Air frying has become an incredibly popular cooking method in recent years. Air fryers provide a healthy way to make crispy, fried favorites using little to no oil. Most air fryer recipes call for breaded ingredients like chicken breasts, french fries, etc. However, some people wonder if you can air fry without breading at all, using just flour to help crisp and brown foods. Let’s take a closer look at whether using just flour to air fry is effective.
What is Air Frying?
Air frying is a cooking technique that uses super heated air to quickly cook and crisp foods. Most air fryers have a fan inside that circulates hot air around the food at high speeds, up to 400°F. This allows foods to get crispy and browned without submerging them in oil. The rapid air circulation cooks foods fast by blasting them from all sides with heat. This makes air frying a healthier cooking method compared to deep frying.
How Air Frying with Flour Works
When air frying foods that aren’t breaded, a light coating of flour can help achieve crispy results. Here’s why:
- Flour helps absorb moisture from the food’s exterior.
- As flour dries out, it causes the exterior to crisp up.
- Flour browns quickly in the hot air fryer.
- A tacky layer of flour adheres seasonings and coatings to the food.
The flour essentially accelerates browning, drying, and crisping in the fast-moving air fryer. This works especially well for foods with high moisture content like fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, etc. The flour coating provides just enough of a crispy, browned exterior to balance out the interior moisture.
What Foods Work Best?
Air frying with just a flour coating works best on foods with the following qualities:
- High moisture content
- Tender, delicate textures
- Lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables
- Foods that release moisture during cooking
The flour helps counteract the natural moisture in these foods. Examples of foods that air fry well with just flour:
- Fish fillets or steaks
- Shrimp, scallops, calamari
- Chicken breasts or tenders
- Pork chops or tenderloin
- Fresh green beans, broccoli, carrots
- Fruits like apples, peaches, pineapple
- Zucchini, eggplant, squash
Flour works better than breadcrumbs on these foods since it forms a thin, delicate crust instead of a thick bready coating. The lighter flour coating allows the food’s natural flavors to still shine.
How to Air Fry with Flour
Air frying with flour is easy. Here are some tips:
- Pat foods dry before coating to help the flour adhere.
- Use all-purpose flour or cornstarch instead of breadcrumbs.
- Lightly dust foods with flour, tapping off any excess.
- Mist or brush foods with oil so flour sticks.
- Season flour with salt, pepper, spices, or herbs.
- Spray food with oil before air frying for extra crispiness.
Start by preheating your air fryer to around 380°F. Next, wash and dry your foods well. Lightly coat them in flour seasoned however you like. Mist the floured foods with a bit of oil or cooking spray so the flour sticks. Air fry for 10-15 minutes, turning halfway, until lightly browned and cooked through. The flour will form a delicate, crispy crust.
Flour Air Fryer Coating Ideas
Here are some creative ways to coat foods in flavored flours before air frying:
- Lemon Pepper Flour – Flour mixed with lemon zest, black pepper, salt
- Chipotle Chili Flour – Flour mixed with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt
- Italian Herb Flour – Flour mixed with basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder
- Cajun Spice Flour – Flour mixed with paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, oregano
- Parmesan Flour – Flour mixed with grated parmesan, parsley, garlic powder
Get creative mixing herbs, spices, zests, etc. into your flour to add lots of flavor. The dry flour will stick and crispen onto foods as they air fry.
Should You Use Egg?
Eggs help adhere flour coatings to foods. However, eggs aren’t mandatory for air frying with flour. Using egg creates more of a batter consistency rather than a light dusting. Without egg, the flour won’t crisp up as much.
For a super crisp crust, use egg along with flour:
- Whisk 1 egg with 2 tbsp water or milk.
- Dip foods into seasoned flour to lightly coat.
- Dip floured foods into the egg mixture.
- Re-dip into the flour so it sticks.
- Mist with oil before air frying.
The double flour coating makes the crust extra crispy. But for simpler air frying, flour alone is sufficient.
Pros and Cons of Flour vs. Breadcrumbs
Here’s a comparison of using flour vs. breadcrumbs to air fry:
Flour
Pros:
- Forms a thin, delicate crust
- Adds minimal texture
- Browns quickly
- Less filling than breadcrumbs
Cons:
- Can burn easily if overcooked
- Doesn’t cling as well without egg
- Less crunchy than panko breading
Breadcrumbs
Pros:
- Get very crisp and crunchy
- Panko crumbs stay crispy longer
- Adds more texture than flour
- Adheres well if you egg/bread foods
Cons:
- Can fall off foods if not adhered properly
- Adds more calories than flour
- Can overwhelm delicately flavored foods
So in summary, flour is best for lightly crisping tender foods without heavy breading. For ultimate crunch factor, use panko breadcrumbs.
Conclusion
While oil is not required, flour can be used on its own to make foods crispy and delicious in the air fryer. A light flour coating helps moisture evaporate faster so foods brown and crisp better with the rapid air circulation. Flour works especially well on delicate ingredients like fish, fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. Just dust foods lightly in flour, mist with oil, and air fry until browned and cooked through. Feel free to get creative with seasoned flours too. Finally, for extra crunchy coatings, use egg and panko breadcrumbs instead of just flour.