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?!
How to Cook Tilapia in the Air Fryer
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!
How Long to Cook Tilapia in the Air Fryer
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.
Tips for Making This Tilapia Air Fryer Recipe
- Use a store-bought spice mixture to save time. Cajun seasoning or lemon pepper seasoning are both great options for a delicious dinner!
- Don’t overload the air fryer basket or the air fried tilapia won’t cook evenly.
- Use air fryer-safe parchment paper for even easier cleanup after you air fry the tilapia.
What to Serve With Air Fryer Tilapia
- Air Fryer Asparagus with Garlic and Parmesan
- Air Fryer Broccoli Parmesan
- Air Fryer Carrots
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Rice
Variation to This Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe
- Make it breaded. While half the beauty of this tilapia air fryer recipe is that you don’t need to use breading, I know some folks can’t get enough of it! I love panko, myself.
- Use fresh fish or frozen. I’m giving all of the details on how to cook frozen tilapia in the air fryer below!
- Make it parmesan crusted. Add a layer of Parmesan cheese to the fish for extra crispy results.
- Increase the cooking time if you’re craving a blackened tilapia fillet.
More Air Fryer Fish Recipes
- The Best Air Fryer Fish Recipes
- Air Fryer Fish Sticks
- Air Fryer Halibut
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Air Fryer Swordfish
- Air Fryer Fish and Chips
- Air Fryer Flounder
- Air Fryer Catfish
- Air Fryer Catfish Nuggets
- Air Fryer Fish Tacos
- Frozen Cod in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Mahi Mahi
- Air Fryer Tuna Melt
How to Cook Frozen Tilapia in the Air Fryer
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.
How to Reheat and Store Air Fried Tilapia
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container, where they will keep for 3-4 days until you’re reading to reheat the fish in your air fryer.
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.
More Tilapia Recipes
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Air Fryer Weight Watcher Points per serving: 8
Air Fryer Tilapia
Ingredients
- 4 tilapia fillets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For Serving (Optional)
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Place the tilapia fillets on a large plate and drizzle with olive oil.
- In a small bowl, mix the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Sprinkle seasoning evenly over the fillets then place in a single layer in the air fryer.
- Cook tilapia for 10 minutes, flipping the fillets halfway through cooking.
- Remove the tilapia from the air fryer, serve with lemon wedges (if desired), and enjoy!
So easy to cook in the air fryer and I love the spices on the tilapia.
Hi Samantha, I love your recipes using the air fryer they are so easy and yommy ❤️
Aww, that is so sweet Paula! I am so glad you are loving the recipes! I have a lot more air fryer recipes coming too! 🙂
Please list the temp for cooking. Preheat at 400. Then what?
Hi Jeane, an air fryer is just like an oven in that you should be preheating it to the temperature you will be cooking at.
Your recipe says to pre heat at 400 but it doesn’t say at what temperature to cook for, also cooking time must differ if your cooking fresh or frozen fish, please add cooking temperature and cooking times for fresh or frozen fish,, many thanks
Hi Mar mar, you should always cook your food at the temperature you preheat at, just like cooking in a normal oven. Also, the cooking times for cooking fresh and frozen tilapia in the air fryer are listed in the written post and recipe card at the bottom as they do differ. Enjoy!
I look forward to trying your recipe. Do we season both sides of the fish? And do you prefer using thawed or frozen tilapia?
Yes, season both sides and I always recommend using fresh when possible and just using the frozen directions when you’re in a pinch.
I am so glad I have found this site, I bought an Air fryer NO recipe book.
I am 76. This info is so helpfull THANK YOU.
I usually do a meal prep for work. I came across this and tried it. All I can say is yummy. I’m doing prep now and trying on some shrimp then I’ll do my fish.
I’m glad you came across this recipe and decided to give it a try! I hope it turned out wonderfully for you.
Just got my air fryer, and had tilapia on hand, so I googled & found your recipe: I had no paprika , so I used turmeric instead, and my air fryer is HUGE so I put it in the fourth rack & never flipped it. Outstanding!! We gobbled it down and loooved it!
I’m so glad you loved it, Jen! Since you just got your air fryer, make sure you check out my other air fryer recipes! I have A LOT!