Recipe This | Do Air Fryers Reduce Calories? (2024)

Do Air Fryers Reduce Calories? Today we are talking all about the air fryer calories, is an air fryer good for reducing calories, what kind of calorie drop you get with an air fryer and so much more.

This air fryer calorie guide is also featured in the Magic With Gadgets Podcast. Simply search for Magic With Gadgets on your preferred podcast player, then scroll to episode 15 of season 2 to access this awesome episode.

Recipe This | Do Air Fryers Reduce Calories? (1)

Table of Contents

Are Air Fryers Good For Weight Loss?

Yes, air fryers are good for weight loss, and I am going to explain why and how with you today.

When you see so many air fryer recipes for air fryer box cake, air fryer chocolate chip cookies and of course air fryer frozen chicken wings, people are still curious to whether or not the air fryer has replaced the deep fat fryer for unhealthy food or whether or not air fryers are good for weight loss.

Today on the podcast, I wanted to set the record straight once and for all and explain just how good the air fryer is for weight loss, how much weight you can lose with the air fryer, and why this air fryer that we have, is the answer to all your problems.

First of all, it is like all cooking devices. We can make healthy food in it, and we can also choose to make unhealthy food in it.

I can bake cakes in the air fryer, but I can also make healthy French fries from vegetables with hardly any oil at all, like I do in our air fryer veggie fries, air fryer rutabaga fries and our air fryer roasted beets.

Do Air Fryers Reduce Calories?

Yes, they do. But only if you eat certain foods and follow lower oil recipes. There are many that are new to the air fryer, that will still put too much oil in the air fryer, then with this comes a higher calorie amount in their food than there should be.

In many of our air fryer recipes we use just 30 calories of oil per serving. But if you drizzled it on instead, then you could be looking at 150 calories of oil per serving instead.

Can I Eat Air Fryer Fries On A Diet?

Yes, you can, and air fryer fries can be very healthy when you follow our air fryer methods.

You see what you do instead is put the oil directly on the food and toss the oil on the potato, rather than the oil being placed directly in the air fryer basket.

This means that you use less calories, but also that you save money on oil, because a bottle of extra virgin olive oil will last weeks and weeks.

Do Air Fryers Use Oil?

Yes, they do. But not with every single air fryer recipe. Its all about if you would normally cook with oil, then they will generally need oil, but if it were something you would normally cook oil free, then you can air fry oil free too.

For example. If you placed frozen breaded chicken in the oven you wouldn’t normally add oil and the same applies to the air fryer. But if you roasted a chicken in the oven, you would often use a LOT. But in the air fryer that LOT is 1Tbsp (120 calories) of extra virgin olive oil for a whole chicken that would feed four people. Check out our Ninja Foodi whole chicken to see the oil consumption.

So a massive calorie saving.

Then there are some foods that simply don’t need it and taste good without. Such as air fryer chickpeas and air fryer grilled tomatoes.

Air Fryer Vs Deep Fryer Calories

What I love to do is crunch some numbers and give you a proper calorie compare.

KFC chicken is my favourite comparison. You can buy KFC chicken strips and it will work out at 1032 calories and I am sure you are aware that they are deep fried. The same recipe can be made in the air fryer instead and the calories are JUST 526 calories for the same quantity of food. Get the recipe: Air Fryer KFC Chicken Strips

Slimming World chips is another favourite. I used SW frozen chips which is oil free and similar to sliced potatoes that have been blanched and then frozen. Then served with slimming world gravy. If I bought these deep fried from the English chippy they would be 640 calories, whilst the air fryer version is JUST 325 calories. Get the recipe:

Homemade air fryer fries are another example. Compare the weight of 400g of potatoes with homemade and with McDonalds fries. Homemade would be 368 calories and McDonalds would be 1164 calories. Get the recipe: Air Fryer Cajun Fries

Those are just three examples of how much of a calorie saving you can make with the air fryer.

Did You Know We Have A Podcast?

We started the Magic With Gadgets podcast in the January of 2021 as a way to offer a different way to enjoy Recipe This. It focuses on cooking with kitchen gadgets. You can find out more about our podcast here.

With twice weekly episodes through September to December. This is episode 15 of the second season and you have the choice between reading this post, listening to the podcast or both.

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Recipe This | Do Air Fryers Reduce Calories? (2024)

FAQs

Does cooking in an air fryer reduce calories? ›

Air fryers also can reduce calories since they require significantly less oil. For example, air-fried foods may only need one teaspoon of oil, adding 40 calories. In contrast, just one tablespoon of oil absorbed into foods during deep frying adds about 120 calories.

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Is an air fryer good for losing weight? ›

Using air fryers can promote weight loss

A higher intake of fried foods has direct links with higher obesity risk. This is because deep fried foods tend to be high in fat and calories. Switching from deep-fried foods to air-fried foods and reducing regular intake of unhealthful oils can promote weight loss.

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Does air frying potatoes remove calories? ›

Using an air fryer — which requires about a tablespoon of oil — may cut calories that you'd normally get from deep frying foods by up to 80%.

126	Calories
5g	Fat
19g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Is an air fryer healthier than a microwave? ›

Healthier indulgences – If you crave the flavors of deep-fried goodness without the excessive oil, the air fryer is your culinary savior. Because they require significantly less oil, temperature-adjustable air fryers let you enjoy your favorite fried treats while cutting calories by about 70–80%.

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Why is air fried food unhealthy? ›

Air-frying equipment is not known to cause cancer, but the process of air frying does result in the formation of certain compounds, like acrylamide, that are linked to cancer development. Acrylamide is classified as a probable human carcinogen.

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Do air fryers really save calories? ›

Are Air-Fried Foods Better for You? By most measures, air frying is healthier than frying in oil. It cuts calories by 70% to 80% and has a lot less fat. This cooking method might also cut down on some of the other harmful effects of oil frying.

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Does air frying food take away calories? ›

An air fryer is a healthier option than deep frying foods and can be an inventive way to fry not only meats and potatoes but other nutritious foods such as broccoli, yams, tofu, or eggs. Compared with deep-frying, using an air fryer can reduce the amount of fat, calories, and potentially harmful compounds in your food.

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Does an air fryer really save calories? ›

It cuts calories by 70% to 80% and has a lot less fat. This cooking method might also cut down on some of the other harmful effects of oil frying. The reaction that happens when you fry potatoes or other starchy foods makes the chemical acrylamide, which research links to greater chances of getting cancer.

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Is air fryer less calories than oven? ›

Air frying uses less oil

This means that your food has fewer calories. Still, food isn't necessarily healthier just because it contains less oil. Extra virgin olive oil, for example, is rich in polyphenols and has known heart health benefits.