If you eat a vegan diet, we’d hazard a guess that you’re big into food tricks and hacks. Sometimes that means turning unexpected ingredients into their meat and cheese counterparts, like mushrooms to seafood in our mushroom “calamari” or our vegan “scallops” with succotash, or cashews into dairy, like in our vegan Alfredo or our vegan cheesecake. Other times it means utilizing certain cooking techniques to achieve incredible results, like freezing tofu for our crispy fried tofu sandwich or salting eggplant for our eggplant steak frites with chimichurri sauce. One of our favorite not-so-secret cooking methods? Air frying! It’s a MUST in a vegan kitchen for transforming veggies, tofu, and even frozen meatless meats into delicious side dishes and main meals, FAST. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of your air fryer or haven’t taken the plunge and purchased one yet, we’ve got recipes here for you. Check out our 28 vegan air fryer recipes for ideas—we bet you’ll fall even MORE in love with this super kitchen appliance.
And we’re not just talking boring vegetables, people! Yes, it’s true—veggies are a big part of any vegan diet (TBH, should be for omnivores too), and we’ve got a lot of simple recipes for air frying them, like our air fryer green beans, air fryer broccoli, air fryer kale chips, and air fryer Brussels sprouts. Sometimes the most exciting recipes, though, are those that take flavor and texture inspiration from their non-vegan counterparts. Missing bang bang shrimp? Try our bang bang cauliflower in your air fryer. Ditto fish tacos? Try our air fryer cauliflower tacos instead. Want something as snackable as popcorn chicken? Try our air fryer tofu (use any marinade or sauce you like, or just eat them as is!). There’s really no end to what the air fryer can achieve, so use these recipes as inspiration, and get creative with what you put in there—anything that could benefit from a deep fry or a long roast in the oven is fair game.
Want more vegan inspiration? Check out our top vegan desserts, plant-based recipes, and vegan food recipes too.
Air Fryer Tofu
To get crispy tofu, you'd typically need to heat up a bunch of oil, worrying about over cooking or a messy cleanup. But the air fryer makes getting perfect golden brown tofu a cinch. What marinade and sauce is entirely up to you, but we happen to love this soy marinade and spicy sauce (use vegan mayo to keep it dairy- and egg-free).
Get the Air Fryer Tofu recipe.
Air Fryer Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Birthday Cake
This cake has a lot of secrets: Zucchini keeps it super-moist, instant espresso powder makes the chocolate taste more chocolatey, and apple cider vinegar helps add lift. You won't believe it's vegan!
Get the Air Fryer Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Birthday Cake recipe.
Air Fryer Tahini Black Bean Fritters
Enjoy these crispy (thanks air fryer!) bean cakes on their own, or sandwich them between slider buns with all your favorite burger fixin’s for a really irresistible veggie burger.
Air Fryer Crunchy Chili-Spiced Chickpeas
Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, these snackable chickpeas are delicious as a crunchy topper for salads, creamy soups, or grain bowls. You can also toss them with hot stovetop popcorn for a protein-packed movie snack.
Air Fryer Green Beans
These green beans come with a treat: 8 cloves of creamy, buttery garlic that get air-fried alongside the green beans for bites of roasted garlic that don’t involve turning on your oven. You can eat them alongside the beans or reserve them for another use, like smearing alongside butter and flaky sea salt on a slice of toasted sourdough bread. 😋
Get the Air Fryer Green Beans recipe.
Air Fryer Cauliflower Tacos
To get extra crispy "fried" cauliflower, you gotta use your air fryer. This recipe is basically the vegan version of our favorite fish tacos. The finishing touch? A quick and easy pickled slaw for a bite of freshness and a spicy mayo for a touch of heat.
Get the Air Fryer Cauliflower Tacos recipe.
Air Fryer Crispy Potatoes
We pride ourselves for how perfect our roasted potatoes are. We truly thought they couldn't get any better, but it turns out the air fryer works some kind of magic on potatoes. They get extra-crispy all over and stay perfectly soft on the inside, with half the effort.
Get the Air Fryer Crispy Potatoes recipe.
Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
Crispy, tender brussels are possible in only 18 minutes thanks to your air fryer. The quick dressing makes them a little more vibrant and brightens the veggie up—skip or replace the honey with agave or maple if you don't eat it.
Get the Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts recipe.
Bang Bang Cauliflower
When we're looking for a spicy, flavorful side to brighten up our dinner, we turn to bang bang cauliflower. Not only is it quick and easy, but the dish is super-adaptable. Not a fan of spice? Go easy on the sriracha and bump up the chili sauce. Hate cilantro? Ditch it in favor of thinly sliced green onions. You have our blessing to make it your own!
Get the Bang Bang Cauliflower recipe.
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
We love a good, crispy sweet potato fry. Though the oven-baked variety is great, these air fryer fries get even crispier and take way less time! Paired with our favorite 3-ingredient secret sauce (use vegan mayo!), we can't think of a better snack.
Get the Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries recipe.
Air Fryer Kale Chips
These air fryer kale chips are a super-tasty way to start a healthy chip habit. They take just minutes to prepare and using your air fryer means less grease and guilt. Feel free to customize your chips with different herbs and spices—the possibilities really are endless.
Get the Air Fryer Kale Chips recipe.
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
This cauliflower is the perfect answer to Buffalo wings, without the meat! All the Buffalo flavor you love coat these florets, which are then air-fried to perfection. Simply replace the butter with a vegan alternative, and serve with your favorite vegan ranch dressing.
Get the Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower recipe.
Air Fryer Moroccan-Spiced Carrots
A combo of spices adds a riot of flavor to those carrots that may or may not have been sitting in the crisper for too long. Serve alongside anything grilled, like our grilled tofu or our Thai-inspired grilled cauliflower steaks.
Air Fryer Mushrooms and Onions
Transform this side into a meal by serving it alongside or on top of your favorite vegan proteins, like our air-fried tofu or baked tempeh. You could also serve it as a pizza topping or over grains with crisp vegetables, like sliced cucumbers and your favorite legume (we're partial to lentils, but whatever beans you like will be awesome alongside).
Air Fryer Sweet Plantains
For this recipe, you want to use super-ripe, almost blackened plantains (don’t fear the dark bruised-looking peel). They’re naturally extra sweet and caramelize beautifully in the air fryer.
Get the Air Fryer Sweet Plantains recipe.
Air Fryer Bang Bang Broccolini
Bang bang sauce already has a kick to it, but if you really like the heat, bump up the amount of sriracha or add an extra drizzle before serving. For an over-the-top addition, drizzle with a little vegan mayo too (trust us!).
Air Fryer Tostones
Though they’re typically twice fried, these tostones are as crispy as the classic version with a fraction of the fat—and there's no scary pot full of hot oil!
Get the Air Fryer Tostones recipe.
Air Fryer French Fries
Want to know the secret to super-crispy French fries? It's air frying! Forget about oil temperature, soaking, and all the other steps associated with the perfect deep-fried French fry. Pair with ketchup or one of our 23 innovative French fry dipping sauce ideas.
Get the Air Fryer French Fries recipe.
Air Fryer Cinnamon Crunch Granola
This granola has Cinnamon Toast Crunch vibes, and we can’t get enough of it. It’s chock-full of pecans, pumpkin seeds, and coconut, but you can play around with whatever nuts and seeds you have on hand (just keep the dry ingredients at 3 1/4 total cups).
Air Fryer Hash Browns
We've got a soft spot for those golden brown pucks of potatoes fast food places serve in the morning. They're crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. With this recipe, we aimed to replicate this same phenomenon, only we lightened it up a bit by using the air fryer and a LOT less oil.
Get the Air Fryer Hash Browns recipe.
