Seriously, making tilapia in air fryer is in the best way to have dinner in minutes. When you’re coming home from work after a long day, just pop in a filet of this white fish. In minutes you have air fryer tilapia that’s healthy, low carb and keto friendly.

tilapia in air fryer that's plated

Tilapia or Other White Fish?

This recipe is for tilapia but can be used for other types of white fish too. Other varieties of white fish that you can air fry include: cod, haddock, halibut and sole. They all vary based on thickness of the filets. So cooking times will vary slightly. Also, everyone has a personal preference for how cooked or rare they like their fish to be cooked. Air frying tilapia or other white fish is great because you can customize the timing by reducing the time by a minute. Or you can increase the cooking time or thicker fillets.

cooked tilapia in air fryer

Video: Tilapia in Air Fryer 15 min

How to make Tilapia in Air Fryer (Tips)

  • Use quality tilapia that’s certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, BAP Certified or Naturland. Here’s a great article about sustainable Tilapia.
  • Keep fish from sticking, use Non stick reusable silicone liners can be found here. Fish air fries perfectly and barely sticks to the liner. They’re easy to clean too. You can release the fish, salmon or even chicken in one whole piece! 
  • Another option to minimize sticking is using paper Parchment liners. These work good too but are single use. Also, don’t preheat the air fryer with just the parchment. If no food holds down the parchment, it will fly around and possibly hit the heating element and burn. Read more about air fryer parchment liners here. 
  • You can also use aluminum foil for this air fryer tilapia recipe. 
air fryer tilapia plated with lemon

Air Fryer Tilapia

Yield: 2 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
This is a great base recipe for tilapia, but you can use the guidelines for just about any white fish. If you’re cooking a thicker fish like halibut or cod, just add a few minutes extra cooking time.
We show it with lemon pepper seasoning, but feel free to use whatever your favorite seasonings are. To avoid sticking and tearing of the fish, we like to use perforated parchment/baking paper or perforated silicone mats made for air fryers.
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Ingredients

  • 12 ounces (340 g) tilapia filets (2 filets-6 ounces each)
  • oil spray

Optional Seasonings

  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) lemon pepper seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) onion powder
  • salt , to taste
  • fresh cracked black pepper , to taste
  • fresh chopped parsley
  • lemon wedges

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Pre-heat Air Fryer to 360°F/182°C for 5 minutes.
    Touching the Air Fryer panel
  • Rinse and pat dry the tilapia filets. Spray or brush with oil and add your favorite seasonings. If you like flavorful seafood, make sure to season the tilapia well, as it is a fairly mild fish. Repeat the oil and seasonings for both sides.
    Season White Fish
  • To help sticking, lay perforated parchment or silicone mat inside base of air fryer. Lightly spray the paper/mat. (if not using a liner, spray enough oil spray on the base of the air fryer basket to make sure fish does not stick)
    Silicone mat in air fryer
  • Lay the tilapia on top of the paper/mat. Add a few lemon wedges next to fish.
    Raw tilapia filets in air fryer basket
  • Air Fry at 360°F/182°C for about 6-12 minutes, or until the tilapia is cooked to your liking (we like to gently flake it with a fork to test doneness). Timing will depend on thickness of the fish, how cold the fish is when started to air fry, & individual cooked preference.
    Cooked tilapia filets in air fryer basket
  • (optional) Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve warm with the toasted lemon wedges.
    Cooked tilapia filets on a plate

If your air fryer is preheated or if you are cooking multiple batches, you may need to reduce timing by a few minutes (unless preheating is called for in the recipe).

Video

YouTube video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 185kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 85mg, Sodium: 90mg, Potassium: 519mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 0.04g, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 185

Freezing and Re-Heating Leftover Tilapia

Sure, you can freeze leftover cooked tilapia. When thawing, make sure it’s thawed all the way through. Then you can warm it in the microwave. This is the best way to keep the fish moist and soft. If you re-heat in the air fryer, do it quick and hot so it doesn’t dry out. Air fry heat should be about 380F, pre-heat for 5 minutes. Then add the tilapia in the air fryer and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until warm. Hope you enjoy this tilapia in air fryer recipe and let us know what you think in the comments.

air fryer tilapia plated with lemon

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