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This Air Fryer Tilapia recipe is so quick and easy. Simply seasoned mild white fish is cooked to flaky perfection and served with a bright lemon-caper sauce. Requiring less than 20 minutes, this meal is sure to make its way into your busy weeknight rotation.
For a complete Mediterranean-inspired meal, serve it with my flavorful Mediterranean rice and a fresh Shopska salad.
If you’re short on time and craving a healthy, flavorful dinner, this air fryer tilapia recipe is your answer. In just about 20 minutes, you’ll have perfectly flaky tilapia with a crispy exterior, all achieved with minimal oil thanks to the air fryer. Seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, the mild white fish shines with the addition of a zesty lemon-caper sauce that adds the perfect burst of bright, tangy flavor. This method is not only quick and easy, but it also locks in moisture, making it ideal for busy weeknights. And if you prefer baking your fish, don’t miss out on my fabulous garlic butter oven baked tilapia.
Why We Love This Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe
- Easy Prep: All you have to do is rub the tilapia with olive oil and seasonings, and it’s ready for air frying.
- Delicious Flavor: The combination of flavors and the air-frying technique makes delicious fish that will impress even the pickiest eaters.
- Efficient Cooking: The air fryer’s hot air circulation cooks the tilapia evenly, resulting in a golden brown exterior and a tender, flaky center.
- Nutritious Option: Air frying requires significantly less oil compared to pan-frying, making this a better choice for those mindful of their oil intake.
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make this air fryer tilapia recipe, we will use a handful of basic ingredients that pack a lot of flavor without much fuss. I’ve outlined some key notes and substitutions to help you customize the dish to your liking. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for full instructions and exact measurements so you can get started on this quick and easy meal.
- Fresh tilapia filets: Try to find fillets that are equal in size so they all will cook through at the same time. Cod, haddock, or any other white fish fillets are suitable substitutes.
- Seasonings: To enhance the flavor of the fish, I use a simple seasoning of sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. You can also use kosher salt or regular table salt and change up the seasonings as you want. Lemon pepper, Cajun spice, or Italian herbs are great flavor options.
- Olive oil: Helps the seasonings adhere to the fish and promotes a crispy exterior in the air fryer. Avocado oil or melted butter can also work.
- Salted butter: Used for the base of the sauce to add richness and flavor. Unsalted butter is okay to use; just add a pinch of salt.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic, but if unavailable, you can use garlic powder instead.
- Lemon juice: I highly suggest using freshly squeezed lemon juice here.
- Capers: These little flower buds add a briny, tangy punch to the sauce.
How to Make Air Fryer Tilapia
Cooking tilapia is as straightforward as it is delicious. Follow these easy steps to achieve a beautifully golden and flaky fish that’s ready to impress in mere minutes.
- Season the fish. Coat the tilapia in olive oil and arrange it in a single layer in the basket of an air fryer. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Air fry the tilapia. Cook the tilapia for 6 minutes in an air fryer preheated to 415˚F.
- Make the sauce. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the garlic, and sauté until fragrant. Add the lemon juice and capers.
- Serve. Spoon the sauce over the cooked fish and serve.
Recipe Tips And Variations
- Preheat the air fryer. It might be tempting just to toss the fish in the cold air fryer, but let it preheat first. It will shorten the cooking time and improve the texture.
- Use cooking spray. Unless you want your fish to stick to the air fryer basket and likely fall apart when you try to flip it, give the basket a light coating of cooking spray.
- Avoid overcrowding: Ensure not to overcrowd the air fryer to allow heat to evenly reach every part of the tilapia for uniform cooking.
- Adjust cooking time: Larger or thicker fillets may require extra time in the air fryer. Check at 6 minutes; if it doesn’t flake easily with a fork, continue cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes until it’s done.
- Keep an eye on the butter. When preparing the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat, ensuring it doesn’t brown to maintain the sauce’s intended flavor.
- Fish options: This recipe also works with sea bass, cod, or salmon. Cooking times may vary based on the fish’s thickness. If not done after 6 minutes, air fry for an additional 2 minutes or until desired doneness.
- Boozy twist: Enhance the sauce with 2 tablespoons of white wine, boiled for 30 seconds, then add lemon juice and capers.
- Sauce variations: Besides the classic lemon-caper sauce, consider alternatives like the cream sauce from my air fryer lobster recipe, Hollandaise sauce, or the garlic soy dressing from our baby bok choy recipe.
- Breaded tilapia option: To add some crunch, coat the tilapia in a mixture of 2 cups breadcrumbs (or panko crumbs) and seasonings, then dip in a beaten egg with water. Air fry as usual, flipping halfway through.
Serving Suggestions
This mild fish dish pairs well with various side dishes, like a light, fresh Jennifer Aniston’s bulgur salad or my green goddess salad, which are great accompaniments to tilapia.
I also recommend serving it with freezer mashed potatoes or these crispy smashed potatoes! My basil pesto grilled potatoes in foil, and these garlic butter hasselback potatoes are also fantastic with air fryer tilapia.
Add these oven roasted vegetables to the menu, or try my grilled asparagus, this air fryer broccoli, or my lemon butter green beans, too!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Allow the tilapia to cool, then put it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Keep the sauce in a separate container. Defrost in the fridge, then reheat.
- To reheat, place the fish in the air fryer at 325˚F for about 5 minutes or in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the sauce on the stove over low heat.
More Fish Recipes to Try
- Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
- Grilled Swordfish Recipe
- Sheet Pan Fish and Chips
- Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce
- Mediterranean Style Baked Tilapia
- Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa
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Air Fryer Tilapia
Ingredients
For the tilapia
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tilapia fillets, about 6 ounces each
- cooking spray, to grease the air fryer basket
For the lemon capers sauce
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons capers
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the tilapia
- Preheat the air fryer to 415˚F and spray the basket of your air fryer with cooking spray.
- Whisk together the sea salt, garlic powder, and ground black pepper and set aside.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the tilapia and massage it into the fish, coating it evenly.
- Arrange the tilapia fillets in the basket with at least ½ inch of space between each fillet. If the basket is too small, cook the fish in batches.
- Sprinkle half of the seasoning over the fillets. Flip, and sprinkle with the other half of the seasoning.
- Air fry for 6 minutes; flip the fish halfway through the cooking time.
For the lemon capers sauce
- Meanwhile, make the sauce and start by melting the butter in a saucepan set over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 15 seconds or until fragrant.
- Whisk in the lemon juice to combine, then stir in the capers. Remove from heat.
- Remove the tilapia from the air fryer and arrange the fillets on a serving platter.
- Spoon the sauce over the cooked tilapia and serve.
Equipment
Notes
- Preheat. Let the air fryer preheat first. It will shorten the cooking time and improve the fish’s texture.
- Don’t crowd the air fryer. Avoid overcrowding the air fryer to ensure each tilapia fillet cooks evenly. When the fillets touch, it prevents heat from circulating around every part of the fish, leading to uneven cooking.
- Fish varieties: This recipe can be used with other fish, such as sea bass or salmon, but cooking times may vary. Most fish is done when its internal temperature registers at 145˚F.
- Wine: You can add white wine to the sauce or use an entirely different sauce to serve with the fish. I like Hollandaise.
- Breaded tilapia: Instead of just seasoning the tilapia, mix the same seasonings with 2 cups of breadcrumbs. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water and evenly coat the fillets in the egg mixture, followed by the seasoned breadcrumbs. Air fry as per the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
I love how easy this recipe is!! Such an easy and amazing meal!
What a delicious dinner idea! I love tilapia so much!
This is so flavorful and delicious!
Looks incredibly delicious! Can’t wait to make this!
This is such a delicious recipe. The capers and the lemon are perfect with the tenderness of the tilapia.