Air fryer tilapia is an easy meal to makae with fresh, defrosted, or it is a great way of cooking frozen fish fillets too. With a light breadcrumb coating they come out crunchy on the outside and flaky within. Grab your Ninja Foodi or Cosori and get to air frying!
Do you love fish for dinner? I couldn’t wait to make air fry tilapia when I got my hot air machine. It came out better than I thought. Even my youngest said she loved it. Now it is just one of our favorite low fat air fryer recipes you too can enjoy.
If you want to learn how to cook all different types of air fryer fish, we’re here to help! This uses white fish and is quite cheap for dinner. There are many different varieties though. From cod to grouper, snapper and catfish they all cook basically the same.
This type is one of our favorite fish recipes though, so we’ll start here. We started out with a few pieces that were previously frozen but defrosted ahead of time. This is ideal and the only way to get them breaded nicely. We will explain both though so you have a choice.
Tips: My Favorite models are the Cosori or making Ninja Foodi recipes with the lid that is attached.
It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. This is how to preheat air fryer first before adding your food so it becomes as crispy as possible. For best results, here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
Air Fryer Tilapia No Breading
If you wanted it to quality under our air fryer fish recipe no breading category that is possible too. You can just spray with olive oil, sprinkle with seasonings and make this same way as directed below without the breadcrumbs. Timing would not really vary, the only big difference would be the size and thickness of your fillets.
Breading Options
You can use a number of different things to bread fish, not just breadcrumbs. Of course Italian style is easy to use but there are others. From crushed crackers, to cornmeal with seasonings like with a Fish Fry. As long as you have your crushed “breading” in a sand-like texture it should work. We have even used smashed pork rinds before!
From Frozen
Mine were previously frozen and defrosted, but any type of white fish works with our Frozen Fish in Air Fryer temp and timing. If frozen you won’t be able to bread it though, but you can cook to tender. You just need add an additional minute or two to become super flaky in the center is all.
Ingredient Notes
- Tilapia fillets with skin are fine but for this since I am breading and don’t want to lose any of that I would suggest without skin for this recipe.
- Italian breadcrumbs work best so you don’t really need anything else since it is already seasoned.
- Egg whisked will be used to dip the filets in to coat the outside and get everything to stick well. If you need an egg-free option you could brush with mayonnaise or even plain Greek yogurt instead.
- Olive oil spray is my favorite to use on the outside in order to get that great CRISP on the outside.
Tips for Success
You can use any air fryer brand really. I make Cosori air fryer recipes all the time. You can see that basket above. What I like about that one is the basket is square and much larger than other brands.
My AirWave works just as well too though. Honestly I bought that one because it was white and matched my kitchen decor the best. 😉 Any way you go I just like to share what I’m using for reference and/or in case you want a change.
You won’t be able to use tempura batter because it is wet and tends to drip off becoming a super goopy mess.
Just like our oven fried fish, there’s no harm in opening or lifting the lid up to check it during the last few minutes to make sure it doesn’t overcook and dry out. Every piece you buy is going to be slightly different so there’s no set cook time but below is a good guide.
How to Know When It’s Done
You will know it is done when it turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork. The flesh should go from a translucent to a solid white or off-white color. When you insert a fork into the thickest part and gently twist it should separate without resistance. You can check with a meat thermometer to see if it reached 145°F (63°C) too. Overcooking can dry it out, so it’s best to remove it from heat as soon as it reaches doneness.
Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees. Use paper towels to pat fillets dry. Dip fish fillet in egg, then press both sides into bread crumb mixture that has been combined with seafood seasoning on a plate.
- Place inside air fryer basket. Do the same for your 2nd fillet. Do not overlap pieces.
- Close lid and cook at 400 degrees for 4-6 minutes depending on the thickness of your tilapia and how well done you like it. 4 minutes was plenty for ours.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is probably one of our favorite air fryer dinner recipes. Yes, even my kids love it. We used to live in California so fish was what you ordered all the time and it was great. Now that we live in Idaho it isn’t like that. SO I started making it on my own to satisfy my cravings.
Other fish recipes you’ll love
I started with this Instant Pot fish recipe which is great, but not crispy. You could use the CrispLid after it’s done but without breading it isn’t even close to this texture. Once you’ve enjoyed this, try this recipe for air fryer calamari too! salmon in the air fryer
I personally wouldn’t unless I was making air fryer fish sticks or something of this nature where they are meant to start out rock hard.
Only have a pressure cooker and want to make Instant Pot tilapia?? We have directions for that too.
Wonderful recipes; thank you for all of the fabulous cooking tips; I will be using your recipes often. Do you have a recipe book? Thanks so much!!!
I don’t have a printable one with all of them together, you can print each one separately that you love. There is a print button on the recipe card in each recipe.
I came to your site because I want to learn how to cook in my ninja foodie I need recipes for the food that I like to cook thank you for your recipes
My favorite fish! Love these instructions for making it in the air fryer. Turned out just as planned. So good. Thank you!
I love fish and I have an air fryer that I really haven’t tried hardly at all. This fish fryer instructions and recipe sounds like something I will like and try. Think you for having the recipes and instructions easy to read and fallow without it being all broke up whith things we recipe readers and collectors without unwanted ads.
I never knew making fish in the air fryer would be so easy! Love how tasty it came out!
Question can this recipe be used with the new instant pot air fryer lid?
Do you flip the fish at all or let it lay on one side for the 4 min?
If cooking fresh fish fillets….do you use the olive spray for anything?
The olive oil spray is great on the actual basket of the fryer; that’s what I do with mine.
Will this work for cod as well?
Should work for any fish fillets