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Easy Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe

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Learn how to cook tilapia in the air fryer! This air fried tilapia is a great option for weeknight dinners because you don’t even need to thaw the fillets. Simply season and then cook frozen tilapia in air fryer and it’s ready in less than 15 minutes. Serve this air fryer tilapia recipe with a side of air fryer broccoli, haricot verts, or cheesy potato casserole.

And if you’re on your seafood kick, be sure to try my grilled tilapia foil packets, salmon foil packs, panko salmon, and Old Bay shrimp boil next!

Plate with air fried tilapia and vegetables

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

What You’ll Love About Air Fried Tilapia

  • Cooks quickly in air fryer
  • No need to turn on the oven
  • Can cook right from frozen
  • Made with just 3 simple ingredients
  • Cooks in less than 15 minutes

Frozen Tilapia in Air Fryer Ingredients

This air fried tilapia needs just 3 basic ingredients:

  • Tilapia fillets – You can use fresh or frozen tilapia. I typically buy it frozen and then thaw it before I make it. But with this air fryer frozen tilapia recipe, you don’t even need to thaw it.
  • Olive oil – Use an olive oil spritzer for fast and even application, otherwise use a pastry brush to brush the olive oil over the fish.
  • Lemon pepper seasoning – You can use your favorite seasoning blends, I’ve shared some other ideas below.
Ingredients to make frozen tilapia in air fryer

How to Cook Frozen Tilapia in Air Fryer

Cooking tilapia in air fryer is beyond simple:

  • Preheat air fryer. While you’re prepping the tilapia, preheat the air fryer.
  • Season tilapia. Spritz tilapia with olive oil spritzer and season with lemon pepper on both sides.
  • Air fry tilapia. Cook frozen tilapia in air fryer for 12-14 minutes, or until fish is flaky and has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
Tilapia in air fryer basket

Frequently Asked Questions

How long to cook tilapia in air fryer?

The air fryer tilapia time will vary depending on size and whether it’s frozen or thawed.

Cooking time for frozen tilapia in air fryer takes about 12-14 minutes; thawed tilapia in air fryer takes about 8-10 minutes.

What temperature should tilapia be cooked to?

Tilapia should be cooked to 145 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer to check, otherwise the tilapia will be white and flake easily.

Storage Instructions

Store leftover lemon pepper air fryer tilapia in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

How to reheat

For best results, don’t microwave fish! Bake it at 375 degrees F in the oven or 375 degrees F in the air fryer until hot.

Can you freeze air fryer tilapia?

You can freeze leftover air fried tilapia for 2-3 months, but it’s best fresh.

Plate with air fryer tilapia and vegetables

How to Serve Air Fried Tilapia to the Whole Family

I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in. 😉

Serve this air fried tilapia recipe with 1-2 items that you know your kids will eat, along with the tilapia and a vegetable side like haricot verts or air fryer broccoli.

All of my articles on feeding kids can be found here and if you want a FULL list of all of the videos I have with hacks, tips, scripts, and ideas for feeding kids, check out my instagram or tiktok page.

Substitutes

If you want to swap out any of the ingredients and toppings, here are a few ways you can add even more nutrition into this meal:

  • Butter – Using butter instead of olive oil will add great flavor, but won’t coat as easily as olive oil.
  • Seasonings – Use any seasoning blend you like! Lemon pepper, garlic salt, Cajun, Old Bay Seasoning, and Greek seasonings are all delicious.

What to Serve with Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe

These simple air fryer tilapia fillets need a simple side dish recipe:

Tilapia cooked in air fryer with vegetables

More Easy Air Fryer Recipes

If you like this recipe for air fryer tilapia, you might also like some of these other air fryer recipes:

Helpful Tools to Make Air Fried Tilapia

Menu Plans by My Everyday Table can help you out.

The plan addresses three major issues when it comes to weeknight dinners: having a plan, time, and one family meal

You’ll save time, save money, waste less food, and feel calm when 5pm hits because your dinner is already planned.

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Plate with air fried tilapia and vegetables

Easy Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe

  • Author: Emily Dingmann of myeverydaytable.com
  • Prep Time: 2 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Total Time: 14 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Air Fryer
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This frozen air fried tilapia recipe cooks in less than 15 minutes! Learn how to cook tilapia in air fryer, with only 3 ingredients.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 6-oz. tilapia fillets
  • olive oil
  • lemon pepper seasoning


Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. 

  2. Spritz tilapia with olive oil spritzer and season with lemon pepper on both sides. 

  3. Lay down piece of parchment paper on bottom of air fryer basket and place fish on top. 

  4. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 12-14 minutes. Edges will be golden brown, flesh will be white, and the fish will flake easily when done cooking.



Notes

  • If your tilapia is thawed, the cook time is 8-10 minutes. 

Keywords: air fried tilapia, tilapia in air fryer, air fryer tilapia recipe, frozen tilapia in air fryer, how to cook tilapia in air fryer

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