How many minutes to cook salmon in airfryer

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If salmon is a staple at your house, you’re going to love my recipes for baked salmon, grilled salmon, or pan seared salmon. But this air fryer salmon recipe is the fastest way to cook salmon — just 10 minutes including prep and cook time! That’s why it’s actually the method I use most often now.

Plus, cooking salmon in the air fryer makes it come out super moist and flaky. It’s one of the easiest air fryer recipes to make and comes out perfect every time.

Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Salmon Recipe

• Perfectly seasoned
• Moist, flaky, and tender inside
• Effortless crispy skin
• Just 4 minutes prep time
• Cooks in 6 minutes
• Healthy dinner that is naturally gluten-free, low carb, and a great source of protein

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for salmon in an air fryer, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Olive Oil – For brushing over the salmon. Avocado oil also works.
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh lemon juice for best flavor, or bottled for convenience.
• Salmon – Buy individual, 5-6-ounce fillets. If you purchase a large fillet, cut it into fairly narrow strips (as pictured below), perpendicular to the length of the fish. I prefer to use wild-caught salmon with skin for best flavor and nutrition (and the air fryer makes the best crispy skin!), but you can use any type of salmon that you prefer. Read more about choosing salmon in my post for pan seared salmon.
• Spices – Garlic powder, sea salt, paprika, and black pepper.

This section shows how to make salmon in an air fryer, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

1. Prep salmon. Pat the fish dry with paper towels. This will help form the beautiful crisp exterior during cooking.
2. Make oil mixture. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice.

1. Season. Brush oil mixture over both sides of salmon. Sprinkle with garlic powder, sea salt, paprika, and black pepper.

TIP: Rub seasonings into the salmon fillet to coat evenly.

1. Air fry salmon. Arrange salmon fillets in the air fryer basket, skin side down, ensuring that there is space between the pieces. Air fry until the fish reaches desired doneness.

Air fryer salmon cook time will vary depending on fillet size and how done you want it, but in general, individual fillets will take about 6-12 minutes. Cook to 125 degrees F for medium rare, 130 degrees F for medium, or 140 degrees for well done. Test with a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the salmon for best results, or if you don’t have one, the fish should flake easily with a fork.

To cook frozen salmon in the air fryer, cook for 7 minutes first, until defrosted. Then, add the olive oil, lemon juice, and seasonings following the recipe, and continue cooking for 6-10 more minutes, until the fish reaches your desired internal temperature or flakes easily with a fork.

Tips For The Best Air Fryer Salmon

• Fillet size. Try to get salmon fillets that are uniform in size, so that they cook at the same rate. Also, narrow (5-6-ounce) fillets will cook more evenly (and more quickly!) than large pieces.
• Space. Leave space between the salmon fillets in the air fryer basket, so that air can fully circulate the fillets. This will help them cook quickly and evenly.
• Don’t overcook. Salmon will dry out if you overcook it, so you use a thermometer to ensure you are cooking it to the proper temperature. You can also flake the fish with a fork to check doneness.

Try swapping the seasonings in this air fryer salmon recipe with a tablespoon of one of these instead. The homemade versions linked below all contain salt, so you can omit the separate salt in the recipe if you use them.

• Cajun – This is a classic seasoning for salmon and it’s delicious. Buy it or make your own Cajun seasoning.
• Lemon Pepper – You can buy it, but homemade lemon pepper seasoning is so easy and tastes so much better.
• Steak Seasoning – I know this is fish and not steak, but this savory blend works on anything.
• Salmon Marinade – Swap the seasonings with this easy maple marinade instead. You can also do the same thing with honey instead of maple syrup.

• Store: Keep leftover air fryer salmon in the fridge for 2-3 days.
• Reheat: Reheat salmon in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for a couple of minutes, or in the oven at the same temp for 8-10 minutes, until warm. Microwaving is not recommended, but can be done in a pinch.
• Freeze: Store the salmon in an airtight container or zip lock bag in the freezer for 2-3 months. However, like most fish recipes, it tastes best made fresh.

All this air fried salmon recipe needs is a simple side dish:

• Veggies – Try air fryer broccoli (pictured above), air fried cauliflower, or air fryer asparagus for a whole meal cooked in the air fryer. For other prep methods you can cook in parallel, roasted asparagus or sauteed zucchini are great options.
• Starches – Serve with pasta, your favorite potato dish, or for healthier options, mashed cauliflower, zucchini noodles, or cauliflower rice.
• Salads – Such as Greek salad, creamy cucumber salad, or strawberry spinach salad — or choose from one of my other healthy salad recipes!

If you like this recipe for air fryer salmon, you might also like these other main dish air fryer recipes:

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Use paper towels to pat the fish dry.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice. Brush the salmon fillets on both sides with the olive oil mixture.

3. Season both sides with garlic powder, sea salt, paprika, and black pepper. Rub the seasonings into the salmon to spread evenly.

4. Arrange salmon fillets in the air fryer basket, skin side down, with space between them. (If using skinless salmon, line the bottom of the basket with aluminum foil before adding the salmon, leaving the edges of the basket uncovered so that air can flow through.)

5. Air fry salmon at 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) for 6-12 minutes, until the salmon internal temperature reaches your desired doneness: 125 degrees F (52 degrees C) for medium rare, 130 degrees F (54 degrees C) for medium, or 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for well done. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test if the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serving size: 1 salmon fillet

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 478

Fat 35.6g

Protein 34.2g

Total Carbs 1g

Net Carbs 0.8g

Fiber 0.2g

Sugar 0.3g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂

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