This healthy, high-protein meal will be ready in just 15 minutes!
If you haven’t tried making pork chops in the air fryer yet, you’re going to want to do so as soon as possible! Our recipe for air fryer pork chops is not only packed with savory flavors, but it’s also ridiculously healthy. Plus, thanks to the speed of air frying, this delicious main course can be on the table in just 15 minutes.
Spices are Essential for Healthy Cooking!
As far as preparing healthy meals goes, spices are an absolute necessity. They can add multiple layers of flavor without adding calories to a dish. When you compare the nutritional profiles of simply-seasoned recipes to meals that use, breading, creamy sauces, or thick gravies, they are vastly different.
Furthermore, bland recipes can be dangerous to your healthy diet, too. If your meals lack flavor, your cravings can go into overdrive. Also, a bland diet limits your chances of making it more than a few days before straying off track. Learning how to season your food properly, while skipping high-calorie condiments and additives will be so helpful to your healthy eating plan. Add spices and slash calories!
Make these Pork Chops Your Own
The combination of spices that we used in this recipe gives a deeply savory, slightly smoky flavor to the pork chops. The spice rub includes salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, and black pepper. So simple!
If you’re craving something a little bit different, you can change it up with any other blend of spices. Feel free to have some fun with it! Some other great options are:
- Dried herbs: Italian seasoning, rosemary, thyme, or oregano
- Mexican spices: ground cumin, coriander, and oregano
- Spicy flavors: cayenne pepper or chili powder
Super-Simple Air Fryer Pork Chops
The air fryer has become one of our go-to appliances for several reasons. One of our favorite reasons to love this appliance is how fast it works! To make these pork chops, you only need to follow a few simple steps. In about 15 minutes, they’ll be ready to eat.
First, preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes. In the meantime, pat the pork chops dry and spray both sides with the avocado oil. You can set them aside while you prepare the spice mixture.
Combine the kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, and ground black pepper in a medium bowl. Once you’ve mixed the seasonings well, coat each pork chop with the spice mixture and place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook the pork chops for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Note that our recipe uses 1-inch-thick boneless pork chops. If you use thicker pork chops or bone-in pork chops, you’ll need to adjust the cooking time to ensure they cook through to the center. Using a thermometer is the best way to know when pork chops are finished cooking. The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit for pork chops.
This Recipe Can be Carb-Free or Breaded
The flavor of our air fryer pork chops is wonderful enough to make you love them but what’s even better is that they’re super healthy too! This recipe isn’t just low-carb, but carb-free, making it a keto dieter’s dream! In addition to being carbless, each pork chop also offers 29 grams of protein and only 9 grams of fat. Pork contains more fat than chicken, but pork chops are one of the leanest versions of pork that you can eat!
That said, if you have a few extra calories to spend, it’s super easy to turn these into crispy breaded pork chops. If you do, you’ll want to use 1/2-inch-thick boneless pork chops instead and preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees Fahrenheit.
Season the pork chops with the spice blend in the recipe, but then set up a breading station of 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, two eggs whisked with a splash of water, and 1/3 cup of seasoned bread crumbs. Dredge each seasoned pork chop in the flour before dunking it in the eggs, ensuring they’re well-coated.
Place each pork chop in the breadcrumbs and press firmly so the breading adheres. Cook at 390 degrees for 9 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until they’re crispy and reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
Air Fryer Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork chops 1-inch thick
- avocado oil cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes.
- Pat the pork chops dry and spray both sides with the avocado oil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, and ground black pepper. Mix well.
- Coat the pork chops with the spice mixture and place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
- Cook for 9 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the chops reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nutrition Information
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Are you going to give these 15-minute air fryer pork chops a try? We hope so! And if you do, be sure to share your thoughts with us in the comment section!
Side Dishes that Satisfy
If you need some assistance picking a complimentary side dish or two, we can help! The easy sides below are flavorful and will pair well with these air-fried pork chops:
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