An air fryer is a small, very hot convection oven, and the booklet that comes with it usually covers fries, wings and little else. In a Mexican kitchen it earns its space with taquitos, flautas and tacos dorados that need their crunch back. Everything beyond that takes recipes, and the right recipes depend on the machine: a small basket, a big two-drawer unit and an air fryer oven with racks do not cook the same way.
The trouble is that air fryer books are among the most crowded shelves on Amazon, and many of the titles are anonymous, look-alike collections with no publisher behind them. This guide skips those. It picks seven books from named authors and established publishers, and for each sets out what the publisher, the listing and any named reviewer say it contains and which cook it suits.
Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a restaurant kitchen looks for in a cookbook, publisher information and published reviews, which we name.
Quick verdict: the best air fryer cookbook to buy
For most kitchens, the best air fryer cookbook is Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough’s The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook: more than 300 recipes, each with ingredients and timings for fryers from 2 to 10 quarts, so it fits the machine you own. If you are cooking lighter, choose Gina Homolka’s The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook. If your air fryer is an oven with racks, choose Coco Morante’s The Ultimate Air Fryer Oven Cookbook.
The other four cover family weeknights, curryhouse flavors, cooking for one and full dinners. If you still need the machine itself, start with our guide to the best air fryer.
Five air fryer books side by side
Five of the seven, one for each kind of cook, with the details each publisher or listing gives. All seven are described in full below.
| Cookbook | Best for | Recipes | Length | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One big book for any air fryer | More than 300 | 432 pages, paperback | View on Amazon | |
The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook, Gina HomolkaBest for lighter cooking
|
Watching calories | 75 | 160 pages, hardcover | View on Amazon |
The Ultimate Air Fryer Oven Cookbook, Coco MoranteBest for air fryer ovens
|
Oven-style air fryers | 100 | 304 pages, paperback | View on Amazon |
Taste of Home Everyday Air FryerBest for family weeknights
|
Family dinners and snacks | 112 | 256 pages, paperback | View on Amazon |
Curry Guy Air Fryer, Dan ToombsBest for bold flavor
|
Big spice, not bland snacks | 50 | 128 pages, hardback | View on Amazon |
Cover images from Amazon. Page counts and formats are for the editions linked; other editions differ.
Our picks for the best air fryer cookbook, book by book
These seven cover a broad reference, lighter eating, oven-style machines, family dinners, big spice and cooking for one. For each we give what the publisher, the Amazon listing and any published review say. We have not cooked our way through these books; where we describe a strength, we say whose view it is, and where a pick rests only on the publisher’s details, we say that too.
1. The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough – Timings for Every Basket Size
The most common complaint about air fryer recipes is that they were written for somebody else’s machine. A pound of wings that sits in one layer in an 8-quart basket turns into a steamed pile in a 3-quart one. This book goes straight at that problem. Its publisher, Voracious, says each recipe gives ingredients and timings for every size of air fryer, from 2-quart models up to 10-quart ones.
That design is why it sits at the top of our list. Voracious describes more than 300 recipes across 432 pages and pitches the book as a guide to making the most of the appliance. If you own a small fryer now and may trade up later, the book moves with you, and a household with two sizes of machine reads from the same page.
Weinstein and Scarbrough are career cookbook writers. Their publisher says they won a 2015 IACP Award and have been James Beard Award nominees. They also wrote The Instant Pot Bible, so scaling one recipe across several sizes of appliance is familiar work for them. We searched for an independent review of this title and found only a short mention in one cookbook roundup, so what we say here rests on the publisher’s details and the authors’ record, not on a named critic.
Why we like it
- More than 300 recipes, per Voracious
- Ingredients and timings for fryers from 2 to 10 quarts
- Written by an award-winning cookbook team, per the publisher
- The largest recipe count on this list
Key specifications
| Author | Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Voracious (Little, Brown) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Pages | 432 |
| Format | Trade paperback |
| Recipes | More than 300 |
| Focus | Air fryer recipes scaled to every size |
| Best for | Owners of any size of air fryer |
Why we recommend it
If you want one air fryer book and do not want to do the math every time you cook, start here. The range is wide and the scaling is built in, which matters more over time than any single recipe.
Skip it if you want a photo for every dish or a slim book to prop on the counter. The Amazon record lists two 16-page color inserts, so most recipes will not have a picture, and at 432 pages this is a reference book.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Works for small and large fryers
- Huge recipe count
- One book for the whole household
Cons
- No named independent review found
- Photos limited to color inserts
2. The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook, Gina Homolka – Lighter Recipes With Nutrition Facts
Plenty of people buy an air fryer to get fried-style food with less oil, and then need recipes that keep to that plan. Gina Homolka founded the Skinnytaste blog and is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, according to Penguin Random House, and she wrote this book with registered dietitian Heather K. Jones.
Clarkson Potter describes 75 recipes in the Skinnytaste style, “light on calories, big on flavor”: fried-style favorites, roasted meats and vegetables, baked goods and low-calorie desserts. Each recipe includes nutritional information, and the publisher says many are vegetarian, gluten-free or keto-friendly. Food Network’s roundup of air fryer cookbooks, by Christine Byrne and Katherine Lok, includes it.
It is a compact hardcover of 160 pages. For a cook who tracks what is on the plate, the nutrition line matters more than a long recipe list. Take those figures as the publisher’s numbers for its recipes as written; your own portions and ingredients will change them.
Why we like it
- Each recipe includes nutritional information, per the publisher
- Written with a registered dietitian
- Many vegetarian, gluten-free or keto-friendly recipes
- Included on Food Network’s list of air fryer cookbooks
Key specifications
| Author | Gina Homolka with Heather K. Jones, R.D. |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Clarkson Potter |
| Year | 2019 |
| Pages | 160 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Recipes | 75 |
| Focus | Lighter air fryer recipes with nutrition information |
| Best for | Cooks tracking calories |
Why we recommend it
If the reason you own an air fryer is to cook lighter, this is the book that keeps that goal in view on every page, from a well-known author with a dietitian alongside.
Skip it if you want volume. Seventy-five recipes is a fraction of the Weinstein and Scarbrough total, and cooks feeding a crowd may want a larger collection.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Nutrition information for each recipe
- Hardcover
- Named on a Food Network list
Cons
- Only 75 recipes
- Less useful if calories are not your concern
3. The Ultimate Air Fryer Oven Cookbook, Coco Morante – More Than a Basket Can Do
A basket fryer and a door-front air fryer oven are different tools. The oven has racks, more floor space and usually a few extra jobs, and most basket recipes do not tell you what to do with them. Coco Morante’s book is written for the oven style. Its publisher describes 100 recipes covering roasting, frying, baking, dehydrating and proofing bread, and says the book is authorized by Instant Brands.
Publishers Weekly reviewed it and called it “an excellent primer” for the uninitiated. The reviewer said Morante “delivers an appealing array of recipes intended for the Omni air fryer oven,” and singled out a bagel recipe’s “authentic chewy texture” and a time and temperature chart that “will be handy for time-pressed cooks.” That is the only named trade review among our seven.
The Omni connection is worth noting. If you own a different brand of air fryer oven, the methods should still apply, but settings and rack positions may not match, so keep your manual close. For help choosing the machine itself, see our guides to air fryer toaster oven combos and the best rotisserie air fryer oven.
Why we like it
- Called “an excellent primer” by Publishers Weekly
- Written for oven-style machines
- Covers roasting, baking, dehydrating and proofing bread
- Time and temperature chart, per the review
Key specifications
| Author | Coco Morante |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Harvest (HarperCollins) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Pages | 304 |
| Format | Paperback |
| Recipes | 100 |
| Focus | Air fryer ovens and their extra functions |
| Best for | Owners of an oven-style air fryer |
Why we recommend it
If your air fryer has a door and racks, this is the book written for what you actually own, and it has the clearest endorsement from a trade reviewer of any pick here.
Skip it if you have a basket fryer. Much of the book’s value lies in using an oven’s extra space and functions, and the recipes were written with Instant’s Omni oven in mind.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Named trade review
- Goes beyond frying
- Authorized by Instant Brands
Cons
- Built around one maker’s oven
- Less useful for basket fryers
4. Taste of Home Everyday Air Fryer – Weeknight Dinners, Snacks and Sweets
Taste of Home is a familiar American home-cooking brand, and this book brings that plain, family-table approach to the air fryer. The listing counts 112 recipes across 256 pages, and its title promises weeknight meals with dinners, snacks and desserts. Retail descriptions of the same edition sum it up as quick dinners, simple snacks and in-a-pinch sweets.
This is the book to choose if you want supper ideas in a straightforward collection. It carries no chef’s name; it is credited to Taste of Home as editor and published by the brand’s owner, Trusted Media Brands. That is an established press, which is why it qualifies here without a single named author.
We searched for a professional review and did not find one; what turned up was reader comments on retail sites, which we do not rely on. So this pick rests on the publisher’s details and the brand’s name. A second volume exists, though it showed low stock when we checked.
Why we like it
- 112 recipes, per the listing
- Covers dinners, snacks and desserts
- From an established home-cooking brand
- Paperback
Key specifications
| Author | Taste of Home (editors) |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Trusted Media Brands |
| Year | 2020 |
| Pages | 256 |
| Format | Paperback |
| Recipes | 112 |
| Focus | Everyday air fryer dinners, snacks and desserts |
| Best for | Families cooking on weeknights |
Why we recommend it
If you want practical family recipes and a dependable name on the cover, this is the most straightforward book on the list, with a good number of recipes for its length.
Skip it if you want strong regional flavors or technique. It is a general home-cooking collection, and adventurous cooks will get more from a book with a particular point of view.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Good recipe count
- Dinners, snacks and desserts together
- Everyday weeknight focus
Cons
- No named professional review found
- No individual author
5. Curry Guy Air Fryer, Dan Toombs – Curryhouse Classics in the Basket
Most air fryer books lean toward mild comfort food. This one goes the other way. Dan Toombs, known as The Curry Guy, has built a brand on restaurant-style curry, and the publisher’s page calls this “the first ever curryhouse air fryer cookbook,” with 50 new recipes. It says his recipes are developed and tested in his home kitchen.
Retail listings name dishes including onion bhajis, chicken tikka, beef Madras, butter chicken, saag paneer and Goan pork vindaloo, along with air fryer basmati rice and naans to serve alongside. That range shows why we included it. An air fryer’s dry, fierce heat suits spiced, marinated food that wants charred edges, which is the same thing a hot comal gives a taquero.
At 128 pages this is a small book with a tight focus. The publisher’s page does not say whether measurements are in US or metric units, and the spelling of “favourites” points to a British edition, so look at a sample first if that matters to you. We searched for a review of the recipes and found only sales listings, so this pick rests on the publisher’s and author’s details.
Why we like it
- 50 new curryhouse recipes, per the publisher
- A real change from mild comfort food
- Includes rice and naan to round out the meal
- From an author known for restaurant-style curry
Key specifications
| Author | Dan Toombs |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Quadrille |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 128 |
| Format | Hardback |
| Recipes | 50 |
| Focus | Curryhouse dishes in the air fryer |
| Best for | Cooks who want bigger flavor |
Why we recommend it
If you are bored of fries and wings, this is the book that will change what your air fryer gets used for. For a cook who loves chiles and spice, the marinating logic carries over easily to Mexican flavors.
Skip it if you want a general reference. Fifty recipes in one cuisine is a second book, not a first, and a curry pantry may mean a shopping trip.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Distinct, strongly flavored recipes
- Whole meal, rice and bread included
- Hardback
Cons
- Narrow focus
- Measurement units not stated by the publisher
6. The “I Love My Air Fryer” Cooking for One Recipe Book, Heather Johnson – Single Servings, Fewer Leftovers
An air fryer is a natural machine for one person. It heats quickly and does not ask you to fire up a full oven for a single chicken thigh. The trouble is that most recipes serve four, and halving them is guesswork. This book, part of Adams Media’s “I Love My” cookbook series, answers that with 175 single-serving recipes.
The subtitle runs from chicken Parmesan to pineapple upside-down cake, which gives a fair idea of the range: everyday comfort food cut down to one plate. Listings describe recipes for every meal of the day and pitch the book as a way to cut leftovers. Author Heather Johnson is a recipe developer, food stylist and food photographer who runs the blog The Food Hussy, according to those same listings.
Other titles in the series appear on Food Network’s list of air fryer cookbooks, though this one does not. We searched for a review of this edition and did not find one, so the pick rests on the publisher’s listing and the series’ record. Retailers give the length as 222 to 224 pages; the Amazon record says 224.
Why we like it
- 175 single-serving recipes, per the title
- Covers every meal of the day
- Part of an established cookbook series
- Aimed at cutting leftovers
Key specifications
| Author | Heather Johnson |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Adams Media (Simon & Schuster) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Pages | 224 (Amazon; some retailers say 222) |
| Format | Paperback |
| Recipes | 175 |
| Focus | Single-serving air fryer recipes |
| Best for | People cooking for themselves |
Why we recommend it
If you live alone, or eat at a different hour from everyone else in the house, this is the only book here built around one portion.
Skip it if you cook for a family. Scaling up single-serving recipes is the same guesswork in reverse, and a larger collection will suit you better.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Every recipe is one serving
- Very high recipe count
- Breakfast through dessert
Cons
- No named review found
- Not useful for groups
7. Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners, Gina Homolka – Main Courses, Not Just Snacks
Many people use an air fryer for snacks and sides and never quite get a whole dinner out of it. This second air fryer book from Homolka is aimed squarely at that gap. Penguin Random House describes 75 recipes for easier, lighter air fryer dinners, with dishes such as crispy fried fish with hush puppies and salmon with mustard and dill.
Recipes carry icons for diets such as keto, gluten-free and vegetarian, and Heather K. Jones, R.D., is again credited alongside her. The book is a hardcover of 176 pages. It is the one case on this list of two books from the same author, and we kept both because they do different jobs: the first runs from snacks to desserts, while this one stays on dinner.
Because the two share a voice and an approach, you probably do not need both. Pick by your habit: if your fryer already makes good snacks and you want it to handle supper, this is the better of the pair. We did not look for a separate review of this title, so this entry rests on the publisher’s and author’s details.
Why we like it
- 75 dinner recipes, per the publisher
- Diet icons for keto, gluten-free and vegetarian
- A registered dietitian credited alongside the author
- Hardcover
Key specifications
| Author | Gina Homolka with Heather K. Jones, R.D. |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Clarkson Potter |
| Year | 2021 |
| Pages | 176 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Recipes | 75 |
| Focus | Lighter air fryer dinners |
| Best for | Cooks who want a whole meal from the air fryer |
Why we recommend it
If your air fryer mostly reheats fries and you want it to make dinner, this is the most focused book on that one job.
Skip it if you already own the first Skinnytaste air fryer book and want variety. A different author on this list will give you more that is new.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Dinner-focused
- Diet icons on recipes
- Hardcover
Cons
- Overlaps in style with Homolka’s first book
- Only 75 recipes
How to choose an air fryer recipe book
Five questions sort these books out quickly. Start with the machine on your counter, then think about how you eat.
1. What kind of air fryer you own
Basket fryers and air fryer ovens behave differently. A basket needs shaking and crowds quickly; an oven has racks and more floor space but can brown less evenly from rack to rack. Morante’s book is written for ovens. If you are unsure which you want, our comparison of air fryers and toaster ovens explains the difference, and the small-kitchen option is in our guide to the air fryer toaster oven for small spaces.
2. Your basket size
Most recipes assume food sits in one layer with room for air to move. A recipe written for a large basket fails in a small one because the food steams instead of browning. The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook deals with this directly, with timings for each size. With any other book, cook in batches rather than crowding, and expect to adjust the time.
3. How many people you feed
One person and a family of five need different books. The “I Love My Air Fryer” title is all single servings, while Taste of Home and Weinstein and Scarbrough suit a family table, though a small basket will still mean working in batches.
4. What you want to eat
Be honest about this one. If you want lighter meals, the Skinnytaste books give nutrition details or diet icons. If you want dinner rather than snacks, Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners stays on the main course. If you want heat and spice, Curry Guy Air Fryer is the most flavor-driven book here.
5. Who wrote it
Before buying any air fryer cookbook, look at the author. A real book names a person or a known kitchen and a publisher you can look up. Titles promising years of recipes, with no publisher and a generic cover, are the ones we left out.
How we chose these seven air fryer books
We searched Amazon’s book listings and kept only print editions in stock when we checked, from named authors or established kitchens at real publishers. We then took the facts from the publishers’ own pages and the Amazon listing, and searched for independent reviews. Only The Ultimate Air Fryer Oven Cookbook has a named trade review here, from Publishers Weekly; The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook appears on Food Network’s list; the others rest on publisher and author details, and we say so in each entry. Several well-known books did not make it because they were out of stock or running low when we checked, including America’s Test Kitchen’s Air Fryer Perfection, Air Fryer Revolution and Meredith Laurence’s Blue Jean Chef titles. Stock changes often, so these may return. We have not cooked from these books ourselves.
Air fryer cookbook questions, answered
What is the best air fryer recipe book for beginners?
The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook is the safest start because its timings match your fryer’s size. If you own an air fryer oven, Publishers Weekly called Morante’s book “an excellent primer” for the uninitiated.
Will a cookbook work with any brand of air fryer?
Mostly, yes, but expect to adjust. Fryers vary in size and heat, so treat printed times as a starting point and check food early the first time. Morante’s book was written with Instant’s Omni oven in mind, while Weinstein and Scarbrough write for every basket size.
Is there a good Mexican air fryer cookbook?
We looked, and the Mexican air fryer titles we found on Amazon had no identifiable publisher, so none qualified. A better route is a proper Mexican cookbook, with your air fryer for finishing. Our guide to the best Mexican cookbooks covers the classics, and how to reheat Mexican leftovers covers the crisping side.
Do I need a cookbook if my air fryer came with one?
Not to start. The booklet in the box covers the basics. A real cookbook earns its place when you want to move past frozen food and fries to full meals.
Which air fryer cookbook gives nutrition details?
The publisher says each recipe in The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook includes nutritional information, and Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners follows the same light approach with diet icons.
Our final pick for the air fryer
Buy The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook if you want one book that fits your machine, whatever its size. Choose The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook to cook lighter, Morante’s book for an air fryer oven, Taste of Home for family weeknights and Curry Guy Air Fryer when you want real spice. Solo cooks should take the “I Love My Air Fryer” single-serving book. For the machine itself, see the best air fryer, and for where frying fits in a Mexican kitchen, our guide to Mexican cooking methods.
And if you would rather someone else handled the crisping tonight, see the menu or call to order.