Air Fryer Tri Tip

Our easy air fryer tri tip medium rare recipe may be the best thing I have ever made in my Ninja Foodi or Cosori! Tender with a sweet and savory tri tip dry rub, you have to try this recipe!

What’s the secret to making this and our Instant Pot tri tip out of this world? It is a version of our dry rub recipe we shared with y’all a few months ago. This time we toned down the sugar so it wouldn’t burn too quickly and it worked like a charm. You can kick it up with more heat if you like or leave it as is as wonderful as it is.

Ninja Foodi Tri Tip

As a Ninja Foodi recipe you can choose both methods and see which is your favorite. Using the lid that is attached you can follow the directions below. With the other you can follow the link above.

Ok so this is not a cut, like air fryer roast, you want to overdo meaning pink is key. Even if you typically like well done steaks (like me) you do NOT want to cook this too long.

How Long to Cook 2 Lb Tri Tip in an Air Fryer

It is going to take about 16 minutes total but then you need to keep the meat inside the hot basket for another 10 minutes so the center can continue to warm, this is a necessary step and shouldn’t be skipped. So with the 5 minute preheating you are looking for a total of about 30 minutes start to finish.

Frozen Tri Tip in Air Fryer

It is not ideal to cook from frozen but is possible. I did some experimenting and have shared directions for air fryer frozen roast. The biggest difference is you can’t add the dry rub unless you press some on halfway thru once it has defrosted a bit.

Dry Rub Ingredients

Let’s talk about this dry rub. It’s a combination of savory flavors like garlic, paprika and chili powder combined with the sweetness of brown sugar. Normally I use 1/2 c. but this time used 1/4 cup instead. Adjust to your own tastebuds though before coating.

Tips

First thing to remember is to take out sirloin tip roast about an hour earlier so it is closer to room temperature. Stick to 1-2 pounds total, that is perfect. Like I said, this size will feed 4-5 people comfortably. It is always best once it rests. You can save leftovers but it is never the same as day 1 after it sits in the fridge and reheated.

Remember though that the coating will caramelize quickly. I thought I needed to minimize the sugar to give the inside time to get to the correct internal meat temperature. If you’re cooking it another way, like dutch oven tri tip you wouldn’t need to worry about this aspect.

You want everyone to get some with their cuts of meat because that is where all the wonderful flavors are. Ready for the best air fryer beef recipes under 30 minute dinner your family will rave over, this is one of our faves.

How to Cook Tri Tip to Medium Rare

It is always best to check your cut of beef lifted up a bit so it isn’t still directly against the heat. If not your thermometer won’t give you a totally accurate read. You want it to ideally reach 140F. and then allow it to rest covered. In this time it will rise 3-5 degrees more and lock those juices in.

• 135 F = rare
• 140 F = medium rare
• 145 F = medium

There is a printable recipe at the bottom of this post but here is a quick step by step of getting this tender inside with a bit of crisp. Yes we loved our how to cook tri tip in oven too but the texture is different with every cooking method so you should try them all.

Serve with French fries, salad, and maybe some air fryer vegetables and you’re set. OH wait….don’t forget to slice against the grain!!