The popularity of air fryers shows no sign of slowing down in the UK, which leads to the question, can you cook an entire Christmas dinner using one?
It could be cheaper than having your oven on all day, and it's healthier than deep frying.
New search data from meal delivery service, HelloFresh, reveals a fresh surge in air fryer-related Christmas dinners has increased by a massive 5,000% over the last 30 days.
But professional chef Mimi Morley warns, “Air fryers can absolutely elevate parts of your Christmas dinner but some dishes are best left to the traditional oven. Used well, they save time, add texture and reduce stress. Used badly, they can dry out your showstoppers.”
Here we take a look at some top tips, recipes and trending ways to use your air fryer this Christmas.
From cooking the turkey to making crispy roast potatoes and sweet treats like cinnamon rolls.
The short answer is yes. Tefal have shared some recipes on how to make a Christmas dinner for eight people using their Easy Fry Dual Air Fryer & Grill (£199.99 available online).
This recipe will produce delicious, crispy roast potatoes in just 30 minutes in one simple, easy step, plus how to roast a 2.4kg turkey crown in less than two hours.
The team at Tefal said: "With little to no pre-heat time and a more compact cooking space, cooking meals such as Christmas dinner in an air fryer can save you up to 70% on energy costs vs a conventional oven, whether it’s air frying your turkey crown or grilling your pigs in blankets.
"And it’s not just the main event. Air fryers can also be used to reheat as well as cook – whether it be leftovers on Boxing Day or flaky pastries to go alongside your Bucks Fizz on Christmas morning."
| Element | Time to cook in EasyFry 3in1 (mins) | Temperature | Method |
| Turkey crown (2.4kg feeds 8 people), baste with stock every 30 minutes | 1 hour 50 minutes | 180˚C | Place the turkey crown in the large drawer (1) Cook for the first 35 minutes without tin foil to brown the skin, then cover with tin foil for the remaining 75 minutes |
| Roasted honey parsnips (fresh) | 22 minutes | 180˚C | In the smaller drawer (2) one after the other, roast the parsnips, brussel sprouts, roast potatoes, mini pigs in blankets & stuffing balls |
| Roasted honey parsnips (frozen) | 35 minutes | 180˚C | |
| Lightly salted brussels sprouts (whole & fresh) | 15 minutes | 180˚C | |
| Mini pigs in blankets & stuffing balls | 10 minutes | 180˚C | |
| Roast potatoes | 30 minutes | 200˚C | |
| 5 minutes | 160˚C | The accompaniments will all roughly finish cooking around the same time, but take out the turkey crown to rest and reheat all of the vegetables in the larger drawer (1) |
Author, Nathan Anthony, who has a cook book Bored of Lunch Healthy Slow Cooker: Even Easier in January, cooked a full Christmas dinner on This Morning.
Senior recipe development manager at HelloFresh, Mimi Morley, shared her tips on how to use an air fryer for your Christmas dinner.
“To start, it’s vital to ensure your air fryer has had a deep clean before you use it to make any part of your Christmas dinner.
"Our study revealed 47% of Brits don’t clean their air fryer after every use, leaving them vulnerable to harmful bacteria and food poisoning. Once you’re all clean, you can move on to the fun side, the cooking.”
What works well in an air fryer this Christmas
Make ultra-crispy roast potatoes
A viral TikTok hack for air-fried roasties has amassed more than 3.4 million views and Mimi says it works.
“Soaking your potatoes for at least 30 minutes removes excess starch and helps create that golden crisp,” she advises. “Parboil them, then air fry for around 20 minutes for the perfect finish.”
Air-fry pigs in blankets for next-level crispiness
“They’re a Christmas favourite and the air fryer does them beautifully,” Morley says.
“Wrap small sausages in streaky bacon, drizzle with a little honey and cook for around 12 minutes at 180 degrees.”
The best part? You can prep them the day before, ideal for reducing Christmas Day stress.
Transform Brussels sprouts into a crowd-pleaser
Love them or hate them, sprouts are a Christmas staple, and the air fryer just might convert the haters. There are a few ways to make them more enjoyable.
“Halve and parboil them, then toss with butter, bacon lardons, crushed walnuts and seasoning,” Mimi explains. “After 15–17 minutes at 180 degrees in the air fryer, you get sprouts that are crispy, smoky and packed with flavour.”
Your turkey or turkey crown
“Avoid using the air fryer for your main bird,” Mimi warns. “Turkey needs low, slow, even heat to stay moist. An air fryer can dry it out quickly.”
Stuffing
“Traditional stuffing can lose moisture fast in an air fryer,” Mimi says “It’s one part of the meal that really benefits from the oven. If you’re going for stuffing with sausage meat, the air fryer will do a good job.”
New data by Raffolux, a digital raffle operator, reveals the most popular Christmas air fryer food on TikTok as air fryer views spiked 96% in just 30 days on the platform.
The study comes as the digital raffle operator noticed a significant increase in airfryer popularity on TikTok, with #airfryer view counts spiking by 96% equating to a total of 8 million views in the last 30 days alone.
Examining break-out trends, TikTok searches for ‘Christmas food’ spiked 241% in just 30 days, and a whopping 11,300% since last year on the platform, with views for #airfyerchristmas currently standing at 1.3 million.
Analysing global view increases in the last seven days on TikTok, baked brie has had over seven million views, with the traditional Christmas turkey racking up an incredible two million views in the past week.
Looking at the most popular, based on total views and increases in seven days, cinnamon rolls take the sweet spot at 100% increase, closely followed by the less traditionally festive churros at 99%.
According to the study, TikTokers simply can’t get enough of these sweet frosted swirls.
Cinnamon rolls are a classic comfort food that's perfect for any time of year, but they're especially popular during Christmas, as the sweet spiciness of cinnamon is synonymous with the festive season.
Find a recipe here.
A favourite among Christmas market goers, the tasty dessert is raking in the views on TikTok with 14,000 views in the past week and 317K views in 30 days, representing a 99% increase overall.
The dessert might have hailed from Spain, but it's making waves overseas too with the majority of TikTok views coming from Iceland, Ireland and the UK.
Find a recipe here.
The concept of Yorkshire Puddings frequently has TikTok divided, with many US users simply not understanding what they are.
But according to the data, air-fried Yorkshire puddings will be on many Christmas dinner plates this year, with a 98% increase in views in the last seven days.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of views come from the UK, with Iceland, Denmark and Luxembourg looking for inspiration around this Sunday dinner staple.
Find a recipe here.
There’s nothing better than the allure of a roast potato, and for many, it's the crowning glory of the Christmas dinner.
According to the study, #airfryerpotatoes have had a whopping 2 million views in the past week, with many TikTokers taking to the platform to share their recipes to help save oven space on the big day.
Find a recipe here.
The festive ham is a popular Christmas dish in many countries and is often served on Christmas day as an accompaniment or alternative to a traditional turkey.
Air fryers are making it even more popular. The study found that #airfryergammon has had over 678,000 views in the past week on TikTok, representing an 86% increase overall.
Find a recipe here.
