Tomatoes cooked in an air fryer are tasty, juicy, and quick to prepare. Try this quick air fryer tomato roasting recipe for the ideal side dish when you’re in a rush.
Roasted tomatoes from an air fryer are a fantastic side for so many meals. They cook up quickly, and easily, and are also quite healthful.
The benefit of air-frying tomatoes is that you can have perfectly roasted tomatoes without turning on the oven. In fact, they’ll be done cooking faster than a standard oven will heat up.
Are Tomatoes Healthy?
The nightshade family includes fruits like the tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum), which is a South American native.
Although it is technically a fruit, it is usually prepared and eaten like a vegetable.
The primary dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been associated with a number of health advantages, including a decreased risk of cancer and heart disease, is tomatoes.
They are also a substantial source of vitamin K, potassium, folate, and vitamin C. When fully grown, tomatoes are often red, although they can also be yellow, orange, green, or purple. There are multiple tomato subspecies, each with unique shapes and flavors.
A gaseous hormone called ethylene is produced by tomatoes as they begin to mature. Tomatoes that are grown for commercial purposes are picked and transported when they are still young and green. Before selling them, food businesses spray them with synthetic ethylene gas to turn them red.
This procedure prevents the emergence of natural flavor and may produce tomatoes with no flavor. Because they are allowed to ripen naturally, tomatoes that are cultivated locally may therefore taste better.
If you purchase unripe tomatoes, you can hasten the ripening process by placing them on the kitchen counter for a few days while they are wrapped in a sheet of newspaper. Just be careful to inspect them for ripeness every day.
Can You Cook Tomatoes In An Air Fryer?
You can definitely cook tomatoes in an air fryer.
Arrange tomato slices in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air-fry those tomatoes for 8-10 minutes at 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for a few minutes longer if you like crisper tomatoes, depending on the size of the tomatoes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe?
- As opposed to oven-roasted tomatoes, which take 11 minutes to prepare, air-fried tomatoes are quick and uncomplicated. Even cleanup is simple! All summer long, you’ll be making these repeatedly.
- Juicy, tasty tomatoes with a gently toasted, smokey exterior are the ideal accompaniment to any recipe. Serve them with eggs in the morning, put them on grilled cheese sandwiches, salads, pasta salads, or pizza, or just eat them by themselves as a snack in the afternoon.
- The nicest part about air fryer tomatoes is that you don’t even need to jiggle the air fryer basket while they are cooking; you can just set it and forget it and the air fryer will take care of the rest.
Can I Use This Recipe To Create Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes?
Absolutely! Green tomato slices have a distinct flavor from other types of tomatoes, so keep that in mind if you use them in this recipe!
You can use the same seasonings as in the recipe or experiment with new ones to suit your tastes.
This simple air fryer tomato recipe requires only a few ingredients and yields savory roasted tomatoes that are delicious!
Ingredients You Need to Make Air-Fried Tomatoes
| Tomatoes | You can use any type of tomato for this recipe, including cherry, grape, plum, buffalo, or any other size. Before air frying, larger tomatoes should be chopped or sliced. To add color to your plate, experiment by air-frying green tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, or a combination of colors. |
| Oil | Although avocado oil or vegetable oil can also be utilized, light olive oil is what I often use. Avoid using oil altogether or use less if you want your tomatoes more grilled or roasted. |
| Seasoning | Tomatoes can be air-fried simply, but they also taste fantastic when seasoned with herbs or other ingredients. My preferred seasonings are a dash of salt and some fresh thyme. |
How to Make Air Fried Tomatoes?
1. Prepare the Tomatoes
If using larger tomatoes, rinse them, pat them dry, and then chop them in half or quarters. You may fry whole grape or cherry tomatoes in the air.
Depending on their size, cut larger tomatoes in half or quarters. You need parts that are between 1 and 2 inches thick.
The cook time will need to be altered if you are air-frying larger or whole tomatoes. Up until they are done to your preference, you can add two-minute increments to the cooking time.
2. Place Tomatoes in Pan
Put tomatoes in a small baking dish or roasting pan with the sliced side facing up. An air fryer can be used with any oven-safe pan as long as it will fit in the basket and have space for the air to flow freely around it.
Spray with oil, then season with salt and any other herbs or spices (if using). In addition to ground sea salt, which is a fantastic alternative, I like to use flaked or kosher salt.
3. Air Fry Tomatoes
Set the air fryer to ten minutes at 200 degrees celsius to air fry the tomatoes until they are cooked after placing the pan into the basket (the size of the tomato pieces will be one of several factors influencing the exact time.).
When they are cooking, you may likely hear popping sounds; this is normal.
What Can You Serve With Air Fried Tomatoes?
Here are some ideas for presenting air-fried tomatoes:
- Accompanying a grilled cheese sandwich on the side.
- For a Caprese salad with roasted tomatoes, alternate slices of roasted tomato with fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil.
- Mix cooked pasta, feta cheese, and fresh basil leaf for a quick and simple summer salad. Use roasted tomatoes to top pasta dishes.
- Assemble a sandwich with chicken, avocado, and roasted tomato pasta sauce on lightly toasted bread, along with hash browns and a side of pesto.
Tips and Tricks to Make Air-Fried Tomatoes
- Due to their ideal size, I use Roma tomatoes. You might wish to cut tomato pieces into quarters if you’re using a larger tomato, like an heirloom variety. If using cherry tomatoes, you can toss them whole with some olive oil and salt. Any variety of tomatoes will do.
- My air fryer is a Cosori 5.8 Quart. Your air fryer’s size and wattage may require a 1-2 minute adjustment to the cooking duration.
What Adjustments Can Be Made For Other Tomatoes?
- Grape/cherry tomatoes: These tomatoes don’t need to be sliced because they will somewhat burst during cooking.
- Campari tomatoes: Although they are quite similar in size to Roma tomatoes, these smaller spherical tomatoes may have more seeds. These can be prepared in the same manner as romas by cutting them into quarters.
- Large slicing tomatoes (beefsteak, heirloom tomatoes): Instead of cutting large objects into quarters, everything larger than a Roma tomato should be cut into thick slices, roughly 1-2 inches thick. By doing this, the tomatoes will be fully cooked and caramelized without being overly mushy in the middle.
Conclusion
- Use silicone-tipped tongs to remove the tomatoes from the air fryer, as I have advised. I avoid scratching the ceramic covering on the air fryer basket using metal utensils. Having silicone-tipped tongs is especially beneficial if you have a basket with a comparable design.
- There is tiny debris in the air fryer basket, which makes cleanup quite simple (particularly if you use Roma tomatoes). The bottom of the air fryer should be lined with parchment paper if you are using larger tomatoes that need to be cut into thick slices rather than quarters. Even so, cleanup is still fairly simple; all you need to do is soak the basket in water for a few minutes.
- This recipe is simple to double or treble, but you need to prepare the tomatoes in batches. Avoid stuffing the basket too full to prevent the tomatoes from caramelizing properly.