Tag Archives: air-fryer

Cheap & Easy, Recipes, Side dishes, Vegan on a Budget

Air Fryer Spicy Potatoes

Serves 2

Photo of a grill tray containing air-fried potatoes

Approximate cost of ingredients less than £1 as long as you use the oil and flavourings in this and other dishes regularly.

Ingredients

• 350 grams (g) potatoes

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) dried oregano

• 1 tsp garlic granules (or 2 crushed/chopped garlic cloves)

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp chili flakes

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 tsp olive oil (cheaper oil will do!)

Method

• Peel and cut the potatoes in small cubes.

• Wash them and put them in a mixing bowl, along with the spices and olive oil and mix well.

• Add them in the air-fryer and cook for 25-28 minutes at 180°C. Turn them half way through.

You can also cook this dish in an oven. Just amend the cooking time to 35 minutes approximately.

This recipe is based on one by Natlicious Food (https://natliciousfood.com/). You can view the original recipe at https://natliciousfood.com/recipes/spicy-air-fryer-potatoes.

Potatoes are an excellent source of carbohydrates, making them a good energy provider. Potatoes are also rich in dietary fibre. This helps to maintain digestive health and can aid in lowering cholesterol levels. They contain a variety of vitamins and minerals including high levels of vitamin C (important for immune system function, skin health, and iron absorption) and significant amounts of potassium. Potassium can help regulate blood pressure. Potatoes also provide vitamin B6, a vitamin crucial for brain function and mood regulation.

Cheap & Easy, Recipes, Side dishes, Vegan on a Budget

Air-fryer Swede

Serves 2

Approximate cost of ingredients less than £1 as long as you use the oil and flavourings in this and other dishes regularly.

Swede is packed with vitamin C, E, K and B6 as well as being a good source of manganese, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, carotene and fibre. Its high beta-carotene content helps the body absorb vitamin C more effectively too.

Ingredients

  • 350 grams (g) swede
  • 1 teaspoon (tsp) dried oregano (optional)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp rapeseed, sunflower or vegetable oil

Method

  • Peel and cut the swede into small cubes.
  • Place in a mixing bowl along with the oil, salt, pepper and optional herbs and spices
  • Mix well.
  • Spread the coated swede in the air-fryer trays.
  • Cook for 25-30 minutes at 200°C. Turn them half way through.

You can also cook this dish in an oven. Just amend the cooking time to 35 minutes approximately.  Potatoes can be used in this recipe too.

Cheap & Easy, Festive, Main dishes, Recipes, Sauces and condiments, Vegan on a Budget

AIR-FRYER SAVOY CABBAGE ROLLS WITH TASTY GRAVY

Serves approx. 4

Ingredients for cabbage rolls

Lentils (1 tin, 1 carton or 1 cup loose)

Onion (large)

Garlic (2 cloves)

Mushrooms (2 cups)

Salt (half tsp), black pepper (half teaspoon) and bouillon (1tsp)

Walnuts (1 cup)

Savoy cabbage (whole leaves – approx. 8)

Parsley (handful)

Oil to sauté

Method

Prepare the lentils and remove excess water.

Peel off 8 cabbage leaves and remove very thick part of stem. Put in a pan with boiling water to cover and leave the lid on.

Sauté the onions, garlic. Then add finely chopped mushrooms and walnuts.  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes with lid on.

Add finely chopped parsley, bouillon, salt, pepper.

Add lentils.

Take 1 cabbage leaf and put a tablespoon of the mixture in the centre.

Wrap the cabbage leaf around it carefully, using a cocktail stick to secure if necessary, or aluminium foil to wrap in.

Arrange the 8 rolls in the bottom of the air fryer, and cook for 7 minutes on 180c, checking after 5 minutes .

Ingredients for gravy

Onion (large)

Oil to sauté

Cornflour (tbsp)

Bouillon (dessertspoon)

Cider vinegar (dessertspoon)

Yeast extract (tsp)

Method for gravy

Finely chop the onion and sauté in oil on a low heat with a lid on the pan.

In a glass jug, dissolve cornflour in a very small amount of cold water, and then add slightly more to loosen it.

Add the yeast extract, bouillon and vinegar, and add more water up to 1 pint, and add to the onion mixture.

Stir carefully and continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens.

Cheap & Easy, Main dishes, Recipes, Starters and soups, Vegan on a Budget

Air-Fryer Chick Pea Fritters

Makes around 26 fritters so you may want to cut the quantities below in half.


Cost based on tinned chick peas = £3.80 for 26 fritters; £1.90 for 13 fritters at Lidl prices (March 2025) but they don’t sell nutritional yeast so the price for that is from Tod Almighty opposite the Golden Lion (the cost of ingredients would be less if dried chick peas are used).

Preparation time: 20 minutes.

Air frying time: 15-25 minutes

Ingredients

480 grams or 2 cans of cooked chickpeas.
1
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour or chick pea flour for a gluten-free version
40 grams nutritional yeast (Engevita)
2-3 tablespoons dried parsley
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed or chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon salt
2 twists black pepper
Oil for coating prior to cooking.

Method

    Preheat the air fryer to 200 degrees C.

    Add all of the ingredients except oil to a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. The mixture should sticky enough to form into fritters. Add water if necessary.

    Shape the mixture into small & flat fritters (small fritters are quicker to cook – try a roughly loaded tablespoon full of the mix per fritter).

    Use a brush, spray or fingers to apply a minimal coating of oil to both sides of the uncooked fritters.

    Place the fritters in the air fryer, leaving spaces between them.

    Cook for a total of 15-25 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over half way through the cooking period.

    Remove from the air fryer and serve.

    Photo of a person using a potato masher to mash chickpeas for this recipe. Also shows ingredients containers and trays for the air-fryer

    Serve the fritters on their own, with a squeeze of lemon, a tomato sauce or a tahini sauce, They go well with pitta bread too.

    

This recipe is also suitable for pan frying in 2 tablespoons of oil or baking in an oven at 200 degrees C for 20 minutes or so. However, an oven is a more costly way to cook than frying on an induction hob or cooking in an air-fryer…it also contributes more to climate change.

    1. If you have dried chickpeas, they will double their weight when cooked properly. So 480 grams of soaked (overnight) and cooked chickpeas requires 240 grammes of dried chickpeas.

      Chick peas are also known as garbanzo beans in Spain and America.

      You can reserve the liquid in the cans or after cooking chick peas. This liquid is called aquafaba and can be used in other recipes mainly as an egg replacer. ↩︎