5 Smart Ways to Use Your Air Fryer for Stress-Free Thanksgiving Cooking

Every Thanksgiving, the oven becomes prime real estate. With the turkey, stuffing, pies, and everything else in play, there’s always a waitlist for rack space. That’s when it’s time to put those trendy countertop appliances—currently collecting dust on the bottom shelf—to work, chief among them the air fryer.

Anyone who owns one knows this little workhorse can roast, crisp, and reheat with shockingly good results. Treat it less like a toy for frozen snacks and more like what it truly is: a mini convection oven. Do that, and it becomes the smartest backup appliance in your Thanksgiving lineup. Here’s how to make it earn its keep.

1. Reheat Bread and Rolls Like a Pro

The air fryer is great for reviving dinner rolls, biscuits, and cornbread without drying them out. Skip the microwave, which turns carbs into rubber, and heat your air fryer to 300°F instead. Arrange the rolls in a single layer, mist lightly with water or brush with melted butter, and reheat for 2 to 4 minutes, just until warm and lightly crisped on top.

If you’re reheating already glazed or buttered rolls and you want to freshen up the glaze or butter, wait to reapply a second coating until after reheating to prevent it from burning. You can even refresh day-old cornbread by wrapping it in foil (to keep the edges from hardening) and reheating in the air fryer at 300°F for 5 minutes. It comes out tender and fragrant, like it just left the oven.

2. Give Roasted Veggies a Quick Refresh

Roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and carrots can lose their edge after a few hours on the counter or a night in the fridge. Maybe you roasted them earlier in the day, when the oven was free, and now they’re fading while casseroles take over. Or perhaps you’re reviving leftovers the next day. Either way, the air fryer is a great way to bring them back to life.

Toss the veggies lightly with oil or melted butter, then air-fry at 375°F for 3 to 5 minutes. The circulating heat crisps up the edges and revives their caramelized flavor without overcooking the centers.

3. Cook Appetizers and Smaller Sides

If your oven’s packed to capacity, let your air fryer take the reins for small-batch roasting and appetizers. It’s not just for reheating—its high-speed convection is tailor-made for crisping up vegetables and bite-size snacks. Brussels sprouts, parsnips, and potatoes come out golden and crisp on the edges, with tender centers, in a fraction of the usual time.

You can also use it for quick appetizers or snacks that need a last-minute warm-up—think pigs in a blanket, puff pastry bites, and spiced nuts. They’ll come out perfectly crisp in just a few minutes, no preheating required.

4. Don’t Forget Dessert

You won’t be able to squeeze a whole pie tin into your air fryer, but it’s perfect for warming up individual slices of pie, pieces of cobbler, a loaf cake, or even a few cookies. The circulating heat gently revives crusts and crumb without overcooking or drying them out.

5. Use It to Transform Your Leftovers

You spent hours pulling off the meal (or you lucked into a plate of someone else’s hard work)—either way, those leftovers deserve better than a microwave zap. The air fryer is the quickest way to bring them back to life, giving you the texture and flavor of a hot oven without the long preheat.

Cold stuffing can transform into crunchy-edged bites, and mashed potatoes become golden, crisp-edged patties that stay creamy inside. Press the leftover stuffing into a shallow layer directly onto the air-fryer tray, and air-fry at 375°F for about 5 minutes, until the top is crisp. Form mashed potatoes into small cakes, lightly coat with oil or cooking spray, and air-fry at 375°F for 6 to 8 minutes, until browned outside and fluffy within.

It’s also your ticket to an epic leftover sandwich. Reheat turkey slices in the air fryer at 325°F for just a few minutes—enough to warm them through without drying them out—then layer them onto good bread with gravy, cranberry sauce, and maybe a few of those crisp stuffing bits. 

This Thanksgiving, let the air fryer earn its spot in your holiday rotation.