifestyle you choose to follow there is no reason why your food and meals shouldn’t be packed with flavor and tasty, dry leaves and no dressing is not fun and probably way too many people don’t stick to ‘diets,’ (I hate that word).
These keto air fryer recipes for healthier living and eating show you, and are proof, that great tasting food can be healthy too, and there is so much more to see on our blog, recipe collections for every eating plan so be sure to check it out.
You can have your cake and eat it too on keto, just use almond flour instead. Ha.
Born and raised in South Africa and being immersed in the rich culture, Candace soon found a passion for all things food related. Exploring and experiencing new flavors and taste profiles she pursued her career as a qualified chef in silver service specialized in fine dining.
