Christmas dinner quicker! How to cook roast potatoes, Brussel sprouts and more in an air fryer

With Christmas right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re cooking Christmas dinner. This time of year is an expensive one, not just because of the many family members you have to buy Christmas presents for, but also the sheer amount of food you’re cooking.

A handy way to conserve open space, speed up your cooking time and save extra money is by using the best air fryer to make your Christmas dinner. While you can roast an entire turkey in an air fryer (granted it’s big enough, of course), the best things to cook in an air fryer are the Christmas side dishes. Think roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, Brussel sprouts and more.

To help take the stress out of your Christmas cooking this year, here are five Christmas sides recipes you can make in an air fryer.

1. Roast potatoes

Potatoes and air fryers go hand in hand, and this air fryer recipe from chef Nathan Anthony creates perfectly crispy roasties quickly and easily. As air fryers use a limited amount of oil, you don’t have to worry about nasty oil burns from hot goose fat like you would when using an oven, plus you can get a more even roast without having to faff around individually turning your tatties.

How to make roast potatoes in an air fryer:

1. Peel and chop your potatoes. Bring the best saucepan of water to a boil and parboil your potatoes for 8-10 minutes before draining them.

2. Spray your air fryer basket with oil before adding your potatoes. Cover your potatoes with flour and give the air fryer basket a shake to make sure the potatoes are evenly coated and they’re looking fluffy at the edges.

3. Let your potatoes cook in your air fryer for 20 minutes at 180°C or until they’re golden brown and cooked all the way through. Halfway into your cooking time, give your air fryer basket a shake to ensure your potatoes are getting evenly crispy. 

2. Yorkshire puddings

@nannabea

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Yes, you can make Yorkshire puddings in an air fryer, and it could save you plenty of time and energy if you do. The best recipe I’ve found is from @nannabea on TikTok and her recipe is incredibly simple and results in bouncy and fluffy Yorkshires.

How to make Yorkshire puddings in an air fryer:

1. Grease 6-8 air fryer safe tins or a silicone muffin tray with vegetable oil and add half a teaspoon to the bottom of the tins. Let your air fryer preheat to 180°C with the tins in so the oil gets hot.

2. Make your Yorkshire pudding mixture by combining a cup each of milk, flour and eggs. Pour this mixture directly into the tins – the oil should sizzle slightly when you do.

3. Let the Yorkshire puddings cook for 20 minutes or until they’re golden brown and have puffed up out of the tins.

3. Stuffing

Stuffing is my favourite part of Christmas lunch (or any roast dinner) and Nathan Anthony’s recipe for air fryer stuffing looks delicious. His version doesn’t use sausage meat but you could definitely add it in if you wanted to and just tweak the timings slightly. If you don’t want to make stuffing from scratch, you can put premade stuffing balls into the air fryer, and they’ll come out looking golden and juicy.

How to make stuffing in an air fryer:

1. Make your stuffing mixture by combining your favourite stuffing ingredients, including onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, melted butter, cranberries, chestnuts, rosemary, thyme and more. Mould your stuffing into balls or thick slices.

2. Lay your stuffing on tin foil and put this in the air fryer, making sure the foil doesn’t teach the heating element of the air fryer and that it’s fully weighted down to avoid any issues.

3. Cook your stuffing at 180°C for 30-35 minutes or until it's golden brown.

4. Honey roasted carrots and parsnips

Honey roasted carrots and parsnips feel like Christmas to me, and this air fryer recipe from BBC Food is incredibly easy to make. Honey is notoriously sticky and can be hard to clean off of baking trays but cleaning an air fryer is much easier to do and should alleviate some stress this Christmas.

How to make honey roasted carrots and parsnips in an air fryer:

1. Make your honey mixture by warming up two tablespoons of honey to make it extra runny and golden. You can also add chilli and garlic for extra flavour, but if you don’t want to, you can add honey directly to your vegetables without heating it up.

2. Peel and chop your carrots and parsnips. Place them in a bowl and pour over melted butter and the honey mixture to fully coat them.

3. Put your carrots and parsnips in the air fryer at 180°C for 8 minutes. Shake the air fryer basket to ensure they’re fully coated and add salt and pepper. Let them cook for a further 8 minutes, checking them regularly up until 25 minutes of cooking time to ensure they’re cooked through properly.

5. Brussel sprouts

Whether you love them or hate them, Brussel sprouts are a staple at every Christmas dinner. The best recipe I’ve found is from BBC Good Food which uses bacon and chestnuts to add extra flavour and make this controversial vegetable the star of the show.

How to make Brussel sprouts in an air fryer:

1. If you’re using fresh sprouts, trim them and cut them in half before adding to a bowl. You can leave them whole if you want to but if you have any sprout haters you’re trying to win over, the smaller they are might convince them better!

2. Coat your Brussel sprouts with oil and seasoning before adding them to your air fryer. Cook them at 180°C for 10-15 minutes, making sure to shake the basket for even cooking.

3. At the five minute mark, add chopped bacon and allow to cook for a further five minutes, making sure nothing burns. For the final two-five minutes of cooking time, add your chopped chestnuts or hazelnuts.