Air fryer oysters are perfect little breaded fried bites of seafood goodness. As an appetizer or meal everyone in your family will love these.
Did you know you could make air fryer oysters without deep frying them? Yep, tastes just as crispy but without the oil or added fat. Just one of many easy air fryer recipes here on The Typical Mom blog. (affiliate links present, originally published 6/21)
Fried Oysters in Air Fryer
If you have been enjoying air fryer fish recipes lately, you should add this one to your list of faves. Even my kids loved these with a little squeeze of lime and salt on top. If you find them in the shell then fresh is always best of course. To bread them you’ll have to scoop out the middles first.
Only have canned? No problem you can use those too. I mean those can be found year round at the grocery store. Not nearly as good as right out of the sea but if you don’t live near the ocean it may be your only option.
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- My Favorite Air Fryer is a Cosori or for a dual machine, the Foodi.
- You can find more easy air fryer recipes here, we have Ninja Foodi recipes as well; bookmark them both!
- This is the best air fryer cookbook. It’s important to know and remember how to preheat air fryer for best results.
- Here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
- It has temp. and times for making the best frozen foods for air fryer too.
- Then join our Facebook page below where you can share and find more ideas you’ll love.
Air Fryer Canned Oysters
If you have to buy them at the store in a tin can there are a few favorite brands that get the best reviews. You will want to look for;
- Crown Prince Natural Smoked Oysters
- Geisha Fancy
- Reese
- Roland brand
Yes. Just use a colander so they don’t fall into the drain and give them a good rinse with cool water. If you’re air frying them like we share here you’ll want to blot them dry on paper towels after that so the breading will stick nicely.
How do I buy Fresh Oysters?
We will share photos of the step by step process here. If you live by the ocean you may be able to find these right at the dock or your seafood market. Others of us who aren’t so lucky can find them frozen or at the meat counter at your grocery store.
What is the best way to cook oysters?
This has topped the list since we made these for the first time last week. Yes you can steam them and toss with pasta, that is yummy, but crunchy on the outside is best! Then you’ll want to set up an assembly line of sorts with the 3 shallow bowls of ingredients that will add lots of flavor. You’ll begin with some flour, then an egg wash, and into the breadcrumbs they go.
In the last dish you can add any and all of your favorite seasonings. Cajun seasoning and hot sauce were added to these. If you didn’t want any heat at all you could opt for just some Old Bay for great flavor.
Fried Oyster Recipe
Of course these aren’t the traditional method of “frying”, but even better y’all.
Like I said before, it is important when air frying everything breaded that you ensure the outsides are nice and dry to begin with. If you don’t the texture won’t be as crispy and will take longer to cook period.
Deep Fried Oysters
If you’ve had these babies at the fair or at a restaurant you probably have a frame of reference as far as how crispy they should be. Those were likely submerged in oil and fried. You can get the same result this way, if you follow the instructions exactly as written.
How to Fry Oysters
Remove from shell if necessary and drain liquid from oysters. Pour on to a few paper towels to pat them dry. In a shallow bowl combine flour, cajun seasoning, salt, pepper and mix together. In a second bowl whisk together eggs and hot sauce. A third bowl will hold your Panko breadcrumbs.
- One at a time dip each oyster in flour, then egg mixture, then roll to coat in Panko.
- Spray air fryer basket with non stick spray and lay coated pieces in one layer into basket.
- Cook at 350 degrees F for 4 minutes, shake basket gently and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
- Serve with a squeeze of lemon on top.
Just like when you make air fryer mahi mahi and other seafood, make sure they are laid in one single layer inside your basket. That way the hot air can circulate around well and get them nice and crunchy.
You can find more air fryer appetizers here if you’re throwing a party and serving a bunch.
What do you eat with fried oysters?
You can see the bites of goodness right here when they are nice and done, ready to pop into your mouth.As far as dipping sauces there are lots of options; fry sauce my kids like, bang bang shrimp sauce goes really well, and others just like a bit of Worcestershire sauce or cocktail sauce.
We love them with a side of air fryer tater tots for a finger food meal!
Other than that I would serve these with roasted air fryer vegetables and a starch like white rice or quinoa.
Want to see a few of my favorite things that I am totally obsessed with?? Take a peek and see how many you might already have…twinsies!
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Air Fryer Oysters
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cans oysters in a can, in water, 8 oz each
- 1/2 c flour
- 1 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 c Panko bread crumbs
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Drain oysters and pour on to a few paper towels to pat them dry.
- In a shallow bowl combine flour, cajun seasoning, salt, pepper and mix together.
- In a second bowl whisk together eggs and hot sauce.
- In a third bowl pour in the Panko breadcrumbs.
- One at a time dip each oyster in flour, then egg mixture, then roll to coat in Panko.
- Spray air fryer basket with non stick spray and lay coated pieces in one layer into basket.
- Cook at 350 degrees F for 4 minutes, then shake basket gently and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Serve with a squeeze of lemon on top.
Amy
Wednesday 20th of July 2022
I made this exactly to recipe with my new air fryer and it turned out perfectly. I'm a hot sauce wuss, so I am going to try it with a little less hot sauce in the egg mix next time.
The Typical Mom
Saturday 23rd of July 2022
Oh yay
Housie
Sunday 20th of March 2022
I've used this recipe several times and we've loved the oysters. Two things that are critical: rinse and pat dry the oysters prior to coating; also they need to sit for 30 minutes in the fridge (post coating) before you put them in the air fryer. We also add a minute or two of cooking time based on the size of the oyster. Overall, delicious.
fred
Monday 24th of January 2022
Breading falls off, just a waste of oysters.
The Typical Mom
Wednesday 26th of January 2022
You have to ensure that you get all the moisture off of the outsides with paper towels, then the breading will stick.