Yes, I fell for the hype and bought an air fryer. Anxious to justify my purchase to myself and my husband (and my dwindling counter space), I was drawn to the title of a new book, “The ‘I Love My Air Fryer’ 5-Ingredient Recipe Book” by Robin Fields. Would I love my new air fryer? Would it be the perfect air fryer cookbook for beginners like me, thanks to its minimal ingredient lists? Surely, making actual meals that would have so few ingredients would make me deliriously stress-free and yet satiated. Guess what? It worked.

Save this article and these recipes from the I love My Air Fryer 5-Ingredient Cookbook to Pinterest to keep it handy. Images by James Stefiuk. Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved. Graphic by Real Food Traveler.

There are 175 recipes in the book, covering breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, and desserts. The bulk of the recipes use items you probably already have in your kitchen. I quickly identified a bunch of recipes I wanted to make as part of my review of the Air Fryer recipe book: The Brown Sugar Mustard Pork Loin, Fish Taco Bowl with Tilapia, Chili-Lime Shrimp, Sweet & Spicy BBQ Tofu, Chipotle Chick-pea Tacos, Spicy Corn Fritters and Molten Lava Cakes. There were many more calling to me but if I wanted to publish this cookbook review for you before the book was considered an antique, I had to narrow it down.

Do the air fryer cookbook recipes work?

Yes, the recipes themselves work great and utilize whole ingredients that are easy to obtain. Everything I made came out great with especially high marks for the Pork Loin, Shrimp, Corn Fritters, and Molten Lava Cakes. The instructions are logical, the photos are enticing, and, hey, having such a minimal ingredients list helps ensure that everything you make is going to turn out well!

My Molten Lava Cakes made using the 5-Ingredient cookbook. They were delicious! My family has requested I make them several times since. Photo by Real Food Traveler.

What didn’t work?

Being new to air fryers, it didn’t hit me that, like other appliances, there are variations in method, use, and timing. So the instructions Fields gave for temperature, time, and height from the heating elements, required a little fiddling and experimenting with my particular air fryer. To combat this, I erred on the side of slightly lower temperatures and slightly shorter time frames – I could always go higher and longer. Nothing burned though and everything did come out well.

Hungry for more? Here’s a Vegan recipe book for beginners.

Here are two recipes the book’s author and publisher shared with Real Food Traveler readers. Give them a go yourself and let me know what you think of them. They are excerpted from The “I Love My Air Fryer” 5-Ingredient Recipe Book by Robin Fields. Copyright © 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. Photographs by James Stefiuk. Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.

Air Fryer Cookbook Recipes:

Korean-Style Wings

These deep brown red wings are packed with spices, savory elements, and a great crunch. This sauce is made with gochujang, which is a Korean chili sauce. It has a sweet heat and lots of flavor. You can find this in the international foods section at the grocery store. If you’d like, garnish these with a sprinkle of parsley for a fancy presentation.

Pantry Staples: Salt, ground black pepper
Hands-On Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken wings, drums, and flats separated
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup gochujang sauce
2 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Method:  (Editor’s note – this helps you know how long to cook chicken wings in an air fryer!)

1. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F.
2. Sprinkle wings with salt and pepper. Place wings in the air fryer basket and cook 15 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time.
3. In a medium bowl, mix gochujang sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and mayonnaise.
4. Toss wings in sauce mixture and adjust the air fryer temperature to 400°F.
5. Place wings back in the air fryer basket and cook an additional 5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F. Serve warm.

Korean-Style Wings courtesy of the I Love My Air Fryer 5-Ingredient Cookbook. Photographs by James Stefiuk. Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.

Hungry for more? Read about a world of cooking with the Gourmia Air Fryer Countertop Oven.

Shrimp Burgers

These juicy burgers are about to become your new favorite way to enjoy shrimp. While shrimp is usually sauteed or battered, this recipe uses chopped shrimp to make a plump, juicy burger with a flavor all its own. Try enjoying these on toasted buns with chipotle mayonnaise and shredded lettuce for a hearty meal.

Pantry Staples: salt, ground black pepper
Hands-On Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients: 

10 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 hamburger buns

Method:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
2. In a food processor, add shrimp and pulse four times until broken down.
3. Scoop shrimp into a large bowl and mix with mayonnaise, bread crumbs, Old Bay, salt, and pepper until well combined.
4.  Separate mixture into four portions and form into patties. They will feel wet but should be able to hold their shape.
5. Place in the air fryer basket and cook 10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time, until burgers are brown and internal temperature reaches at least 145°F. Serve warm on buns.

Shrimp Burgers from the I Love My Air Fryer 5-Ingredient Cookbook. Photographs by James Stefiuk. Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.

Hungry for more? Discover more cookbooks on Real Food Traveler.

–By Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher & Managing Editor, RealFoodTraveler.com

Please note: RealFoodTraveler.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn a small amount of advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com while providing convenience for the reader. Clicking on them will not change your shopping experience, including pricing, in any way.