Make a family favorite dinner in under 30 minutes! This air fryer cod recipe is simple, quick, and you get crispy, flavorful batter with tender, flaky fish.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest and then going to college in Boston, I have long had big love for fish and chips.
But sometimes I don’t feel like dealing with the splatter and mess and fat of deep frying. And baking doesn’t always yield truly crispy, crunchy results.
Air frying, on the other hand, gives you that signature crispy, crunchy batter and flaky fish that we all crave. If you like fish and chips like I do, and you have an air fryer, you’ve gotta try this air fryer cod recipe!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
I tested this recipe thoroughly for my first cookbook, The Ninja Foodi Meal Prep Cookbook. I’ve since made this several times, and get the same delicious results each time. So I think you’ll love it, too!
- Easy – The recipe includes simple steps. Nothing too complicated here!
- Crispy & crunchy – Air frying crisps up the beer batter, without the need for deep frying mess or excess oil.
- Fast – Air frying is also a much faster way to cook fish. It only takes between 25-35 minutes, so you can enjoy restaurant-quality fish (and chips if you want!) in less time.
Ingredient notes
You only need a few basic ingredients to make this air fryer cod recipe:
- Fish – Cod is the most common choice of fish for a classic beer-battered fish and chips. But you can use almost any firm white fish, such as halibut.
- Wet batter ingredients – The beer batter consists of flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, beer. You can use any light to amber beer that you prefer; this doesn’t work well with a dark beer or stout.
- Dry dredge ingredients – You’ll also need a separate bowl of flour and Old Bay Seasoning. You can use paprika instead of Old Bay Seasoning.
Step-by-step instructions
This air fryer cod recipe is super simple. I’ve got some step-by-step photos and quick overall instructions below. But for full measurements and more detailed cooking instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the beer batter in one bowl.
- Whisk together remaining flour and Old Bay Seasoning in another bowl.
- Dredge each fish fillet in the dry ingredients.
- Then dip into the wet batter ingredients.
- Spray an air fryer basket with cooking spray.
- Gently shake off excess batter, then place battered fish in the bottom of the basket in a single row with some space between each fish fillet. Depending on the size of your air fryer and fish pieces, you may need to work in batches.
- Air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes.
Serve with malt vinegar and tartar sauce, if desired.
Marlynn’s Tip
Recipe Tip
Make sure you use a beer that you enjoy drinking for the batter, since the batter will take on the flavor of the beer.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can freeze air fried cod after it has cooked. Allow it to cool down, then wrap each fillet separately in parchment paper and place all in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Serving suggestions
Chips (AKA French fries) are the natural companion to air fried beer battered fish.
I also love serving this with summer slaw, mango coleslaw, or Asian cabbage coleslaw.
You can serve air fried cod between two buns and top with slaw for a crispy fish sandwich.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
Air fryer fish pairs deliciously with a glass of bubbly! The refreshing effervescence of any sparkling wine, including sparkling rosé wine, would balance out the richness of the air fried cod.
More fish recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Air Fryer Cod Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds skinless Cod fillets, or any other boneless, large-flake white fish fillets, such as Flounder or Halibut
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 12-ounce bottle of beer
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- Olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray
- Malt vinegar and tartar sauce for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer at 400°F for 5 minutes.
- Cover a quarter baking sheet or parge plate with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Set out two large bowls. In the first bowl, whisk together 1-1/2 cup flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, beer, and egg until relatively smooth – just until there are no large chunks of flour or baking powder.
- In the second bowl mix the remaining 1-1/2 cup flour with Old Bay seasoning.
- Pat fish fillets dry. Working one piece at a time, dip fish into the first bowl of wet batter, allowing the batter to coat all sides. Gently shake off excess batter. Then immediately dredge into the second flour mixture bowl. Set aside on the prepared baking sheet or plate while you continue with the remaining fish pieces. Once all fillets have been battered and dredged, place in the refrigerator to chill and set for 10 minutes.
- After fish is done chilling, spray the inside of the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Add the fish filets to the basket in a single layer. You may need to work in batches if your fish won’t fit in one layer. Spray tops of fillets lightly with cooking spray.
- Air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes.
- Serve with malt vinegar and tartar sauce, if using.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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