Air Fryer Tilapia

Looking for an easy way to whip up fish? Try my air fryer tilapia recipe! Enjoy perfectly flaky results in just 20 minutes — you can use fresh or frozen filets.

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We’re pretty big fish eaters in my house. It's always nice to switch up our source of protein when we’ve been eating chicken and beef all week. Now, I will say that it's easy to get my family to eat fish if there's breading involved.

After all, who can resist that crunch? But I don't always want the hassle, calories, or carbs that go along with breading. I have long searched for a good recipe with no breading involved.

That's why I was so happy when I discovered delicious air fryer tilapia! It's a healthy meal made with simple ingredients, so it checks off a lot of boxes for me.

Even though there's no breading, my whole family still devoured this dish. It turns out that cooking tilapia in the air fryer with some simple seasoning is all we ever needed. Best of all, you can use fresh or frozen filets, and the whole meal takes less than 20 minutes to make. This is a great recipe for those busy weeknights.

Easy recipe, easy cleanup, and yummy results. What more can you ask for?!

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

STEP ONE: Preheat your air fryer and place the tilapia filets on a large plate.

STEP TWO: Drizzle the fish with olive oil so the seasonings stick. Mix the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl.

STEP THREE: Sprinkle the seasoning mix evenly over the tilapia, then place the filets in a single layer in the air fryer basket so that they cook evenly.

STEP FOUR: Air fry tilapia for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Serve with fresh lemon juice and lemon wedges and enjoy!

It takes about 10 minutes to cook tilapia in the air fryer, depending on the thickness.

Be sure to flip the white fish halfway through the cooking time too. You’ll know it's done when the fish flakes easily, is golden brown, and has a tender texture.

Check that the internal temperature is at least 145 degrees F to avoid any foodborne illnesses.

I recommend that you drizzle the tilapia with olive oil and the seasoning mixture before you freeze it. Wrap the fish in foil and store it in the freezer in a Ziploc bag. It will keep for 6-8 months.

To cook, preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F and spray the basket with cooking oil, then add the frozen fish in a single layer. Spray with a bit more oil. Cook for 13 minutes (flip halfway through) and voila, easy and delicious results in under 15 minutes.

Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container, where they will keep for 3-4 days.

To reheat, air frying is a great option! Simply preheat to 400 degrees F, spray the basket with oil, and add the fish. Air fry for about 4 minutes, or until heated through.

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Air Fryer Weight Watcher Points per serving: 8

Air fryer tilapia is an easy and delicious recipe to make for weeknight dinner! Ready in 20 minutes and cooked perfectly in the air fryer.

1. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.

2. Place leftover tilapia in the air fryer and cook for about 4 minutes, until heated through.

3. Remove them from the air fryer and enjoy!

1. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.

2. Spray basket with cooking oil, place the frozen tilapia in the air fryer, and cook for about 13 minutes, until heated through, then enjoy!

This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.

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I’ve always had a love of cooking and creating new recipes, so it only made sense to create a food blog so I could share those recipes with you. This site is designed to provide easy and flavorful recipes with as little ingredients as possible. That means you still get great flavor combinations without all that extra time and effort. Read more...