If you have an air fryer then you’ll already know how brilliant they are. But if you find yourself standing in your kitchen wondering whether there’s more to air-fried food than chips and nuggets, investing in one of the best air fryer cookbooks is a wise move.
Many of these books don’t just give you a wide range of recipes, they also help you to master how to use your air fryer properly, and allow you to cook everything from cake to a whole Sunday roast.
When choosing a book, make sure that it uses UK-specific measurements, so that you don’t waste time converting measurements. It’s worth looking at how varied the recipes are, for example do you want quick mid-week dinners, side dishes and even desserts to be covered? Check whether they cater to dietary requirements you may have too, with suitable recipes that can be adapted.
And don’t think air fryer cookbooks are only for unhealthy meals. As Jenny Tschiesche, author of The Unprocessed Air Fryer tells me: “As a nutritionist, my air frying is about real foods including vegetables, whole grains, good quality proteins and proper meals. Though if you do fancy a "fakeaway", the air fryer makes it incredibly easy to create healthier versions at home."
With all of this in mind, I’ve been testing a range of air fryer cookbooks in my own kitchen. Keep reading for the ones that’ll help you get more from your air fryer.
The best air fryer cookbooks for 2026 are:
- Best overall – ‘The Unprocessed Air Fryer’ by Jenny Tschiesche: £12.11, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for feeding the whole family – ‘Easy Air Fryer: Big & Bold Delicious Food’ by Jamie Oliver: £13, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for quick meals – ‘The Ultimate Air fryer Cookbook – 15-Minute Feasts’ by Clare Andrews: £11.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for new cooks – ‘The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook’ by Sam & Dom Milner: £15.62, Amazon.co.uk
Read more: Best dual air fryers for family meals, tried and tested
How I tested
As one of The Independent’s resident testers of the best air fryer, it’ll come as no surprise that I love these appliances and know my way around them. Over the course of three weeks, I looked through and tried out a variety of recipes from all the recipe books below. From photography to how easy the books were to read and understand, I go into my full testing criteria at the bottom of this review.
Read more: 11 best toaster and kettle sets, tried and tested
‘The Unprocessed Air Fryer’ by Jenny Tschiesche, published by Octopus
Best: air fryer cookbook overall
Number of recipes: 101
Cuisine focus: Healthy family-friendly food
Format: Hardback, eBook
Why we love it
- Healthy recipes
- Good variety
- Recipes are easy to follow
Take note
- Recipes don’t come with macro information
Proving air fryers can be used to make super healthy food, the best air fryer cookbook has to be nutritionist Jenny Tschiesche’s The Unprocessed Air Fryer. All the recipes shun ultra-processed foods for healthy whole foods, and there’s a great variety, including breakfasts, lunches, mid-week meal ideas, snacks and desserts. I made the beef meatballs and apple chips – both turned out really well and the timings were accurate.
The photos of the recipes make you crave the dishes, and the instructions are well laid out and easy to follow. It would be nice to have nutritional information along with the recipes, but it doesn’t take away from what a brilliant book this is. This is the best air fryer cookbook if you’re looking to eat a little healthier without sacrificing on flavour.
Buy now £5, Theworks.co.uk
‘Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Air Fryer Cookbook’ by Poppy O’Toole, published by Bloomsbury
Best: air fryer cookbook for modern comfort food
Number of recipes: 100
Cuisine focus: Modern comfort food
Format: Hardback, eBook
Why we love it
- Varied recipes
- Written in a fun tone
- Plenty of practical tips
Take note
- Some of the pages don’t match up with the recipes
Well-known as the ‘Potato Queen’ on TikTok, Poppy O’Toole shows her brilliance beyond spuds in Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Air Fryer Cookbook. It’s packed with 100 recipes that all look and sound amazing. I tried a couple including the lemon and honey chicken skewers and corn on the cob, and I found the instructions easy to follow and timings accurate.
The photography is gorgeous, and the recipes all contain ingredients that are easy to source, or just general cupboard staples, so you won’t spend a fortune buying everything you’ll need. The only real downside is that the index and some of the pages don’t match up. For example, in my copy, ‘gnocchi’ takes you to baked potato skins, and there’s no sign of the gnocchi throughout the whole book.
But, if you’re looking for the best air fryer cookbook with a good range of modern comfort food recipes, this one is perfect.
Buy now £10, Amazon.co.uk
‘The Easy Air Fryer Cookbook for Children’ by Sally Morgan, published by Scholastic
Best: air fryer cookbook for child-friendly recipes
Number of recipes: 50
Format: Hardback
Cuisine focus: Children-friendly dishes
Why we love it
- Has recipes kids will love
- Laid out by season
- Great snack ideas
Take note
- Some recipes are overly complicated
With more than 50 easy recipes, The Easy Air Fryer Cookbook for Children isn’t a cookbook for children to use, but rather for kid-friendly air fryer recipes. It’s really well laid out, and instead of being in order of food groups, it’s in seasons.
While there isn’t a great deal of information about how to get the most out of your air fryer, there are little hints for how to make each recipe a little more special.
I tried the Welsh rarebit, which is already a favourite in our household, and it worked really well. The instructions are clear, although some of them are a bit long winded. Overall, this is a brilliant air fryer cookbook for anyone looking for simple dishes that the whole family will love.
Buy now £14.24, Tgjonesonline.co.uk
‘Easy Air Fryer: Big & Bold Delicious Food’ by Jamie Oliver, published by Michael Joseph
Best: air fryer cookbook for feeding the whole family
Number of recipes: 80
Cuisine focus: Quick homemade dishes
Format: Hardback, eBook
Why we love it
- Crowd-pleasing dishes
- Plenty of good hints and tips
- Well laid-out
Take note
- Most recipes require a dual draw air fryer
Jam-packed with quick meals, snacks and desserts, Jamie Oliver’s Easy Air Fryer cookbook is great for family weeknight dishes. It’s perfectly laid out, with great photographs of the dishes, and the instructions are clear and easy to understand. There’s tons of information about cooking sustainably and eating a healthy balanced diet, too, which makes for an interesting read.
One of my favourite recipes was the toasty spiced nuts, a snack of nuts with seasoning and honey that mingled sweet and savoury with a little bit of a spicy kick.
I like that the book gives guidance on whether you need a one or two drawer air fryer. However, it’s worth noting that quite a lot of the recipes do require a two drawer air fryer. You can get around that by using the oven or cooking in batches, though that defeats the purpose a little.
Buy now £13, Amazon.co.uk
‘The Ultimate Air fryer Cookbook – 15-Minute Feasts’ by Clare Andrews, published by Penguin
Best: air fryer cookbook for quick meals
Number of recipes: 80
Cuisine focus: Quick, hearty meals
Format: Hardback, eBook
Why we love it
- Wide range of recipes
- Meals are quick to make
- Recipes are simple to follow
Take note
- 15 minutes doesn’t include prep time
If you want to eat well but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen, The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook – 15-Minute Feasts is the best air fryer cookbook for quick and hearty meals. It’s packed with 80 recipes that can be cooked in 15 minutes or less, and while this doesn’t include the prep time, the recipes are simple and easy to follow, so prep time is minimal.
There are a good range of dishes, including those with meat and fish, as well as plenty of veggie recipes. The photography is great and makes all the dishes look appealing – even the ones I didn’t really fancy. I tried a couple of the recipes, but the piri piri turkey nuggets were a definite highlight.
I love that the book includes cooking temperature charts with all the information you need to cook chicken, pork, beef, fish and vegetables. There’s also a five-day dinner plan with a shopping list included, so if you’re rubbish at meal planning like I am, you’re given a head start.
Buy now £11.99, Amazon.co.uk
‘Pinch of Nom Air Fryer: Easy Slimming Meals’ by Kate and Kay Allinson, published by Pan Macmillan
Best: air fryer cookbook for weight management
Number of recipes: 75
Cuisine focus: Calorie-controlled meals
Format: Hardback, eBook
Why we love it
- Ideal for quick meals
- Great if you’re being calorie-conscious
- Good selection of dishes
Take note
- Recipes aren’t air fryer exclusive
Who said diets have to be boring? Pinch of Nom Air Fryer: Easy slimming meals proves food can be good for you and still taste delicious, making it one of the best air fryer cookbooks for people who are managing their weight.
The portion sizes seem really generous, which is a good thing when you’re trying to watch your weight but don’t want to be left hungry. I tried the kofta meatball bake, and it tasted like I’d ordered it from a takeaway.
The book contains easy to follow recipes with plenty of additional information, such as whether you can freeze a dish, and whether it suits a certain dietary requirement. There are loads of options for vegetarians too, which is nice to see.
The book also has lots of information on how to cook with an air fryer, including oven-to-air fryer conversion charts and a comprehensive breakdown of kitchen items – silicon baking trays, for example – that you can buy to help you get more from your air fryer.
Whether or not you’re watching your calories, there’s a wide range of dishes and flavour combinations on the menu that you’re bound to enjoy.
Buy now £9.97, Amazon.co.uk
‘Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book’ by Nathan Anthony, published by Ebury Press
Best: air fryer cookbook for fakeways
Number of recipes: 80
Cuisine focus: Healthy fakeaways
Format: Hardback, eBook
Why we love it
- Air fryer and slow cooker recipes
- Good if you're being calorie-conscious
- Good variety of dishes
Take note
- More slow cooker than air fryer recipes
While there are more slow cooker recipes than air fryer ones in Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book, it still earns its place. It offers a wide range of tasty-looking recipes, from burgers to curries, so it’s great for swapping takeaways for home cooking. The salt and pepper chips are particularly good.
The recipes’ calories are displayed, which is handy if you’re being calorie-conscious. The photography speaks for itself too, with all of the dishes looking amazing. Plus, I found the recipe instructions were clear to read and easy to follow.
If you’re looking for a healthy twist on your favourite takeaway then this is an absolute must, but it might feel like a bit of a miss if you don’t have a slow cooker.
Buy now £10.99, Amazon.co.uk
‘The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook’ by Sam & Dom Milner, published by White Lion Publishing
Best: air fryer cookbook for new cooks
Number of recipes: 140
Cuisine focus: Everyday recipes
Format: Hardback, eBook
Why we love it
- Nicely laid out
- Varied recipes
- Both metric and imperial measurements offered
Take note
- Better suited to beginners
The best air fryer cookbook for new cooks and air fryer newbies, The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook is packed full of 140 recipes for everything from breakfasts to desserts. I tried out the sour cream and onion cheesy potato skins, and they were delicious.
None of the recipes are overly complicated – though they may be a little too basic for some people – and there’s plenty of advice on how to use your air fryer. The book is really well laid out, with simple, easy to read instructions, and the photography is eye-catching, with bright, full-page photos of the dishes.
I found the cooking timings in the recipes to be spot on, and the book tells you everything you might want to know, including prep time and calories. What’s also great is that it has measurements in imperial and metric, so whatever system you prefer, you're covered.
Overall, this is the complete bible for anyone new to cooking who’s looking for simple, easy-to-make dishes.
Buy now £12.74, Amazon.co.uk
What is the best air fryer cookbook?
My top pick for the best air fryer cookbook is The Unprocessed Air Fryer by Jenny Tschiesche, as it focuses on dishes you can make every day that are not only delicious but healthy too.
Another favourite of mine is Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Air Fryer Cookbook by Poppy O’Toole, which contains so many recipes that feel a little bit different, but still super easy to cook.
If you’re new to cooking or want to keep things simple, check out The Complete Air Fryer by Sam & Dom Milner, which has 140 simple-to-cook recipes that will keep you fed from breakfast to dinner.
How I test air fryer cookbooks
Here’s a breakdown of what I looked for when putting these recipe books to the test:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
As The Independent's review section, IndyBest has a team of testers who put products through their paces in real-world settings. You can trust that when we recommend something, you can feel confident that it’s actually worth buying.
Rachael Penn is one of our home appliance writers and, as well as trialling the best microwaves, best slow cookers and plenty more, has also tested a fleet of the best air fryers in the search for the top models on the market. In short, she’s perfectly placed to bring you the air fryer cookbooks that are genuinely helpful for the everyday air fryer user.
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