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Air fryer salmon is the best way to cook salmon, turning out tender and flaky every single time. I love how this cooks in just 6 minutes.
It’s no secret that I use my air fryer almost daily, but my favorite use is cooking proteins, and air frying salmon is no exception.
The air fryer works its magic to create a perfectly crispy and flaky exterior for the salmon, while locking in all its juices, and the sweet and spicy rub takes it to the next level. It’s one of my family’s favorite weeknight dinners.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Ready in 6 minutes. Fish is already one of the fastest-cooking proteins, and the air fryer makes it even faster.
- Best way to cook salmon. Once my air fryer arrived, it became my go-to method for cooking salmon (alongside air fryer salmon bites).
- It’s a healthy meal option. Salmon is a nutritious and healthy source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, and cooking it in the air fryer allows you to enjoy all of its health benefits without added oil or fat.
- Easy to customize. I kept this recipe simple with a few seasonings, but you can enhance it with a sauce, marinade, or your favorite spice mix.
If you love cooking seafood in the air fryer, try my air fryer tilapia, air fryer shrimp, air fryer cod, and air fryer mahi mahi next.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“First time making salmon in the air fryer, I was skeptical but glad I took the leap of faith, it was awesome! Perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. We just used the rub in the recipe, no extra marinade, and it was perfect. Thanks, Arman, for the recipe.” – Constance
Key Ingredients
- Salmon fillets. I prefer skin-on salmon, as the skin helps cook the fish more completely and evenly. I also find they trap the juices better and yield a more tender fish. You can, of course, use skinless salmon fillets, but be sure to grease the air fryer basket generously to prevent sticking.
- Olive oil. Although salmon is naturally oily, adding a touch of oil will help the seasonings stick to the fish and also prevent it from sticking to the basket. Melted unsalted butter will also work.
- Salt and pepper. To taste.
- Brown sugar. My secret ingredient! Adding a touch of sugar helps caramelize the fish and gives it a crispy exterior and a very subtle sweetness.
- Spices. Smoked paprika, garlic, and onion powder enhance the flavor of the fish and lend it a lovely, smoky aroma.
- Sauce. This is optional, but I like to glaze the freshly cooked salmon with sweet chili sauce or honey soy sauce.
How to cook salmon in an air fryer
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1- Prep. Pat dry the salmon to ensure there is no moisture.
Step 2- Season. Add the salmon and olive oil to a small bowl and mix. Add the seasonings and rub them onto the fish.
Step 3- Air fry. Put the seasoned salmon in the air fryer basket and air fry for 6 minutes.
Step 4- Rest and serve. Remove the salmon, let it rest for a minute or two, then serve.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use a meat thermometer. My #1 tip. To ensure your salmon cooks perfectly, you can check the internal temperature. The FDA recommends cooking salmon to an internal temperature of 145°F.
- Choose even-sized salmon fillets. Opt for fillets that are similar in size and weight. This will ensure the fish cooks evenly and entirely at the same time.
- Adjust the cooking time. For 6-ounce salmon fillets, the cooking time in my air fryer was 6 minutes. Depending on the make and model, you may need to cook it for a slightly longer period.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket. If needed, I cook the fish in batches, as adding too many to the air fryer basket will affect the overall texture.
- Add parchment paper. Or air fryer liners to the base of the air fryer. This makes cleanup an absolute breeze!
Storage instructions
To Store: Leftover salmon can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze: Place the cooked and cooled salmon in a ziplock bag and store it in the freezer for up to two months.
Frequently asked questions
In my recipe, the salmon does not need to be flipped, as the skin is still intact. Salmon can be quite delicate, and flipping it risks the fish breaking apart. Even if you opt for skinless fillets, I’d recommend cooking it as is.
Yes! You can use frozen salmon, and there’s no need to thaw it. To compensate, increase the cooking time by 2 minutes.
Air-fried salmon is healthy in itself, but you can round out the meal with other healthy side dishes like steamed vegetables, rice, and salads. You can also do as I do and air fry some vegetables WITH the salmon, like air fryer brussels sprouts, air fryer asparagus, and air fryer frozen broccoli.
More simple salmon recipes
If you tried this Air Fryer Salmon recipe or any other recipe on The Big Man’s World, please rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below. It really helps others thinking of making the recipe.
6-Minute Air Fryer Salmon
Video
Ingredients
- 4 fillets salmon 4-6 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Pat dry the salmon fillets to ensure there is no excess moisture.
- In a small bowl, coat the salmon with oil, then add the salt and pepper. Mix the remaining brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, and rub over the salmon.
- Add the salmon skin side down to the air fryer basket and air fry at 200C/400F for 6 minutes, or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145F.
- Remove the salmon from the air fryer basket and glaze with a sauce, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published April 2022, updated and republished February 2025
This sounds and looks very good, but I have a couple of questions, First , I don’t have an air fryer, can I bake or broil the salmon and second, can I add a little maple syrup? Thank youk.
I tried this recipe tonight and it was so tasty! Cooked to perfection and went well with rice and quinoa! Thanks !!!
Salmon is really easy fish. I hope it will not fall apart. Tuna I can also make in air fryer?
My daughter made this and it was absolutely delicious!
Thanks, Doris!
Quick, easy, delicious
Did it! Love it ! I found red miso paste at Publix like cheesecake Factory uses . Delicious.!!
First time making salmon in the air fryer, I was skeptical but glad I took the leap of faith, it was awesome! Perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. We just used the rub in the recipe, no extra marinade and it was perfect. Thanks Arman for the recipe.
First time making salmon in the air fryer, I was skeptical but glad I took the leap of faith, it was awesome! My husband and I thought it was one of the best salmon recipes. perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. We just used the rub in the recipe, no extra marinade and it was perfect. Thanks Arman for the recipe.
I have made this several times and love it! It is so easy and the seasoning blend is perfect. So fast and easy to make!
yummmy!
This turned out awesome!
The pic looked great so I tried the recipe, no changes. The family enjoyed it, no leftovers. I will definitely make this again, maybe upping the spices some and creating a glaze to add.
Couldn’t have been better- so impressed with the combo of flavours, tenderness and how easy and quick it is.
Arman Liew, of the bigsmansworld.com…Your recipe was delicious!! Googled air-fryer recipe and yours sounded very tasty. I am older, grand mother status to you. I do a dash of this and a dash of that, versus exact measurements. I did estimate your measurements. Instead of the brown sugar; I used a HEAPING tablespoon of manuka honey. Mixed all ingredients in a frying pan, gently heated the honey with all your wonderful seasonings, coated the filets, cooked them at the temp you suggested for 6 minutes in my air-fryer and OH MY GOSH!! This was the best salmon every. I will be looking up something for chicken breasts for tomorrow. Thank you!, Sheryl H. from Georgia, USA.
I bought salmon yesterday and today followed this recipe. It was veeery tasty!!
ReaWel *****
I had this for dinner tonight with Asian salad, and it was delicious.
I made this tonight and accompanied it with some air fryer wedge potatoes. However, I modified the potato recipe. I soaked my potato wedges in 2 Tbsp. Oil mixed with Italian spices and pour it into a bag along with potatoes. Make sure potatoes are all coated with oil. Pour Italian salad dressing (powdered) in with them and make sure potatoes are coated. Put in fryer and cook for 10 minutes, stir, and cook for 5 minutes more. The salmon came out beautifully and so moist and flaky. I will probably make this again. I got the basic potato recipe from allrecipes.com but the alterations were my own.
all the recipes look mouthwatering cant wait to try them out
I wanted to try a new recipe for salmon tonight. I found several but this one caught my fancy. Prepared the salmon to go with corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes with olive oil and steak spice. It was a hit and now will be one of my go to recipes!
Aw, thanks Patti!
Thank you for this recipe! It took less than 10 minutes to prep and cook in the air fryer and the salmon turned out flaky, tender and flavorful. Will definitely make this again!
Please do!
Love this dish! Made my son start liking salmon after years saying he didn’t!!
I love, love, loved this recipe, and will never cook salmon any other way ever again! It turned out perfectly cooked in the airfryer, and with such little effort.
So good! Definitely recommend trying!
Going to try it right a way
This is so delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
So welcome, Frances!
super love salmon
Love this dish! Made my son start liking salmon after years saying he didn’t!!
Love that!!
Love this recipe. Great for fishy Friday. We have this delicious meal 3 times a month
I am new to air fryer cooking and would
Appreciate your emails
Very good! Coming from someone who doesn’t like a fishy taste, this recipe successfully changed the taste of salmon into something I love! Husband says we need to eat this every Friday. We used a roasted pineapple & habanero glaze as the finishing sauce and also had a side of garlic asparagus prepared in the air fryer at the same time as the salmon. Excellent, quick, healthy meal! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Oh wow that glaze sounds fantastic!
This salmon was excellent! Easy to prepare, too. I used Stevia in place of the sugar & cooked mine about 1-2 min longer because it was thick and it was perfect. When done I brushed it with some sweet chili sauce and sprinkled with a few sliced onions. Got a nice little crunch on the edges. My husband LOVED it! This may become a weekly favorite! Nice enough for company, too!
Did I miss the temp to airfryer? Where is it!
Perfect dinner for any night but especially fish Friday. Salmon is always a favorite
Excellent recipe. Thank you! This is now my go to recipe for Salmon! I’ve made it many times!
Thanks, Margaret!
My favorite air fryer salmon recipe ever- it really does take just 6 minutes and it’s perfectly flaky and tender.
Great to hear that!
This was delicious! Juicy , slight crisp outside and wonderful flavors. I stead of tossing it in a bowl, we just brushed oil on the tops and added the rub to the tops while the air fryer preheated. Turned out well and was a little less messy this way
Thanks, Kristen!
I want to thank you. I just found out I am going to have to go on the Low FODMAP diet and so many of your recipes meet the diet requirement or just needs a few adjustments. I have been looking for quick and easy recipes and you are the first to meet my requirements. Again thank you, you are a life savior.
You are welcome, Monica
I eat a lot of salmon – so I’m always looking for different ways to cook
This was good but I didn’t have smoked paprika so I used a meat seasoning. Probably turned out a little differently than intended.
Seriously the best foolproof way to cook salmon. My kids request this weekly. Making it tonight.
Thanks!
Another way to thank you. We found a way to cook in our oven..
We make this air fryer salmon weekly!
Made Salmon last night. Forgot about making in the air fryer. Will definitely do this next time.
It was delicious and juicy! Never baking it in the oven again!
The salmon was moist and delicious. This will be one of my go-to recipes for salmon.
Looks like a really good dish
It was fantastic as usual!
Hey Big Man, you made Salmon dinner so much easier! I always also pan-seared the salmon as well as flipped it halfway. And always made a mess. I had been intimidated by my air fryer but your simple air fryer instruction works magic! I get the seared carmelization and the neat one piece now. Thanx Arman!
I made this for lunch. It was delicious!
I loved the subtle sweetness against the smoked paprika.
Next week I plan to thaw out my left overs and add it to a salad.
Love salmon, and it’s great in the air fryer 🙂
I was always afraid of cooking salmon because it isn’t inexpensive and I was always afraid of overlooking it. This is such a simple recipe and everyone should try it. Delicious and easy.
Just amazing! I tell myself that Salmon is always dried out, but not this!
I love all the recipes that the big man’s world… Arman posts there also not only healthy but yummy & I love that there’s so few ingredients!
Thank YoU for sharing your great ideas and talents
Candace
I love the air fryer salmon. Everything in air fryer is so simple & delicious. Thank you Arman
We love your recipes and I use many of them and save them for next time.
Thank you
Very flavorful and moist!
My favorite way to make salmon! So easy to make and the salmon stays so moist. I like to add a little ancho chili powder also to give it a sweet and spicy crust.
It’s Salmon Season here in the North West. I have cooked Salmon many different ways, Smoked, BBQ, Pan Fried, in the oven on a cedar wood plank, & sashimi. When I got your post I was thinking Air Fryer!!!” I was very sceptic”. So I had to try it. I prepared my Salmon, Preheated my Air fryer all along thinking “I don’t know about this” I have a upright Air fryer with a glass window. I put the Salmon in & pulled up a chair. And watched it cook. The Salmon came out pretty good 👍. Thank You
Very easy to make and very tasty!!
Will definitely try!!
I had never cooked salmon before because I wasn’t sure how to cook it. My airfryer us my go to appliance so I tried it. It was great. Love it.
This is my Favorite protein and since Im new using the air fryer, Im so grateful I found this recipe. It was delicious! Cant wait to continue trying more things from your posts! Yum
Arman,
Hi! I made this for lunch it was awesome. I’m not a big air fryer person but this was sooo easy and it tasted great tender,flaky and super moist. Thank you. I’ll be using my air fryer a lot more now. Keep up the great work and as always Thanks and bless you for sharing your recipes.
🤗🤗🤗💖
Absolutely delicious. It’s so good, I’ve made it twice this week and turned out perfectly both times. I shall be making it again as it’s so quick and easy to do. Thank you
Oh my I made this tonight for my grandson (16) and my husband and I. We all gave it 5 stars! I was skeptical at first but my husband does not like to eat fresh salmon I thought this sounds like something he might like. BINGO you nailed it!!
Husband loved this. Will be buying salmon more often 😋
Truly delicious! I can’t imagine cooking salmon any other way from now on. Thank you.
Awesome! First time cooking salmon in the airfryer and it was the best and my husband is a salmon connoisseur. All the spices came together perfectly. Moist, tender and cooked to perfection. Hubby definitely wants this again. Thank you for sharing!
Absolutely love this recipe. Salmon is new for us, only because we just didn’t like the taste of it. Thankfully your recipe skills helped change our minds about salmon. It yielded great flavor and perfect texture without being overly cooked. Many thanks.
Yes
Can you use coconut sugar?
Yes 🙂
An exceptional and simply delicious presentation😛
Surprisingly delicious. My husband doesn’t really like salmon and he approved this recipe!
Arman,
would Swerve Brown Sugar work so this can be keto?
Thanks,
Al
Absolutely!
Can I use foil in the air fryer?
Thank you
Helen
Yes you can use foil in your air fryer. We do all the time to cover items
I made this he other night (as nuggets of salmon) and topped it with a little bit of healthy bbq sauce at the end and it was delicious!!
What air fryer is best?
I use a Phillips air fryer 🙂
Easy and delicious! Next time I’ll add a little chili powder to the rub. Give it a little heat.
Oh I’d do that too!!