Can You Cook Your Christmas Dinner In The Air Fryer?

For many households, a slap-up roast is an essential part of Christmas Day. But anyone who has taken on the role of head chef before knows mastering it is no mean feat, often requiring hours of hard work in a hot kitchen. If you’re looking for a way to save some time, though, did you know it’s possible to cook Christmas dinner in the air fryer? Here to share some advice is cookery book author Sam Milner, an air fryer expert, who has penned numerous books dedicated to the nifty bit of cookware – including her latest, Air Fryer Easy Everyday. Below, she shares her top tips, plus a few ideas for festive air fryer recipes.

How To Cook An Air Fryer Christmas Roast

Sam Milner’s Top Tips

As a family of five, we have been cooking our Christmas dinner in the air fryer since 2012. At first, we started with a few bits and pieces such as the brussels sprouts, honey roasted parsnips and warming up the gravy. Then we added more and more of our Christmas favourites to the air fryer until it felt weird to return to the oven. Today, we are going back to the start and showing you some great tips for getting started with Christmas dinner in the air fryer.

1. Prepared sides are fantastic in the air fryer. Think about those trays of already seasoned and oiled roast potatoes that you can just load into the air fryer – essentially allowing you to make the sides with zero prep. We love doing this with roast potatoes, honey parsnips, cauliflower cheese or even a garlic mushroom starter. 
2. The air fryer is also fantastic for reheating food and cooking it from frozen. So imagine that you already made the pigs in blankets and the stuffing balls in advance and froze them, or maybe you bought them already prepared from the butchers. These are perfect for the air fryer. We recommend following our times and temperatures from our air fryer cooking guide to get your head around them.  
3. We love turkey in the air fryer for Christmas, but what if your air fryer is not big enough or there are less people to feed? My favourite for two to four people is the turkey breast joint that you can find at M&S. It’s approximately 500g and is perfect for four people or for less (and you still have some leftovers too). Because of its size you can also easily add to the air fryer at the same time as your roast potatoes and a few of your other sides. 
4. However, if you are cooking Christmas dinner just for one and want to save money at the same time, we recommend using sliced turkey breast and then air frying it in a similar way to air frying a steak. That way you still have the taste of Christmas turkey but without breaking the bank. 
5. Another money saver is to keep an eye out on the meat you plan to buy in the supermarket. Meat is often your biggest cost and supermarkets will start selling it well before you need it. Check out the use by date and make sure you are back in at 4pm on that date – you’re likely to find the meat is reduced. You can then freeze it and get it out of the freezer on Christmas Eve. You can also do the same with your sides.
6. Frozen cauliflower is a thing and it tastes delicious in the air fryer. I know at Christmas we all go and buy a big cauliflower from the supermarket or the greengrocers but really that frozen bag of cauliflower cooks so well in the air fryer. All you need to do is pour over air fryer cheese sauce and you have a real treat. 
7. A lot of the air fryer foods have a similar cooking time so you can pair together items like stuffing balls and pigs in blankets or roast potatoes and parsnips. Then, start with the longer cooking time first and all the food you’ve made will all be ready together. 
8. Alternatively, try our method of creating a mixed dish of your Christmas vegetables. Cube everything and throw it into the air fryer together. You can do sprouts, carrots, parsnips, roast potatoes and even swede. They taste so good and it means you are prepping one big bowl of veg, instead of a lot of other dishes. It makes Christmas a lot less stressful.
9. Use foil trays. If you are cooking lots of different food in the air fryer, you don’t want to feel like you’re constantly cleaning the air fryer. Instead find some foil trays that fit into your air fryer. Then prepare the food in the foil tray instead of the bowl and then you can keep your air fryer clean. Foil trays also cook the food well and are good for placing in the fridge for anything you can prep ahead of time. 
10. There are lots of different meats that you can cook in the air fryer. Roast beef, chicken, lamb, gammon, turkey, and even poussin. If you’re worried about not having enough space, cook the main meat the day before and carve it for your Sunday lunch feast, then your air fryer can focus on the sides.  

Christmas Air Fryer Recipes

Quick-Cook Christmas Root Veg

This is a brilliant and effortless way of cooking your favourite Christmas dinner vegetables in the air fryer. Potatoes, parsnips, carrots and Brussels sprouts come together in one air fryer basket, ready for serving alongside your roast meat. 

• Serves 4
• Air fryer type: basket/dual
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 medium white potatoes 
• 4 large carrots 
• 1 large parsnip 
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 tsp dried rosemary 
• 1 tsp dried thyme 
• 225g/8oz Brussels sprouts 
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tbsp dried parsley salt and black pepper 

Method:

1. Scrub and peel the potatoes, carrots and parsnip, then dice them into 2cm/¾ inch cubes. Put the vegetables in a bowl and add the olive oil, rosemary and thyme. Add a generous seasoning of salt and pepper, and mix well with your hands. 
2. Tip the veg into the air fryer basket/drawer and spread out so that they cook evenly. Set the temperature to 160ºC/320ºF and cook for 10 minutes. 
3. In the meantime, prepare the sprouts. Clean and chop them in half, then put them in the bowl. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, add the parsley, season with salt and pepper and mix with your hands. Once the root vegetables have been cooking for 10 minutes, tip the prepared sprouts into the air fryer and use a spatula to mix everything together. Continue air frying for another 10 minutes. 
4. When the air fryer beeps, shake the air fryer basket/drawer, increase the temperature to 180ºC/360ºF and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the root vegetables are fork tender.

Cauliflower Cheese

We have some simple tricks to make this creamy cauliflower cheese even easier. It’s perfect for a simple Christmas dinner side dish. 

• Serves 4
• Air fryer type: basket/dual
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 675g/1½lb frozen cauliflower florets 
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs/Italian seasoning 
• 85g/3oz/1 cup grated mature/ sharp Cheddar cheese, for sprinkling 
• Salt and black pepper

For the cheese sauce:

• 6 medium tomatoes 
• 3 medium carrots 
• 1 medium courgette/zucchini 225g/8oz butternut squash, peeled and deseeded 
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 tbsp dried parsley 
• 1 garlic bulb 
• 1 x 150g/5½oz pack garlic and herb cream cheese (we use Boursin) 
• 2 tsp dried basil 
• 240ml/8fl oz/1 cup whole milk/full-fat milk, plus extra if needed 
• Salt and black pepper 

Method:

To make the cheese sauce:

1. Quarter the tomatoes and peel and slice the carrots. Slice the courgette into 1cm/½ inch slices and then into quarters. Peel the butternut squash and chop it into 2cm/¾ inch cubes. Put all the vegetables in the air fryer drawer, removing the crisper plate first. Add the olive oil and parsley, and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands until the vegetables are well coated with the oil and seasonings. 
2. Slice the top off the garlic bulb exposing the cloves at the top. Spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly in foil and place in the air fryer on top of the vegetables. Set the temperature to 180ºC/360ºF and cook for 30 minutes. 
3. Remove the foil-wrapped garlic and shake the air fryer drawer to rotate the vegetables. Unwrap the cream cheese and place over the vegetables. Sprinkle half the basil over the cheese and add the grated cheddar cheese. Air fry at the same temperature for a further 10 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, pour the milk into a blender or food processor. Squeeze the soft flesh out of the garlic head, discarding the papery skin, and add it to the blender. When the air fryer beeps, tip the contents of the air fryer drawer into the blender – including any juices that have collected – and add the remaining basil. Pulse until you have a creamy sauce, adding a little extra milk if it’s too thick.

To make the cauliflower cheese:

1. Place the frozen cauliflower florets into the air fryer basket/ drawer and spread out so that they cook evenly. Set the temperature to 180ºC/360ºF and cook for 15 minutes. 
2. When the air fryer beeps, transfer the just-cooked cauliflower to a silicone pan or casserole dish with handles. (If using a dual, you can use two smaller dishes and cook one in each drawer.) Sprinkle the herbs over the cauliflower and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the cheese sauce and sprinkle grated cheese over the top. 
3. Place the dish into the air fryer basket/drawer, set the temperature to 180ºC/360ºF and air fry for 10 minutes, or until the cheese sauce is heated through and the cheese on top has melted.

Turkey Dinner For One

At Christmas, everyone prepares massive meals, but what if you’re just cooking for one? For this hearty turkey dinner, we use a single turkey steak, serving it with a stuffing ball, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes and veggie fries. Rather than buying large packs from the supermarket, we purchase meat from our local butchers and vegetables from the greengrocer, which means we can order smaller portions – perfect for feeding one. 

• Serves 1
• Air fryer type: basket/dual
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 34 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium parsnip 
• 1 medium turnip 
• 1 medium carrot 
• 1 medium white potato 
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 heaped tsp dried parsley 
• 225g/8oz turkey steak 
• 1 tsp dried thyme 
• 1 sage and onion stuffing ball (Many butchers will sell you an individual stuffing ball, but if you can’t get them, simply buy a pack, remove one and freeze the remainder. Then, when you are cooking a Sunday roast for one in the future, you can just remove another from the freezer as you need it.) 
• 2 pigs in blankets 
• 240ml (8fl oz/1 cup) turkey gravy 
• Salt and black pepper 
• Cranberry sauce, to serve (optional)

Method:

1. Peel the parsnip, turnip and carrots, then slice them into vegetable sticks. Peel the potato and cut it into quarters. Put all the veg in a mixing bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and parsley, and mix well with your hands so that they are well coated in the oil and seasonings. 
2. Remove the potatoes from the bowl and put them into the air fryer basket/drawer. Set the temperature to 180ºC/360ºF and air fry for 5 minutes to give the potatoes a head-start. Once the 5 minutes is up, add the remaining vegetables and cook for a further 15 minutes. 
3. When the air fryer beeps, shake, and do a fork test – skewer a carrot or two with a fork and if it feels like they are almost tender, it’s time to add the meat. Move the potatoes and vegetables to one side of the basket to make room for the turkey. If you are using a dual fryer, use the second drawer for the meat. 
4. Season the turkey steak with salt and pepper and sprinkle the thyme over it. Add it to the air fryer and find another gap for the stuffing ball and the pigs in blankets. Air fry at the same temperature for another 12 minutes, flipping the steak after 8 minutes. 
5. Add the turkey steak, potatoes and vegetables to a dinner plate. Tip the gravy into a ramekin and place this into the gap you’ve just made in the air fryer. Air fry at 200ºC/400ºF for 2 minutes; this will crisp up the pigs in blankets and the stuffing ball, as well as heating the gravy through. Add the remaining items to your plate and serve. We love to add a generous spoonful of cranberry sauce to compliment the turkey.

By Sam Milner. Sam and Dom Milner are the co-authors of The Complete Air Fryer Cooking Guide: Times and Temperatures (£4.99 White Lion Publishing) and Air Fryer Easy Every Day: 140 super-simple delicious recipes (£20, White Lion Publishing).