Air Fryer Tri Tip Recipe

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

Tri Tip Air Fryer

What’s the secret to making this out of this world? It is a version of our tri tip 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. Grab a piece from your local butcher and let’s get going shall we?

Air Fryer Tri Tip Medium Rare

I don’t buy this cut of beef super often. It is on the pricier side but if you can find it in smaller portions like you see here it isn’t bad at all! This piece fed all 4 of us perfectly and was under 12 bucks. That’s a win if you ask me.

How Long to Cook Tri Tip in Air Fryer

Ok so this is not a cut 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. With this said you need to go by it’s weight like anything else. Timing will vary depending on how thick it is but 7-8 minutes per lb. is just around right all the way around.

Is tri tip good in the air fryer?

I think I have answered that already, YES! I actually wasn’t so sure when I picked this baby up. Thought I would give it a whirl because you just never know. Did the same with this air fryer roast and it came out great.

You can find this cut in a variety of sizes. Like brisket you can find them small like we purchased, or much larger that probably wouldn’t fit inside your air fryer basket.

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.

Air Fryer Tri Tip Temp and Time

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.

Reason being is I knew the outside would 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.

One tip when you begin is to take your meat out about an hour earlier so it is closer to room temperature.

With this coating you want to make sure you spray the inside with olive oil spray so it doesn’t stick. If so you’ll lose all the outside goodness on your tip roast and it won’t be as intense of a flavor when you cut the steak.

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.

Air Fried Beef

What temp should I cook tri tip?

It is always best to check with the meat 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.

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

Remember that beef should always rest for at least 10 minutes and in that time the internal temperature will increase almost 10 degrees higher. SO use your meat thermometer at the end and add 10. If not high enough add a few minutes, then let rest.

How Long to Cook Tri Tip in Air Fryer

There is a printable recipe at the bottom of this post but here is a quick step by step of how to cook this tri tip steak to perfection.

1. Mix together dry rub ingredients in a bowl. Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F, high heat, for 5 minutes.
2. Lay tri tip on cutting board and rub in mixture on the top and bottom well. Lift up and allow excess to fall off.
3. Spray inside of air fryer basket with non stick spray and place meat inside with fat pad on top
4. Cook steak for 8 minutes, flip and cook another 8. Then do not open the drawer for 10 to 15 minutes when timing is up. This will give it time to rest as well as continue cooking in the hot heat.
5. The following time will yield a medium rare result in the center. Ends will not really have any pink so you’ll have a variety of doneness for everyone to choose from.

Serve with french fries, salad, and maybe some roasted vegetables and you’re set. OH wait….don’t forget to slice against the grain!! This is unique where the grains come in at different angles near the middle. If you don’t look and do it right it will be tougher to chew.

Looking for another steak recipe to try? We have a few for sure. Try Crockpot steak and potatoes, or Instant Pot steak and gravy has people saying YUM.