Air Fryer Pork Belly

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5 from 10 votes
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Air fryer pork belly is an easy way to cook crisped, crackly, and incredibly juicy pork in no time. Seasoned with a simple salt rub, I love how it works as an appetizer or main dish!

Love air fryer recipes? Try air fryer chicken breast, air fryer pork tenderloin, and air fryer steak.

air fryer pork belly.

This air fryer pork belly recipe yields a beautifully seared crust and melt-in-your-mouth meat. 

Most pork belly recipes need lengthy cooking times to render the fat. However, my simple, 3-ingredient alternative yields the same succulent slab of pork belly using nothing more than salt and cooking spray. No heavy oils or long cooking times are needed!

Table of Contents
  1. Why I love this recipe
  2. Ingredients needed
  3. How to cook pork belly in an air fryer
  4. Arman’s recipe tips
  5. Flavor variations
  6. Storage instructions
  7. More pork belly recipes
  8. Air Fryer Pork Belly (Recipe Card)

Why I love this recipe

  • It’s healthy-ish and mess-free. Air frying achieves the same mouthwatering meat and crisped crackling as deep frying but with a fraction of the oil and significantly less mess. 
  • Mostly hands-off. The air fryer does most of the work in this recipe, and there’s almost no babysitting needed, unlike pan-searing and deep-frying.
  • Goes well with anything. I sometimes serve this pork as the main dinner meal for my family, but it’s also a fun appetizer or afternoon snack.  
pork belly in the air fryer.

Ingredients needed

  • Skin-on Pork belly. The quality of your pork belly matters. Look for slabs that are evenly marbled with fat and are bright pink with no signs of discoloration. I find getting pork belly from an actual butcher VS a local grocery store to be so much better. The meat is typically fresher and doesn’t contain any preservatives. Also, please don’t use frozen pork belly- it just won’t crisp up the same.
  • Sea salt. For seasoning.
  • Olive oil spray. Or any non-stick cooking spray to grease the air fryer basket and prevent sticking. 

How to cook pork belly in an air fryer

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1 – Season the pork belly. Pat the pork belly dry with a paper towel, then rub it with salt. 

seasoned pork belly.

Step 2 – Air fry. Place the pork belly in the greased air fryer basket. Air fry at 200ºC/400ºF until the skin crackles, then lower the temperature to 160ºC/320ºF and continue cooking until the pork is cooked through. 

pork belly in air fryer.

Step 3 – Rest, slice, and serve. Transfer the cooked pork belly to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. When the time is up, slice it and serve!

fried pork in air fryer basket.

Make pork belly bites!

Feel free to cook bite-sized pieces of pork belly instead of an uncut slab. To do this, place the meat in the freezer for about 20 minutes so it’s easier to slice. Cut the slab into 1-inch bite-sized pieces and air fry them at 200ºC/400ºF for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing the basket a few times as they cook. 

Arman’s recipe tips

  • Always pat it dry. Use paper towels to pat the pork belly dry before cooking. This helps the salt stick to the surface and gives you crispier results.
  • Use a sharp knife to score the top layer of skin in a criss-cross pattern. This helps the fat render out while the skin gets nice and crispy.
  • The safe internal temperature for pork belly is 63ºC/145°F. To check this, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest end of the slab. 
  • Let it rest before slicing. This allows the delicious juices to soak back into the meat.

Flavor variations

Salt is all you really need to infuse more flavor into the pork, but you can experiment with different spices and flavoring agents to suit your taste buds. Here are some ideas:

  • Glazed. My 3-ingredient ham glaze, hot honey sauce, katsu sauce, and pork tenderloin marinade would be great as a glaze. Just be sure to baste the meat during the last 2 to 3 minutes of the cooking time to preserve the crackly skin. 
  • BBQ. Slather on your favorite BBQ sauce and broil for the final 2-3 minutes.
  • Candied. Brush maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar syrup over the meat during the last few minutes of cooking. 
  • Hot and spicy. Rub the pork with red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, and chili powder before cooking.
  • Garlic. Rub the pork with salt mixed with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. 

Storage instructions

To store: Once cooled, refrigerate the pork belly in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.  

To freeze: If you want to freeze leftover pork belly, let it cool, wrap it in foil or plastic, and then freeze it in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. 

To reheat: Return the leftover pork belly to a preheated 200°C/400°F air fryer for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

crispy air fried pork belly.

More pork belly recipes

air fryer pork belly recipe.

Air Fryer Pork Belly

5 from 10 votes
Air fryer pork belly is an easy way to cook crisped, crackly, and incredibly juicy pork in no time. Seasoned with a simple salt rub, I love how it works as an appetizer or main dish! Watch how I make this in my kitchen in the video below!
Servings: 8 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes

Video

Ingredients  

  • 1 pound pork belly
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon oil or cooking spray

Instructions 

  • Preheat the air fryer to 200C/400F. Spray cooking oil inside the basket. 
  • Pat dry the pork, then rub salt all over it. 
  • Place the pork belly in the air fryer basket and air fry for 20-25 minutes, or until the skin crackles.
  • Reduce the air fryer temperature to 160C and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. 
  • Let the pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing. 

Notes

TO STORE: Once cooled, refrigerate the pork belly in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.  
TO FREEZE: If you want to freeze leftover pork belly, let it cool, wrap it in foil or plastic, and then freeze it in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. 
TO REHEAT: Return the leftover pork belly to a preheated 200°C/400°F air fryer for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 294kcalProtein: 12gFat: 20gSodium: 309mgPotassium: 105mgVitamin A: 6IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.3mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Arman Liew
Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!

Originally published May 2023, updated and republished March 2024

Arman Liew

I’m a two time cookbook author, photographer, and writer, and passionate about creating easy and healthier recipes. I believe you don’t need to be experienced in the kitchen to make good food using simple ingredients that most importantly, taste delicious.

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5 from 10 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    You can’t see the pork belly when using instapot air fryer. So how do I know if the skin is crispy?

  2. 5 stars
    Delicious! Crispy and chewy at the same time. So much easier than I had done it before. This is my new way to cook pork belly!

  3. 5 stars
    OOOOOPS My bad. I went back and reread the info and you did supply F temps. Thank you. Sometimes I miss things because of my laptop screen. Have a great weekend.

  4. 5 stars
    Hi Arman, thank you for this recipe. I have tried making chicharron the traditional way a few times and failed. I am now going to try your recipe. I have one question though, I do not have an air fryer but I do have a convection oven and am wondering if the heat settings would be the same. Thank you for taking the time to answer.

  5. 5 stars
    Im love this very easy,I substituted the oil spray with a few drops of olive oil,very happy with the results will make again,,
    Thanks for sharing

  6. 5 stars
    Oh my goodness, this is so good. Will definitely make this again. We didn’t even have any leftovers to take to work tomorrow.