Ingredients
The 20 Most Common Ingredients in 304 Air Fryer Recipes
Published by the RecipeAirFryer editorial team · How we source times · Updated
Oil or cooking spray is the most common ingredient in air fryer recipes, appearing in 171 of 304 (56%). Salt is second with 168, followed by black pepper with 117 and eggs with 97. A short list of cupboard staples covers the seasoning for most of what goes in the basket.
Key findings
- 8 ingredients each appear in at least a fifth of all recipes.
- 97 recipes use eggs, as a main ingredient, a binder or the glue for a coating.
- 78 recipes use garlic powder against 50 that use fresh garlic. Dried seasonings suit a hot dry basket, where fresh garlic can scorch.
- 61 recipes include cheese of some kind.
- Oil or cooking spray171
- Salt168
- Black pepper117
- Eggs97
- Garlic powder or granules78
- Flour66
- Paprika64
- Cheese61
- Butter53
- Sugar50
- Fresh garlic50
- Breadcrumbs or panko42
The top 20
| Ingredient | Recipes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Oil or cooking spray | 171 | 56% |
| Salt | 168 | 55% |
| Black pepper | 117 | 38% |
| Eggs | 97 | 32% |
| Garlic powder or granules | 78 | 26% |
| Flour | 66 | 22% |
| Paprika | 64 | 21% |
| Cheese | 61 | 20% |
| Butter | 53 | 17% |
| Sugar | 50 | 16% |
| Fresh garlic | 50 | 16% |
| Breadcrumbs or panko | 42 | 14% |
| Onion or spring onion | 31 | 10% |
| Milk | 29 | 10% |
| Soy sauce | 25 | 8% |
| Lemon | 24 | 8% |
| Cinnamon | 22 | 7% |
| Parsley | 21 | 7% |
| Honey | 20 | 7% |
| Baking powder | 16 | 5% |
What this means for your cupboard
With salt, pepper, oil, garlic powder and paprika you can season most savoury recipes on this site. Add flour, eggs and breadcrumbs and you can coat anything.
Almost everything on the list keeps for months. That is part of why air fryer cooking suits weeknights: the fresh shopping is usually just the main ingredient.
How these figures were worked out
The figures are counted from the 304 recipes published on RecipeAirFryer.com on 2026-10-08. Each recipe has one temperature, a time range, a prep time, an ingredient list and a serving count, and those fields are what is counted here.
The times and temperatures are the starting points given on each recipe page for a standard basket air fryer. They are not laboratory measurements, and air fryers differ between models, so treat the counts as a description of this recipe set, not of every air fryer.
Ingredients are counted by keyword in each recipe's ingredient list, and a recipe counts once per ingredient however many lines mention it. Spelling variants are grouped (for example "panko" with "breadcrumbs"), so the counts are close but not exact.
You may quote these figures with a link to this page. If you spot an error, tell us through the contact page and we will correct it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ingredients do you need for air fryer recipes?
Salt, oil, black pepper, garlic powder and paprika cover most savoury recipes. Oil or cooking spray appears in 56% of the 304 recipes we counted and salt in 55%.
Why do air fryer recipes use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic?
Fresh garlic sits on the surface of the food and burns in fast-moving hot air. Garlic powder is dry, sticks to the oil and browns without turning bitter.
Do most air fryer recipes use eggs?
32% of the recipes we counted do. Some are egg dishes, and many use egg to bind mince or to stick breadcrumbs on.