The air fryer is a picky eater's favorite appliance: it makes things crispy, it is fast, and crispy is often the texture kids say yes to. These 10 kid-friendly air fryer recipes cover breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert, from chicken strips and turkey burgers to sweet potato chips and banana oat cookies.
Each card shows the air fryer setting, so you know the temperature and time at a glance. A few hide vegetables inside, like sweet potato in turkey burgers and grilled cheese. Every recipe also has an oven version in the cookbook, which includes air fryer steps for 104 of its 300+ recipes.
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Crispy Baked Breakfast Taquitos with Egg, Cheese and Black Beans
30 min · Serves 4 · savory, cheesy, crunchy, mild
Air fryer: 375°F, 6 to 9 min
Tip: These freeze well before baking. Just add a few extra minutes in the oven when cooking from frozen.
Contains: egg, milk and wheat · Easy swap: Small flour tortillas → Corn tortillas
The full recipe, straight from the cookbook
Ingredients
- 10 Small flour tortillas
- 6 Eggs
- 3/4 cup Black beans, drained and mashed
- 1 cup Shredded Mexican-blend cheese
- 2 tbsp Milk
- as needed Olive oil spray
Steps
- Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the eggs with the milk and scramble gently in a buttered pan until just set.
- Warm the tortillas so they roll without cracking.
- Spread a spoonful of mashed black beans down the center of each tortilla, then top with scrambled egg and cheese.
- Roll each tortilla tightly and place seam-side down on the baking sheet.
- Spray the tops lightly with olive oil spray.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp.
Air fryer: 375°F, 6 to 9 min
- Scramble the eggs, then fill and roll the taquitos as in steps 2 to 5.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F. Place the taquitos seam-side down in the basket in a single layer with a little space between them, working in batches, and spray lightly with the olive oil spray.
- Air fry 6 to 9 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and crisp and the filling is hot.
Missing an ingredient? Small flour tortillas: Corn tortillas or Gluten-free tortillas; Shredded Mexican-blend cheese: Dairy-free shredded cheese; Milk: Water.
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Mini Baked Chicken Meatballs with Hidden Veggies Hidden veggie
25 min · Serves 4 · savory, mild, cheesy
What's hidden: finely grated zucchini and finely grated carrot.
Air fryer: 375°F, 8 to 10 min, shaking halfway
Tip: Serve with a mild dipping sauce like ketchup or ranch since the meatballs are already packed with flavor.
Contains: egg, wheat and milk · Easy swap: Breadcrumbs → Gluten-free breadcrumbs
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
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Hidden Veggie Sweet Potato Grilled Cheese Hidden veggie
15 min · Serves 2 · cheesy, savory, mild
What's hidden: pureed sweet potato.
Air fryer: 370°F, 6 to 8 min, flipping halfway
Tip: The sweet potato blends into the melted cheese so the sandwich still looks like a plain grilled cheese.
Contains: milk and wheat · Easy swap: Pureed cooked sweet potato → Pureed cooked butternut squash
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
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Crispy Baked Chicken Strips with Sweet Potato Fries
35 min · Serves 4 · crunchy, savory, salty
Air fryer: 380°F, 14 to 18 min for fries; 390°F, 10 to 12 min for chicken
Tip: Baking both on separate sheets at the same oven temperature means the whole lunch comes out together with no last-minute frying.
Contains: egg and wheat · Easy swap: Panko breadcrumbs → Gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
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Honey Garlic Salmon Bites
20 min · Serves 4 · sweet, savory
Air fryer: 400°F, 6 to 8 min
Tip: Mild, sweet flavors like honey and garlic make fish easier for picky eaters who are wary of a strong fish smell.
Contains: fish, soy and wheat · Easy swap: Soy sauce → Gluten-free tamari
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
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Sheet Pan Chicken and Sweet Potato Allergy-friendly
35 min · Serves 4 · savory, mild, salty
Air fryer: 380°F, 18 to 22 min
Tip: Cut the sweet potato into small, even cubes so it cooks through at the same rate as the chicken.
Contains: none of the top 9 allergens in the base recipe (check labels on packaged ingredients) · Easy swap: Chicken thighs, boneless → Chicken breast, cut into pieces
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
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Hidden Veggie Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers Hidden veggie
30 min · Serves 4 · savory, mild, sweet
What's hidden: pureed sweet potato.
Air fryer: 375°F, 12 to 15 min
Tip: The sweet potato keeps these patties extra juicy, so they stay moist even if a little overcooked.
Contains: egg, wheat and milk · Easy swap: Breadcrumbs → Gluten-free breadcrumbs
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
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Baked Sweet Potato Chips Allergy-friendly
30 min · Serves 4 · salty, crunchy
Air fryer: 350°F, 12 to 18 min per batch
Tip: Slicing the potato very thin and evenly is the key to getting them crisp instead of chewy.
Contains: none of the top 9 allergens in the base recipe (check labels on packaged ingredients) · Easy swap: Olive oil → Vegetable oil
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
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Broccoli Cheese Bites
25 min · Serves 6 · cheesy, savory, mild
Air fryer: 375°F, 8 to 12 min
Tip: Chopping the broccoli very fine keeps the bites easy to bite into without big chunks.
Contains: egg, milk and wheat · Easy swap: Breadcrumbs → Gluten-free breadcrumbs
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
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Banana Oat Cookies Allergy-friendly
20 min · Serves 12 · sweet, fruity, mild
Air fryer: 325°F, 7 to 10 min per batch
Tip: These are naturally free of the top allergens, which makes them an easy treat to send in for a class party.
Contains: none of the top 9 allergens in the base recipe (check labels on packaged ingredients) · Easy swap: Rolled oats → Certified gluten-free oats
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
Kid Air Fryer Recipe Questions
What can I make in the air fryer for kids?
Crispy foods kids already like work best: chicken strips and nuggets, fish bites, quesadillas, grilled cheese, mini burgers, sweet potato fries and chips, cheese bites, and small batches of cookies and muffins.
Are air fryer recipes healthier than fried food?
Air frying usually uses much less oil than deep frying, so foods like chicken strips and fries can turn out crispy with a light coat of oil.
Can I convert an oven recipe to the air fryer?
A common starting point is to lower the oven temperature by about 25°F and start checking for doneness a few minutes early, since air fryers cook faster. Each air fryer is a little different, so the first batch is a test run.
How do I know air fryer chicken is cooked through?
Use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest piece. Chicken is safe to eat at 165°F. Cutting one piece open to check that it is no longer pink inside is a good backup.
Eat This, Not Chaos