Do you love fish for dinner? I couldn’t wait to make air fry tilapia when I got my hot air machine. It came out better than I thought. Even my youngest said she loved it. Now it is just one of our favorite low fat air fryer recipes you too can enjoy.

If you want to learn how to cook all different types of air fryer fish, we’re here to help! This uses white fish and is quite cheap for dinner. There are many different varieties though. From cod to grouper, snapper and catfish they all cook basically the same.

This type is one of our favorite air fryer fish recipes though, so we’ll start here. We started out with a few pieces that were previously frozen but defrosted ahead of time. This is ideal and the only way to get them breaded nicely. We will explain both though so you have a choice.

A close-up photo of a hand pulling out the basket of an open air fryer on a light-colored surface. The interior of the air fryer basket is empty and features a mesh design, perfect for cooking your favorite dishes like bang bang shrimp. The edge of the air fryer has a latch mechanism for securing the basket.

Ingredient Notes

You want a few Tilapia fillets with skin are fine but for this since I am breading and don’t want to lose any of that I would suggest without skin for this recipe.

Italian breadcrumbs work best so you don’t really need anything else since it is already seasoned.

Other breading options

You can use a number of different things to bread fish, not just breadcrumbs. Of course Italian style is easy to use but there are others. From crushed crackers, to cornmeal with seasonings like with a Fish Fry. As long as you have your crushed “breading” in a sand-like texture it should work. We have even used smashed pork rinds before!

Egg whisked will be used to dip the filets in to coat the outside and get everything to stick well. If you need an egg-free option you could brush with mayonnaise or even plain Greek yogurt instead.

What can you use other than egg to bread fish?

If you cannot use these or need something different you can use mayonnaise or Greek yogurt brushed on both sides instead to get breading to stick nicely.

Olive oil spray is my favorite to use on the outside in order to get that great CRISP on the outside.

Can you make this with no breading?

Yes. If you wanted it to quality under our air fryer fish recipe no breading category that is possible too. You can just spray with olive oil, sprinkle with seasonings and make this same way as directed below without the breadcrumbs. Timing would not really vary, the only big difference would be the size and thickness of your fillets.

A raw tilapia fillet is shown on a layer of seasoned breadcrumbs. The text above the image reads, "Best Air Fryer Fish Recipe.

How Long to Cook Tilapia in Air Fryer

You only need about 4 minutes to get this breaded fish cooked!! If you have rather large fillets you may need up to 6 minutes but either way it is a really fast meal that is quite healthy. If you wanted no breading off it would take the same amount of time, that wouldn’t change.

How Long to Cook Frozen Tilapia in Air Fryer

Mine were previously frozen and defrosted, but any type of white fish works with our Frozen Fish in Air Fryer temp and timing. If frozen you won’t be able to bread it though, but you can cook to tender. You just need add an additional minute or two to become super flaky in the center is all.

Two breaded tilapia fillets are placed in an air fryer basket, ready to be cooked. The text at the top reads, "How to Make air fryer fish.

How do you know when it is done?

You will know it is done when it turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork. The flesh should go from a translucent to a solid white or off-white color. When you insert a fork into the thickest part and gently twist it should separate without resistance. You can check with a meat thermometer to see if it reached 145°F (63°C) too. Overcooking can dry it out, so it’s best to remove it from heat as soon as it reaches doneness.

Tips for Success

You can use any air fryer brand really. I make Cosori air fryer recipes all the time. You can see that basket above. What I like about that one is the basket is square and much larger than other brands.

You won’t be able to use tempura batter because it is wet and tends to drip off becoming a super goopy mess.

Just like our oven fried fish, there’s no harm in opening or lifting the lid up to check it during the last few minutes to make sure it doesn’t overcook and dry out. Every piece you buy is going to be slightly different so there’s no set cook time but below is a good guide.

A piece of breaded tilapia fish is held above an air fryer basket by a spatula, showcasing the deliciousness of air fryer tilapia. The text "Easy Air Fryer tilapia fish" is displayed at the bottom of the image.

This is probably one of our favorite air fryer dinner recipes. Yes, even my kids love it. We used to live in California so fish was what you ordered all the time and it was great. Now that we live in Idaho it isn’t like that. SO I started making it on my own to satisfy my cravings.

Other fish recipes you’ll love

I started with this Instant Pot fish recipe which is great, but not crispy. You could use the CrispLid after it’s done but without breading it isn’t even close to this texture. Once you’ve enjoyed this, try this recipe for air fryer calamari too! salmon in the air fryer

I personally wouldn’t unless I was making air fryer fish sticks or something of this nature where they are meant to start out rock hard.

Only have a pressure cooker and want to make Instant Pot tilapia?? We have directions for that too.