Portuguese Air Fryer RecipesAll 13, With Times
All 13 Portuguese air fryer recipes on Mesa de Portugal in one list, with times and temperatures, plus which Portuguese foods work and which don't.
By Mesa de Portugal Kitchen · Updated · 7 min read
These are all 13 Portuguese air fryer recipes on Mesa de Portugal, from piri-piri chicken and grilled sardines to pastéis de bacalhau and pastéis de nata. Fried petiscos, small fish, pork and roast potatoes work best. Wet batters, soups, stews and soupy rice don't, so cook those on the hob or in the oven.
Times below are prep plus cooking, taken from each recipe. Marinating and chilling time is extra and noted where it matters.
Meat recipes
Frango piri-piri (piri-piri chicken)
Bone-in chicken thighs marinated in garlic, paprika, lemon and chilli, cooked skin-side down then up until blistered. The air fryer gets the crisp skin of the grill-house version. 40 minutes (15 prep, 25 cook) at 180 °C, plus at least 2 hours marinating. Air fryer frango piri-piri.
Bifanas (pork steak rolls)
Thin pork steaks marinated in garlic and white wine, cooked fast and tucked into soft rolls with the pan juices. Lisbon's favourite cheap lunch. 30 minutes (15 prep, 15 cook) at 200 °C. Air fryer bifanas.
Entremeada (garlic pork belly)
Slices of pork belly marinated in garlic, paprika and white wine and crisped until the fat renders. A classic of Portuguese barbecues, done indoors. 25 minutes (10 prep, 15 cook) at 200 °C. Air fryer entremeada.
Croquetes de carne (meat croquettes)
Leftover roast or stewed meat bound with a thick white sauce, rolled in egg and breadcrumbs. Makes 16. 40 minutes (30 prep, 10 cook) at 200 °C, plus at least 2 hours chilling the mixture. Air fryer croquetes de carne.
Fish and seafood recipes
Pastéis de bacalhau (salt cod fritters)
The famous oval fritters of salt cod, potato, egg and parsley, sprayed with olive oil instead of deep-fried. Makes about 20, and they freeze well raw. About 1 hour (40 prep, 24 cook in batches) at 190 °C. Air fryer pastéis de bacalhau.
Bacalhau assado (roast salt cod)
Thick soaked cod loin roasted with garlic, olive oil and onion, basted halfway. For two. 28 minutes (10 prep, 18 cook) at 190 °C, plus soaking the cod for 1–3 days beforehand. Air fryer bacalhau assado.
Sardinhas assadas (grilled sardines)
Whole sardines with coarse salt, cooked until the skin blisters. Serve on bread with roasted pepper salad, Santos Populares style. 20 minutes (10 prep, 10 cook) at 200 °C. Air fryer sardinhas assadas.
Carapaus fritos (crispy horse mackerel)
Small whole horse mackerel, dusted in flour or fine cornmeal and sprayed with oil, eaten bones and all when small enough. Often served with tomato rice or a vinaigrette. 29 minutes (15 prep, 14 cook) at 200 °C. Air fryer carapaus fritos.
Lulas fritas (crispy squid rings)
Squid rings in a crisp panko coating, cooked hot and fast so they stay tender. A beach-bar petisco with lemon. 23 minutes (15 prep, 8 cook) at 200 °C. Air fryer lulas fritas.
Rissóis de camarão (shrimp turnovers)
Half-moon pastries filled with creamy prawn sauce, breaded and crisped. A party staple. Makes 24. About 1 hour 15 minutes (60 prep, 12 cook) at 190 °C. Air fryer rissóis de camarão.
Sides, bread and sweets
Batatas a murro (punched potatoes)
Small potatoes roasted in their skins, punched open and drowned in garlic olive oil. The side for bacalhau and grilled fish. 40 minutes (5 prep, 35 cook) at 200 °C. Air fryer batatas a murro.
Bolo do caco (Madeira garlic bread)
Madeira's round, flat sweet potato bread, cooked until hollow-sounding and split with garlic butter. Makes 6. 35 minutes (20 prep, 15 cook) at 180 °C, plus rising time. Air fryer bolo do caco.
Pastéis de nata (custard tarts)
Shop-bought puff pastry pressed into tins and filled with lemon and cinnamon custard. Oven-style air fryers get the best tops. Makes 12. 45 minutes (30 prep, 15 cook) at 200 °C or your maximum. Air fryer pastéis de nata.
Ninja Foodi 8 Qt DualZone Air Fryer
Two drawers that finish together: bacalhau in one, batatas a murro in the other. Ideal for Portuguese meals, which are usually a main plus a side.
Tip: Use the sync-finish button so both drawers are ready at the same moment.
Which Portuguese foods work in an air fryer?
The air fryer is a small, very hot fan oven. It's brilliant for anything that would normally be deep-fried in a crumb or flour coating, grilled, or roasted in small pieces.
Works well
- Breaded and floured petiscos: pastéis de bacalhau, croquetes, rissóis, small fried fish, squid.
- Small cuts of pork and chicken: bifanas, entremeada, febras, chicken thighs, rojões-sized cubes.
- Oily fish: sardines and mackerel, with far less smoke than a frying pan.
- Roast potatoes and vegetables: batatas a murro, wedges, peppers for salad.
- Chouriço: slices crisp in a few minutes, a good indoor alternative to the flaming clay grill.
- Reheating: pastéis de nata, pastéis de bacalhau and rissóis come back crisp in 3–5 minutes.
Works with adjustments
- Pastéis de nata. Basket models struggle to blister the tops. Oven-style models with a top element do better. See our air fryer size guide.
- Octopus. Boil or pressure-cook it until tender first, then use the air fryer only to char the outside.
- Whole chicken. Only fits in large oven-style machines. Thighs and drumsticks are easier.
Doesn't work
- Wet batters. Peixinhos da horta (battered green beans), pataniscas in a loose batter, and doughnuts like sonhos, malasadas and filhós drip through the basket instead of setting. Deep-fry them.
- Soups and stews: caldo verde, feijoada, cataplana dishes. Use a pot or a cataplana.
- Soupy rice: arroz de marisco and arroz de pato need a pan or clay pot.
- Bacalhau à Brás and other egg dishes that rely on stirring in a pan.
TrendPlain glass olive oil sprayer
A fine mist of real azeite is what turns air-fried food golden. It's cheaper and kinder to non-stick baskets than aerosol sprays.
Tip: Fill it with a mild olive oil and keep it next to the air fryer.
Building a Portuguese meal in the air fryer
Most Portuguese meals are a main plus a side, so two things need to finish together. A few combinations that fit a weeknight:
- Bacalhau assado with batatas a murro. Start the potatoes first, then add the fish for the last 18 minutes, or use two drawers.
- Frango piri-piri with chips and salad. Air fry the chips while the chicken rests.
- Sardinhas assadas with bread and roasted pepper salad. Roast the peppers first, peel, then cook the sardines.
- A petiscos night: croquetes, pastéis de bacalhau and lulas fritas in batches, with olives and cheese. Our petiscos night guide plans the rest.
What you’ll need
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Cosori TurboBlaze 6 Qt Air Fryer
One of Amazon's best-selling air fryers. The 6 Qt basket fits a batch of pastéis de bacalhau or chicken thighs for four, and the ceramic coating is PFAS-free.
Tip: Size is what matters for Portuguese cooking: 5.5–6 Qt feeds 2–4 people in one batch.
Ninja Foodi 8 Qt DualZone Air Fryer
Two drawers that finish together: bacalhau in one, batatas a murro in the other. Ideal for Portuguese meals, which are usually a main plus a side.
Tip: Use the sync-finish button so both drawers are ready at the same moment.
Ninja Flip Toaster Oven & Air Fryer
Oven-style, so a tray of pastéis de nata sits flat close to the top element, which gives better-browned tops than a basket.
Tip: It flips up against the wall to save counter space when you're not using it.
TrendPlain glass olive oil sprayer
A fine mist of real azeite is what turns air-fried food golden. It's cheaper and kinder to non-stick baskets than aerosol sprays.
Tip: Fill it with a mild olive oil and keep it next to the air fryer.
Frequently asked
Can you make Portuguese food in an air fryer?
Can you cook bacalhau in an air fryer?
Can you make pastéis de nata in an air fryer?
What temperature for sardines in the air fryer?
Are air-fried pastéis de bacalhau as good as deep-fried?
Recipes from this story
Air FryerFrango Piri-Piri in the Air Fryer
Portuguese piri-piri chicken with crisp, blistered skin, made in the air fryer in 25 minutes. Includes the marinade and a piri-piri oil for basting.
Air FryerBifanas with an Air Fryer Shortcut
The Portuguese garlic pork sandwich. Marinate the pork, air fry it fast, then dunk it in the reduced wine sauce, just like the snack bars in Lisbon.
Air FryerEntremeada in the Air FryerGarlic Pork Belly
Thin slices of pork belly marinated in garlic, paprika and white wine, crisped in the air fryer. A Portuguese barbecue favourite, ready in 15 minutes.