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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
6 Min
23/12/2025
This Christmas, your air fryer can be the magic you didn’t know you needed. It’s small, a little intimidating, but capable of powerful creations. Pop in some simple ingredients, with a brush of oil and your favourite seasonings, and out come golden, crispy, flavour-packed sides that make you wonder why you didn't make them before. By the end of it all, even the pickiest eaters will be sneaking around the table like Kevin dodging traps – for seconds.
Christmas dinner can be chaotic with multiple dishes fighting for oven space, timers going off simultaneously, and that one tray you forgot about until the smoke hits your nose. But what if your sides didn't need to join the oven queue? Enter the air fryer– the secret weapon for crispy, golden sides as the mains hog the spotlight. This article highlights the likes of garlic parmesan potatoes, crispy Brussels sprouts, and bacon-wrapped sausages. Whether you're cooking for two or twenty, these recipes will give you minimal stress.
The smell of the garlic and parmesan hits you even before you get a taste of these babies. For this dish, halved baby potatoes are tossed with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and Italian herbs, then coated with finely grated Parmesan before being arranged in the air fryer basket and cooked. The magic happens inside the air fryer, as with the high heat, the oil crisps the skins of the potatoes, while the garlic infuses the surface, and the cheese melts and browns into salty, crunchy patches.
Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, this dish features peeled carrots sliced into evenly sized sticks or chunks. The carrot sticks are coated with olive oil, salt, black pepper, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. You can use other seasonings like thyme and rosemary for a herbaceous flavour, or opt for an earthy blend of cumin, paprika, coriander, cinnamon, and more. The slight charring of the exterior amplifies their flavour, and the seasoning clings to each piece. It’s the perfect side to Christmas roasts and heavier dishes.
This one’s an oven-roasted classic, but with an air fryer makeover. Brussels sprouts are trimmed, halved, and lightly tossed with oil and salt, then spread in the air fryer. You can also use flavoured butter to coat them, for an indulgent version. The time in the air fryer yields crisp, slightly charred Brussels sprouts with tender interiors. The high heat deepens their natural sweetness and amplifies natural bitterness into the roasted flavour. They pair well with the meaty mains, mashed potatoes, risotto and more.
You’ve heard of pan-tossed garlic mushrooms; now you have these breaded mushrooms, which are crispy and the perfect sides for Christmas dinner. This recipe involves whole or halved button or cremini mushrooms that are wiped clean and trimmed, then dusted with flour, dipped in beaten egg, and pressed into a breadcrumb mix that has Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper. Air-fried at 200°C, their coating turns deep golden and crisp, with tender mushrooms.
Somewhere between a can’t-be-bothered-to-go-all-the-way mashed potatoes and roasted whole baby potatoes lies smashed potatoes. It’s made with boiled potatoes that are smashed flat, with a thick-bottomed glass or vessel, leaving cracks that catch oil and seasonings. They’re brushed with butter and olive oil, sprinkled with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, then arranged in the air fryer at 200°C. The result is uneven, crunchy edges with soft centres in each piece. For more flavour and colour, sprinkle parsley and peri peri seasoning on them.
If you are going all out for your Christmas feast, then chances are you will have some stuffing left over. Use them to make air fryer stuffing balls using bread cubes mixed with sautéed onion and celery, dried parsley, poultry or mixed herb seasoning, salt, and pepper, then bound with beaten egg and chicken stock. Shape into truffle-sized balls, or slightly bigger, and lightly coat with oil. Air fry the balls at 180°C, for the exterior to turn golden-brown and crispy with a moist, flavour-packed centre.
Sticking to the British style of doing things this time, this dish uses small pork or chicken sausages, wrapped in a thin slice of streaky bacon. They are arranged in a single layer in the air fryer and cooked at 180°C for 10-12 minutes until the bacon is golden and crisp and the sausages are fully cooked inside. The American one uses dough to yield a baked hot dog, kind of a snack. This one, on the other hand, is the perfect side for heavier dishes, and uses festive favourite meats as well.
So this Christmas, let your air fryer do the heavy lifting on the sides. Your stress levels will go down, your guests will ask for seconds, and you'll actually have time to enjoy that glass of mulled wine before dinner. (In Santa’s voice:) Now that's what sounds like a Christmas miracle.
