From turkey and beef to veggie alternatives, around 93% of Brits sitting down to Christmas dinner will be tucking into a roast, according to a 2025 YouGov survey.
But while the centrepiece and all the trimmings may taste delicious, juggling oven space and making sure everything comes together at the right time can prove a bit of a challenge.
If you’re one of the two-thirds of Brits who own an air fryer, though, you may have an advantage. A quick and cost-effective way to cook, they can be a valuable tool when prepping the festive feast, freeing up space in your main oven.
“The key is to plan,” says Clare Andrews, author of air fryer cookbooks including The Ultimate Airfryer Cookbook 15-minute Feasts.
“If you’ve got a family of eight to cater for, can you do a whole Christmas dinner in the air fryer? Possibly not. But can it be your best friend in the kitchen? 100% it can.”
She advises giving some of your dishes a dry run. “Do a Sunday lunch practice so you know your timings and what you can fit in your air fryer so that there’s less stress on Christmas Day.”
Here are some of the festive faves she says can work well in the air fryer, and those you may want to avoid.
Stuffing
Roll stuffing into balls and cook in the air fryer. (Getty Images)
If your oven’s at full capacity, Andrews says you can get beautifully crispy stuffing in the air fryer.
“I would roll it into balls,” she suggests. “You can dot them around your roast potatoes or carrots and parsnips. They shouldn’t take long at all to cook and the air fryer makes them so crispy on the outside and super-smushy and tasty in the middle. You don’t even need to coat them in oil.”
Pigs in blankets
Forget shop-bought, try making your own pigs in blankets. (Getty Images)
“Air fryers are just so great with pigs and blankets,” says Andrews. And while you can buy them ready-made, with many having air fryer cooking instructions on the packaging, she suggests making them yourself by wrapping rashers of bacon around chipolatas and cooking thoroughly.
“I don’t think you can go wrong with homemade pigs in blankets and they’re usually cheaper,” she says. “Just be careful that the bacon doesn’t come unwrapped as then it could burn or char.” She also advises turning your sausages halfway through cooking to ensure the bacon crisps up on all sides.
Try Andrews’ air fryer pigs in blankets recipe, which also features honey and Dijon mustard.
Brussels sprouts
Convert sprout haters by cooking your Brussels in the air fryer and adding pancetta. (Getty Images)
Brussels sprouts have a bit of a bad rep, but this is often down to them being boiled for too long. Doing them in an air fryer means less risk of soggy sprouts – and you might even convert some haters.
BBC Good Food advises trimming and halving them, coating in oil and seasoning and cooking in the air fryer for around 10-15 minutes.
For something a bit more decadent (it’s Christmas after all), Andrews suggests adding cream and pancetta.
With many air fryers, you can’t put anything wet directly into the basket, so she advises using an oven-proof dish. “Put your sprouts in, a little bit of pancetta right at the end, a little bit of cream, maybe, and a bit of nutmeg. Even for the sprout dislikers of this world, I would challenge them to not like this.”
Roast potatoes
Roasties are a festive staple. (Getty Images)
Around eight in 10 Brits say they’ll be having roast potatoes on Christmas Day, and the air fryer can give you a lovely crispy finish.
For larger potatoes, Andrews suggests parboiling them for around 10 minutes and fluffing them up by giving them a light shake in the colander. Toss in a bit of oil and add them to a preheated air fryer at 200C or above until cooked.
“Just make sure not to overfill the basket so they’ve got room to move and cook,” she says. This also gives you room to shake them, ensuring a crispy, even finish.
Roast carrots and parsnips
Andrews suggests roasting your carrots with honey. (Getty Images)
Air fryers are great for roasting veg such as carrots and parsnips, and there’s usually no need to par-boil. For added sweetness, Andrews suggests adding some honey to your carrots.
“Roast them in the air fryer with a bit of honey, a bit of oil, give them a turn and add some thyme at the end,” she says.
Yorkshire puddings
Nearly half of Brits have Yorkshire puddings at Christmas. (Getty Images)
Do Yorkshire puddings belong on a Christmas dinner? Some 49% of Brits say they do. And they work surprisingly well in an air fryer, cooking in around 10-12 minutes. You’ll need an ovenproof dish or pudding tins. Ensure your appliance is preheated to get the oil piping hot before adding the batter.
Follow Andrews’ recipe for air fryer Yorkies here.
Christmas foods you may not want to cook in the air fryer
While lots of festive foods work well in an air fryer, there are some that may be better cooked elsewhere.
Large whole turkey
A whole turkey can catch on your air fryer’s heating element. (Getty Images)
Turkeys can be large and depending on the size of your air fryer, if you’re cooking a whole bird, some parts can catch on the heating elements.
Instead, if you’re cooking turkey in your air fryer, Andrews advises opting for a turkey crown. Some appliances come with their own thermometer, but if yours doesn’t, use a meat thermometer to ensure your turkey is fully cooked.
Gravy
After roast potatoes, gravy is the second most popular Christmas dinner accompaniment. However, Andrews says the air fryer is not typically the best place to make it.
“Gravy or anything wet may ooze straight out into your air fryer unless you’re using an ovenproof dish,” she says. For gravy, then, the hob is usually the best place.
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