These air fryer pork chops are so juicy, tender, and flavorful! Use your favorite store-bought pork rub, or make our recipe for one that you can use again and again! Smoky, salty, sweet, tangy, and healthy--low carb, high protein, and gluten-free!
Why You'll Love Air Fryer Fried Pork Chops (No Breading)
If you love pork chops - be sure to give one of these delicious recipes a try: Juicy Air Fryer Frozen Pork Chops and Marinated Pork Chops (Grilled or Baked). You will love them!
Loaded With Flavor. These pork chops are so delicious because the dry rub is loaded with savory flavors from the dried herbs, salty, smoky, sweet from the brown sugar, and tangy from the ground mustard. Complimenting flavors for a perfect bone-in pork chop!
Quick! This recipe requires minimal effort and is so quick to whip together! The dry rub is just measuring out your seasoning and mixing it together. Rub on all sides of your pork, let it set for a minimum of 2 hours, and then air fry it.
Healthy. For those of you looking to cut back on sugar omit the brown sugar in the rub or use a brown sugar substitute - and because there is no breading, these chops are keto, low-carb, gluten-free, and paleo! You can use any favorite pork rub that fits your dietary needs.
Pork Chops Air Fryer Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make air fryer pork chops recipe:
- Bone-in Pork Chops: for this recipe, I used 1½-inch thick bone-in pork chops. You can use a different thickness or boneless chops; however, you will need to adjust your cooking time accordingly.
- Olive Oil Spray: use a high-quality olive oil spray that is 100% for the best result. You can use your other preferred cooking spray that is high quality.
- Pork Dry Rub: use our homemade pork dry rub (it's super easy), or use your favorite store-bought rub!
Homemade Pork Dry Rub
Note that you will have leftover rub - store it in an air-tight container for future use. It can be used on any pork or chicken recipe! 🙂
- Dried Oregano
- Cumin: is a flavorful spice that adds a little sweetness, savory, and slightly nutty flavor to a dish.
- Smoked Paprika: smoked paprika is made from a Spanish pepper and is dried. It adds a great smoky flavor to dishes, along with a mild heat.
- Dried Parsley
- Brown Sugar: use regular brown sugar, omit or use a brown sugar substitute if you want to reduce sugar.
- Garlic Salt: garlic salt can have a very strong flavor; if you don't like garlic as much or like it more, adjust the amount to your liking.
- Dried Thyme
- Onion Powder
- Ground Mustard: adds a nice tang to a dry rub that compliments pork very well! Adjust the amount of spice depending on your liking.
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- Salt
For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!
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Variations and Substitutions
- Use your favorite pork rub in this recipe instead of the homemade version.
- Use a brown sugar substitute to follow a keto diet.
- Use bone-in or boneless pork chops based on preference- bone-in tends to yield a more tender and flavorful pork chop.
- Adjust any seasonings to taste.
- Use fresh herbs if desired; however, your leftovers will spoil quickly, so try cutting down the amounts to make a single-serve amount if using fresh herbs.
- Sprinkle finely shredded parmesan cheese on top of your pork chops in the air fryer about 2 minutes before they are done to create a nice parmesan crust.
How To Cook Pork Chops in Air Fryer
For full instructions please see recipe card, this is intended as an overview only. Enjoy!
1. Mix dry rub and sprinkle pork with seasoning on both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.
2. Place chops in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spritz with olive oil. Air fry, flipping halfway through until done.
3. Transfer the chops to a plate and cover with foil. Repeat for the remaining pork chops.
How To Serve Air Fried Pork Chops
- Garnish your chops with some fresh chopped parsley.
- Serve with a fresh side salad, croutons, veggies, and your favorite salad dressing.
- Chops pair well with a vegetable side dish such as green beans, cauliflower, or broccoli.
- Another delicious side dish is some brown rice, mashed potatoes, or even cauliflower rice if you need to keep it low-carb!
Thick Pork Chops in Air Fryer Top Tips
- Bring your pork chops to room temperature before cooking--about 30 to 40 minutes. This will ensure more even cooking and you'll be less likely to overcook your chops when measuring their temperature.
- Cook your pork chops only until 138 to 140 degrees F. Remove and then cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. The chops will continue to rise to an internal temperature of 145 degrees. This will help your chops to absorb their natural juices and be extra tender and juicy inside!
FAQs
I like to use bone-in pork chops as they tend to stay more moist when cooking. You also want to make sure you aren't overcooking your pork chops in the air fryer. Start with chops that are close to room temperature and only cook them until their internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Remove and cover with foil to finish resting. The internal temperature of the chops with increase to around 145 (the safe cooking temperature - without drying out).
When picking a seasoning for pork chops, I tend to stick with a flavorful rub that includes salt, pepper, something smoky such as paprika, tangy such as mustard powder, and an herbaceous flavor like oregano, thyme, or parsley.
There may be some variance in cooking times for different brands of air fryers; however, in this recipe, we are cooking 2 pork chops at a time. When using 1 to 1½ inch pork chops you will cook for about 6 minutes on one side and flip them over and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes or until your internal temperature meets 140 degrees F.
Once cooled, you can transfer the whole to an air-tight container, or you can choose to slice your pork chops before storing them for easy reheating.
Reheat from the fridge on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave in 30-second increments until heated through, and enjoy! *Note* Be careful not to overheat as this will dry out the pork and could become chewy.
Once cooked, it is not recommended to freeze pork chops. Once reheated, the moisture pulls out of the meat, causing the pork to become very dry and chewy.
📖 The recipe.
Bone-In Pork Chops in Air Fryer Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
- 1 instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 (1 to 1½-inch thick) bone-in pork chops
- olive oil spray (use 100% olive oil spray)
- 4 tablespoons pork dry rub (store-bought or homemade, see below)
Optional Homemade Pork Dry Rub
- 3 tablespoons dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons cumin
- 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons dried parsley
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar (use regular or sugar free substitute)
- 6 teaspoons garlic salt
- 3 teaspoons dried thyme
- 3 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
To make dry rub
- Make the dry rub in a small bowl or use a pre-made store bought blend. Store any extra in an air-tight container for up to 6 months.
To make pork chops
- Sprinkle pork rub on the chops and rub it in. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours up to 24 hours. Remove the pork chops from the refrigerator about 30 to 40 minutes prior to air frying.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F
- Place the pork chops in a single layer in the air fryer basket and spritz with olive oil spray.
- Cook about 6 minutes, then turn over. Spray the chops with olive oil spray. Continue air frying until they reach 138° to 140°F in the center, another 4 to 6 minutes.
- Transfer pork chops to a plate and cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. The temperature will continue to rise as they sit. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining 2 chops.
Kori's Tips
- Don't miss all of our helpful hints, substitution ideas, cooking tips, and other delicious recipes that can be found in our post. Check it out!
- VARIATIONS: Use any favorite pork rub for this recipe. We used our pork rub with brown sugar added to get that smoky-sweet flavor! A brown sugar substitute can be used if following a sugar-free or keto diet.
- TOP TIPS: Bring the chops to room temperature before cooking (remove from fridge about 30 minutes prior to cooking). Cook pork chops to an internal temperature of 140-degrees F. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit until temperature reaches 145-degrees F.
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve with a fresh salad or green beans, and a side of brown rice or mashed potatoes.
Nutrition
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