Easy Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe
This air fryer tilapia recipe makes it incredibly easy to get a quick, simple, nutritious, and delicious meal on the table. With its mild flavor, tilapia can be seasoned in so many ways, making it a great option for the entire family. No matter if it’s frozen or thawed, perfectly cooked tilapia in the air fryer is essentially fool-proof! Serve with your favorite side dishes like air fryer broccoli, frozen broccoli, green beans and/or cheesy potato casserole (or slow cooker potato casserole) on the side for a healthy meal on busy weeknights.
If you’re on your seafood kick, be sure to try my crispy Parmesan cod, furikake salmon, panko salmon, and Old Bay shrimp boil next!
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
What You’ll Love About Tilapia in the Air Fryer
- Easy dinner
- Perfectly flaky fish
- Can cook right from frozen
- Made with just 3 simple ingredients
- Just 12 minutes cook time
- Versatile protein
- Naturally low carb and gluten-free
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 before cooking it, so either will work.
- Olive oil – Use an olive oil spritzer or olive oil spray for fast and even application, otherwise use a pastry brush to brush the olive oil over the fish. You can also use melted butter in place of the olive oil if you prefer.
- Lemon pepper seasoning – Lemon pepper is a classic and simple seasoning for fish that’s delicious on tilapia, but you could also use garlic salt, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, or Greek seasoning.
How to Cook Tilapia in Air Fryer
This is an overview on how to cook frozen tilapia in air fryer, the simple steps can be found below in the recipe card.
TIP: Cook fish in batches so you don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. The fish should be in a single layer.
FAQs
How long to cook tilapia in air fryer?
The air fryer tilapia cooking time time will vary depending on the size of fillet and whether it’s frozen or thawed.
Frozen tilapia takes about 12-14 minutes; fresh tilapia fillets take about 8-10 minutes.
What temperature should tilapia be cooked to?
Tilapia should be cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F with an instant-read meat thermometer and will be white and flake easily.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover tilapia in an airtight container 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 heated through, being careful to not overcook.
Can you freeze air fryer tilapia?
You can freeze leftover air fried tilapia for 2-3 months, but it’s best fresh.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe
This easy meal needs a side dish or two:
How to Feed 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.
I would recommend serving a small portion of tilapia in a pinch bowl (taster bowl) if it’s a new or learning-to-like it food. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
If you like this tilapia air fryer recipe, you might also like these other easy air fryer recipes:
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Easy Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe
- 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
Description
This air fryer tilapia recipe makes it easy to get a nutritious & delicious meal on the table. Frozen or thawed, this recipe is fool-proof!
Ingredients
- 4 6–oz. tilapia fillets
- olive oil
- lemon pepper seasoning
Instructions
-
Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F.
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Spritz tilapia with olive oil spritzer and season with lemon pepper on both sides.
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Lay down piece of parchment paper on bottom of air fryer basket and place fish on top, cooking in batches if necessary.
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Air fry frozen tilapia 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.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- If your tilapia is thawed, the cook time is 8-10 minutes.
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I tried this. Unfortunately my air fryer made it into a steamed fish. It never browned. I have a French door style air fryer.
Hi Matt, thanks for sharing! I have not used those types of air fryers, so not sure if they work a little differently? Or if it’s a bigger volume of space there isn’t as much opportunity for browning? But you could try adjusting temp higher to see if that helps!