16 Absolute Best Air Fryer Recipes For Your 2024 Super Bowl Party

There's nothing more exciting than watching football on Super Bowl Sunday — though we'd argue that the plethora of appetizers, finger foods, and shareable treats gives the big game a run for its money. If you host an annual Super Bowl party or attend one at a friend's house, then you know just how important the food is. Of course, there's a specific type of food that one might anticipate finding at a football potluck. Wings, fries, jalapeño poppers, fried shrimp, and just about any type of finger food contributes to the no-frills atmosphere of such an event, allowing the focus to remain on the TV.

The only downside to such a potluck is that it can take quite a bit of time and energy to whip up several appetizers; even if your friends contribute, you're still left spending more time in the kitchen then cheering on your favorite team, and nobody wants to experience the Super Bowl like that. Fortunately, the air fryer is about to make your life significantly easier — in fact, our best air fryer recipes will help you get those finger foods on the table in record time. Whether you want to serve up classic chicken wings or venture into dessert-land, the air fryer will handle the heavy lifting so you can kick back and enjoy the game.

There are countless ways to cook shrimp, though the kind best-suited for a Super Bowl party is without a doubt coconut shrimp. Fried food is all the rage at such a gathering, so coconut shrimp fits in quite nicely with other fried favorites like wings and french fries while still offering fresh seafood flavor that no other appetizer can truly compete with. Of course, this recipe opts for air frying the shrimp, and since the little crustaceans cook incredibly fast, they'll only need about five minutes in the air fryer before they're golden and ready to go.

No coconut shrimp appetizer is complete without a dip, so as the shrimp is cooking, you can focus on whipping up a cool and creamy cucumber sauce, one that incorporates just the right amount of heat thanks to the inclusion of a serrano chili. Crispy, crunchy, and irresistibly coconutty, these air fryer shrimp just might be the star of the show.

Recipe: Easy Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

Asparagus might not be the first thing you'd think to include in a Super Bowl spread, but when you bread the spears and transform them into crispy-crunchy fries, the vegetable will be ready to play. And, of course, the air fryer will help take the asparagus fries to crispy perfection, so you don't need to worry about heating up the oven or fussing with hot oil.

Interestingly, chickpeas are on the ingredient list, but you won't be using the beans themselves; instead, you'll use the chickpea liquid, also known as aquafaba, to dredge the asparagus spears before they get a breadcrumb coating. This unique inclusion helps keep this recipe completely vegan, so you can serve your fries with a plant-based dip to stay on theme, or serve them with an aioli sauce or ranch for a vegetarian option.

Recipe: Air Fryer Asparagus Fries

The air fryer really can do it all, including whip up desserts — take this buttermilk apple fritters recipe, for example. You'll start by mixing up a quick and easy fritter batter, then you'll line the air fryer basket with parchment paper and dollop the fritter batter on it. Your first batch might be ready in as little as seven minutes, and while you will need to work in batches so as not to overcrowd the air fryer, a dozen fritters can be ready to go in less than 30 minutes.

No fritter is complete without a sweet icing, and while the air fryer won't handle that part of the recipe, it's super easy to take care of that while simultaneously watching the game. Simply mix together powdered sugar and buttermilk, drizzle the mixture over the slightly cooled fritters, and there you have it — an air fryer dessert without any hassle.

Recipe: Air Fryer Buttermilk Apple Fritters

Taquitos often go overlooked in favor of other handheld Mexican favorites like tacos or burritos, but when game day rolls around, there's really no snack better suited for such an occasion than taquitos. While taquitos can feature just about any type of meat as the filling (or simply include cheese to keep things vegetarian), this recipe incorporates chicken for a bite that provides a little more bulk than your typical appetizer. The chicken doesn't stand alone, of course, with other ingredients like cream cheese, shredded Mexican blend cheese, and taco seasoning in the mix.

As for the cooking part, your air fryer will once again prove its capacity to cook just about anything and everything. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you might have to work in batches to cook all of the taquitos, but they'll still be ready before kickoff regardless. Drizzle your finished taquitos with avocado crema, scatter some diced tomatoes on top, and sprinkle on some cilantro for a finishing garnish.

Recipe: Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos And Avocado Crema

Russet potatoes are a go-to when it comes to making fries, though sweet potatoes have forged a rightful path over the years, making them a top contender in the fry game. Thanks to their naturally earthy and subtly sweet flavor, sweet potatoes make for wonderful fries, offering up the same level of outer crispiness with a nice, soft, chewy inside. 

It's no secret that air fryers are great for cooking fries in general, and this recipe proves that sweet potato fries are no different. For the seasoning, try using a blend of chili powder, paprika, salt, and garlic powder to pack in the flavor, and consider using arrowroot powder to help get the outside of the fries nice and crispy. When it comes time to serve the fries, you can't go wrong with a classic ketchup or aioli pairing.

Recipe: Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

If your freezer is always stocked with puff pastry sheets, then thaw them out and put them to good use with this air fryer samosa recipe. Ideal for the vegan in your life, these samosas are jam-packed with plant-based goodies like Yukon potatoes, carrots, and peas, along with a seasoning blend consisting of toasted cumin and mustard seeds, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and red pepper flakes for a touch of heat.

Once your filling is ready to go, you'll carefully wrap portions of it up into puff pastry triangles, then the air fryer will take over the work from there. This is a slightly more involved recipe than many others on this list, mostly because you have to whip up the samosa filling and then hand-wrap each one before air frying. All told, however, these little handheld treats will be ready to go in less than an hour, and we can assure you that your vegan or vegetarian friends will be thrilled to see meat-free samosas as part of the game day spread.

Recipe: Air Fryer Samosas

Ribs are a notoriously low-and-slow cut of meat to cook, typically taking hours if not all day on the grill or in the oven. The slow-cooking method lends itself quite well to a tender, fall-off-the-bone meat dish, but when you need something ready to go a little quicker, then the air fryer becomes an essential tool. Indeed, you can cook BBQ ribs in the air fryer, and much more quickly than your average recipe would typically call for. The key is to separate the ribs instead of trying to cook them as a rack — that way each rib will cook in record speed, and even get a nice char on the outside while remaining tender and succulent on the inside.

Not only does this air fryer recipe yield ribs in no time, but the ingredient list is also incredibly short and easy to work with. Aside from the ribs, you only need a handful of seasonings and your favorite BBQ sauce to make meaty magic happen. 

Recipe: Air Fryer BBQ Ribs

There are two key ingredients that help transform these air fryer shrimp into spicy shrimp: Cajun seasoning and chili powder. The former adds a nice peppery flavor profile to the shrimp, whereas the latter adds nice heat that isn't overbearing or too spicy. These shrimp certainly have a kick to them, but even those who typically shy away from spicy food will find themselves grabbing seconds of this crispy appetizer.

Like any breaded shrimp recipe, you'll start by coating each of them with seasoned breadcrumbs, but instead of transferring them to a deep-fryer, they'll go into the air fryer instead. They won't be there for long, however, as a single batch of shrimp will only need about 10 minutes to cook to crispy perfection. Though you could enjoy this appetizer with any dipping sauce of your choice, this recipe also calls for a simple sour cream sauce to help offset the heat of the shrimp.

Recipe: Air Fryer Spicy Shrimp

Nothing beats a grilled cheese sandwich, with the combination of crusty bread and gooey cheese making for the perfect Super Bowl snack. Typically, grilled cheese sandwiches are made on the stovetop, and it can be a bit of a precarious process as your bread is completely fine one second and then burnt to a crisp a moment later. This recipe calls for cooking grilled cheese in the air fryer, and though it may be unconventional, it works wonders for preparing perfectly crisp (but not burnt) bread alongside melty cheese.

There are really no rules when it comes to what kind of cheese you might put on a grilled cheese sandwich, and this recipe makes things even more interesting by not settling for any one cheese — instead, you'll find a combination of mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and Parmesan in the savory creation. You'll end up making two sandwiches (which will conveniently cook in the air fryer at the same time), though if you have more mouths to feed, simply double or triple the recipe and work in batches.

Recipe: Easy Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

When you think of fried chicken, you might visualize an assortment of bone-in breasts, drumsticks, wings, and thighs. Of course, you can transform just about any cut of chicken into fried form, and it doesn't necessarily have to be bone-in; in fact, this air fryer fried chicken recipe proves that boneless chicken thighs get the job done quite nicely, largely thanks to your nifty air fryer.

The process of making this chicken is a familiar one: You'll start by dredging the chicken in flour and buttermilk, but instead of dunking the pieces in a hot vat of oil, you'll line them up in an air fryer instead. Believe it or not, these whole pieces of fried chicken will be cooked in as little as 20 minutes — making them a great alternative to traditional bone-in wings.

Recipe: Air Fryer Fried Chicken

Jalapeño poppers come in all shapes and sizes, though we'd argue that the best ones are those that use the jalapeño itself as a vehicle for cheesy goodness. This jalapeño popper recipe does just that, turning the peppers into containers for a hearty amount of cheesy filling. To ensure that each popper has an optimal crunch factor, you'll also top them off with a breadcrumb mixture and some scallions for good measure.

It can take time to soften whole peppers, but that's where the air fryer really comes in handy. These poppers will only need about 20 minutes to cook, during which time the jalapeños will soften considerably while the cheese filling will get nice and gooey. This air frying time will also allow the breadcrumbs to get crispy on top, resulting in a classic appetizer that looks as appealing as it tastes. 

Recipe: Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers

If it's not broke, don't fix it — a motto that applies to many things in life, including the notion of serving french fries as an appetizer. There really is no dish better suited for snacking, with individual fries being so perfect for dipping, and a whole plate of them being nearly irresistible. These fries play double-duty a little bit, as they are great on their own or paired with something as simple as ketchup, though they'd also make a great side should someone show up to the party with sliders in tow.

French fries are typically deep-fried, a process that results in that pillowy-soft-on-the-inside yet crispy-on-the-outside texture. Luckily, you can achieve a similar texture by cooking fries in the air fryer, and you can also save yourself from having to use too much oil. Be sure to prep these fries ahead of time so they have plenty of time to soak in an ice bath, but once it's go time, simply let the air fryer do its thing and you'll be as golden as your finished fries.

Recipe: Air Fryer French Fries

Chicken wings or tenders have a near-guaranteed spot in your Super Bowl appetizer rotation, but what about chicken nuggets? This oft-overlooked form of snack-able chicken makes for perfect party food, with a nugget's bite-sized nature standing up well against other small-plate favorites like fries or jalapeño poppers. Plus, with chicken nuggets, your guests won't have to worry about discarding any pesky bones.

There are a few ways to cook chicken nuggets, and as expected, this recipe takes the air fryer approach for optimal ease and efficiency. And, as if your homemade nuggets won't be delicious enough on their own, the tangy sauce consisting of mayo, barbecue sauce, mustard, and honey is also worth highlighting.

Recipe: Air Fryer Baked Chicken Nuggets

Pakora is a classic Indian snack or appetizer that absolutely deserves a spot in your Super Bowl lineup. Though pakora is often deep-fried, our air fryer version offers a lighter take on the potato-based snack while still retaining plenty of savory flavor. 

This pakora recipe is also great if you know that vegetarians or vegans are coming to your shindig; loaded with plenty of veggies and absolutely no meat or dairy products, these pakora are a plant-based eater's dream, though even the meat eaters in your life will want to pile their plates up with these crispy air-fried delights.

Recipe: Air Fryer Pakora

If you've ever made meatballs, then there's a good chance your recipe called for breadcrumbs to help bind the meaty mixture together. This sausage ball recipe is unique in that it doesn't require any breadcrumbs — thus making it a keto recipe — and instead relies on almond flour and an egg to hold everything together. All you'll taste, of course, is juicy sausage and savory cheddar cheese, making these little meatballs perfect for your Super Bowl party.

Another perk to these sausage balls is that they'll cook in the air fryer — no need to turn on the oven or worry about cooking them on the stovetop. Once they're done air-frying, simply stick a toothpick into each sausage ball to make for a super simple but irresistibly meaty (and easily grabbed) app.

Recipe: Air Fryer Keto Sausage Balls

Regardless of what your favorite potluck appetizer is, there's no denying that chicken wings reign supreme time and time again, and no football-related gathering would really be complete without them. While some people deep-fry or bake chicken wings, the air fryer offers a great alternative that provides the convenience of baking and the crispy goodness of frying. 

This particular recipe calls for lemon pepper chicken wings, and you won't be using some mediocre store-bought lemon pepper seasoning to make the magic happen. Instead you'll create true magic by making a fresh lemon zest seasoning for the wings, but the citrus party doesn't stop there. You'll also create a lemon juice, butter, and honey glaze to toss the cooked wings in, something that takes the air fryer wings from pretty good to downright delicious.

Recipe: Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings