Simple 3 Ingredient Pork Chop Recipe in the Air Fryer
Healthy go-to dinner idea: Air fryer pork chops
Looking for a healthy dinner idea? Pork chops is a great way to make a quick, tasty, and tender dinner. It pairs so nicely with so many side dishes, and in the air fryer you can make this recipe in less than 30 minutes!
Keep reading to learn some awesome hacks, money savings tips, and air fryer tricks to make an awesome dinner in no time!
Easy 3 ingredients air fryer pork chops
One reason why this recipe is so great is because you only really need three ingredients. To make pork chops, you will need:
- 1 pork loin roast
- Oil- preferably avocado oil or a different high smoke point oil. If you have an oil sprayer, this is a great recipe to use it. I love my Mistifi oil sprayer.
- Herb and garlic seasoning blend- or you can use your own favorite seasoning blend.
Pork chop seasoning blend
I love to buy seasoning blends from McCormick. But you can make your own blends that are pretty similar to the Garlic & Herb seasoning. The ingredients include: onion, sea salt, garlic, black pepper, oregano, parsley, and thyme.
What kind of pork loin roast should I buy?
You can buy either pre-cut and/or frozen pork chops or a pork loin roast. Before you run off to the store, check out this money saving tip.
Money saving tip
I like to make this recipe by purchasing one large pork loin roast. Then, when I am ready to make this recipe, I will cut up the pork loin roast into 1/2 to 1 inch thick slices. Normally, when I make this recipe I will only need 4 to 6 pork chops. Then, I take any leftover pork chops that I have already cut up and place them a freezer safe Ziploc bag.
What is the difference between pork loin roast and pork tenderloin?
Pork loin comes from the generally same back area of the pig as pork tenderloin. However, pork loin is usually a wider cut of meat. So much so that you can steak size pieces from pork loin. Pork loin can come with bone-in or boneless, it just depends on what you want! For this recipe, you make it bone-in or boneless.
Pork tenderloin is also known as pork fillet or pork steak. Pork tenderloin is a long, thin cut of meat that comes from the psoas major muscle on a pig. Pork tenderloin is boneless.
Can I substitute pork tenderloin with pork loin?
Because pork tenderloin and pork loin are different sizes of meat, the cooking process will be different. I do not recommend using pork tenderloin for this recipe as you will have much smaller and thinner slices of meat.
If you are looking for a quick and easy pork tenderloin recipe for the air fryer, check out this air fryer brown sugar spiced pork tenderloin recipe.
Quick and Easy Pork Chops
This recipe is so easy to throw together. Take your already cut pork chops. Pat the pork chops dry. Spray or drizzle a little bit of oil onto one side of the pork chops. Sprinkle and season the pork chops with your favorite seasoning. Rub the seasoning into the meat. Repeat this for the side of pork chops, if desired.
How to cook pork chops in the air fryer?
Place the pork chops in a preheated air fryer basket. Cook the pork chops in the air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius for 9 minutes. Check on the pork chops after 6 minutes. Use an instant read meat thermometer to get the internal temperature. If the pork chops need more time, flip the chops. Continue cooking for the last 3 minutes, or until the meat registers at 160 degrees Fahrenheit or 71 degrees Celsius.
Can I cook frozen pork chops in the air fryer?
If you freeze the leftover pork loin, you can enjoy more pork chops in the air fryer for later. The best way to do this is to take the pork chops out of the freezer and let them sit in the refrigerator during the day until thawed. Then, you cook them as normal.
How to cook frozen pork chops in air fryer
However, if you are not on top things like myself, you can cook frozen pork chops in the air fryer as well. First, preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F/204°C. Then, lightly spray the air fryer basket with avocado oil. Next, lay the frozen pork chops in the air fryer basket. After this, close the air fryer basket and cook the pork chops for 5 minutes at 380°F/193°C for 5 minutes. This will help slightly defrost the frozen pork chops before adding your spices or rub.
Next, lightly spray the pork chops with oil and massage the seasoning of your choice onto the pork chops. Then, cook the pork chops for an additional 13-15 minutes at 380°F/193°C. At the halfway point, flip the pork chops and add additional seasoning, if desired. Continue cooking the pork chops until the center is no longer pink and the inside reads 145°F/63°C.
Final Thoughts
I love how simple this recipe is to cook! You can whip it up in under 30 minutes. Plus, it pairs nicely with so many different side dishes. For example, mashed potatoes, carrots, zucchini, fruit salad, and more!
More tasty air fryer recipes
- How to Make Tasty Parmesan Air Fryer Salmon in 13 Minutes or Less
- The Best 5-Ingredient Teriyaki Ranch Chicken Recipe for the Air Fryer
- The Quick and Easy Guide to Air Fryer Roast Beef Dinner
Air fryer tips and tricks
- All about the Best and Worst Air Fryer Accessories
- How to Clean Your Air Fryer
- How to Cook Any Recipe in the Air Fryer
Herb Crusted Pork Chops
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Pork loin roast
- Oil
- Herb and Garlic Seasoning or other favorite seasoning of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F/204°C.
- Cut the pork loin roast anywhere from 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick. Freeze any extra pork chops you aren't using for later.
- Pat the pork dry. Lightly spray the chops with oil and season with seasonings to your liking. Rub the seasonings into the pork chops. Flip, oil, and season the other side of the chops.
- Place pork chops in the air fryer. Cook at 350°F/175°C for about 9 minutes, check the temp and flip at the 6 minute mark. Continue cooking for the last 3 minutes, or until pork is cooked to internal temp of 160°F/71°C.
I had a couple of good quality pork chops in my freezer. This inspired me to cook them in my 3 qt. air fryer. Complete perfection! Yummmmmy!
YAY! So glad you went for it and that you loved the result.