19 Canned Foods You Should Be Making In Your Air Fryer

Walk into almost any supermarket in the United States and you'll find aisles of canned foods. Although they may cost a little more now than they did, these products have more than demonstrated their convenience in the roughly 200 years since they first arrived on U.S. shores. We all have a can of something lurking in our larders — though you won't find this staple on Ina Garten's shelves.

In recent years, we've been able to do more with canned foods than crack them open and pour them into a pan. In 2006, Tefal unveiled its ActiFry and, four years later, Philips unveiled its rival product, the Rapid Air. Both paved the way for today's billion-dollar air fryer market. The best thing about these two leaps in convenience cooking? We can use one to create amazing things with the other. Here are some canned foods you should be making in your air fryer.

There are plenty of canned foods that aren't worth putting in your shopping cart, but when it comes to versatility, flavor, and being all-around delicious, canned chicken is one of the best. It's a great source of protein and, while the quality can vary depending on the brand, reading the label can be a good guide. Try to choose one with no filler, that comes in water, and has no added nasties, like antibiotics.

Canned chicken is also ideal for cooking in an air fryer. The direct heat takes it to the next flavor level, but it's also versatile enough to work with lots of ingredients. Plus, it's already cooked, so there's less of a health risk compared to raw chicken. Want an easy weekday family dinner? Combine your canned chicken with flour, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and seasoning, to make palm-sized patties, then pop them in the air fryer until golden brown and serve with veggies, pasta or salad.

Of all the tasty foods that come in a can, the humble potato has to be one of the most underrated. Most people pick up bags at the supermarket and haul them home, only to scour the internet a few days later to find out if sprouted potatoes are safe to eat. Canned potatoes do away with all that hassle, and you can do almost as much with them as the fresh kind.

While home-canned potatoes may have their skins on, those sold commercially in tins are unlikely to, thanks to the risk of bacteria. While that might be a downer for some, it also means there's no messy peeling when using canned potatoes. Slip them whole in your air fryer for piping hot roasties in moments, dice and toss them in olive oil and herbs for a delicious side, or quarter them and drench with salt and paprika for wonderful wedges.

There are some canned foods that are eaten almost as soon as they're put on the shelf. Then there are those, bought in good faith, but which end up being slowly pushed to the back of the pantry cupboard. In many households, this is the sad fate of chickpeas, but these protein powerhouses are worthy of more than turning into home-made hummus.

Looking for a healthy but delicious snack? Drain a can of chickpeas, throw them into a little olive oil and the seasoning of your choice, then put them in the air fryer until crispy. Tinned chickpeas can also make fantastic air-fried burgers and falafels. Mash them in a bowl alongside a little flour, as well as garlic, salt, pepper, spices, and a splash of aquafaba, then form into patties or balls, and cook until golden.

There are more than 100 different kinds of apples grown in the United States but they're all packed with nutrients and fiber, so they're great for our health. Canned apples are a convenient substitute for those times when the fruit bowl is empty, but it's worth remembering they do contain more sodium than the fresh kind. That said, they work wonders in lots of air fryer recipes.

Of course you can rustle up a classic apple pie, but you can also roll canned slices in cinnamon and sugar, and cook them for a speedy sweet treat. Create turnovers in around 10 minutes by spooning canned apples onto pre-made puff pastry sheets, or simply stir them into vanilla-flavored batter for a delicious sponge. Don't forget this air fryer hack to get perfect cakes every time.

Nothing beats a light and fluffy biscuit at any time of the day. Whether it's served with thick sausage gravy or lashings of honey, it is an iconic, beloved food across the United States. Although biscuits can be easy to make at home, when time is not on your side, the canned version can be just as good. The best news of all? Your air fryer will cook them in no time.

You can have fuss-free, evenly-cooked canned biscuits for breakfast even on your busiest days: Just pop them in the air fryer basket with a little space between each one, and cook until golden. If you have more time, cut a hole in the middle before cooking and dip them in frosting after for a donut-style treat, or stuff the inside with your fave sweet or savory filling for a made-in-moments snack.

Of all the foods that come in a tin, sardines are among the best. Full of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, they're incredibly good for us, but they don't have an overwhelming fishy flavor. Chef José Andrés loves sardines straight out of a tin, but the air fryer can take this flexible, meaty fish to a whole new level.

Depending on the sauce your sardines come in, either drain or clean them. Toss the fish in a little seasoned flour before air frying them for roughly 10 minutes, and you've got a healthy, crunchy addition to a green salad or a pile of pasta. If you want to take it up another notch, dip the fish in beaten egg and coat them in a crumb made from finely grated cheese, paprika and garlic powder, then air fry until golden brown.

Tinned foods can be a handy substitute for unavailable fresh versions, but whoever came up with canned bananas was trying to solve a problem that didn't exist. Tinned banana blossoms, however, are another tale entirely. These vegan staples are the flowers from the fruit trees, and they're often used as a plant-based alternative for fish.

If you don't have the time for the labor intensive work of preparing fresh banana blossoms, canned ones are a great substitute. Because they have a flaky texture similar to jackfruit, they lend themselves beautifully to a vegan twist on traditional fish and chips, cooking in an air fryer in around 25 minutes. Chopped banana blossoms also make tasty vegan fish cakes, or you can simply air fry them straight out of the tin and enjoy.

You know a tinned food is a national icon when it gets its own day (September 27, as all hash lovers know). Corned beef may be one of the oldest canned products, it has weathered every food trend and remains a popular canned meat across the country. Air fryer owners know it's a breeze to rustle up a speedy but delicious hash, whether they stick to the old-school, potato-and-meat combination, or mix it up with different veggies.

You can use the air fryer to reheat leftover hash, or give your can of corned beef a new lease of life by adding it to a quiche. Combine it with finely chopped onion and spread over a pastry base, then top with a blend of eggs, cheese, and herbs. Pop it in the air fryer for around 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown, and serve with salad or veggies.

Home cooks could be forgiven for thinking that air fryers are the last place to cook "wet" canned foods like kidney beans. After all, sauces or liquids and electrical goods are a bad combination, not to mention the clean-up. But there is a simple way around it: Put a metal bowl in the air fryer basket. Now you can use your favorite appliance to cook all kinds of canned beans in a flash, with no mess and zero danger.

Tinned butter or lima beans bring richness to stews and casseroles but you can turn them into a crispy protein-packed snack. Just drain and rinse the can, toss the beans in the seasonings of your choice, and blast them in the air fryer. Fed up with the same old steamed or boiled green beans? Breathe new life into them with this air fryer hack.

Sweet corn is an easy vegetable to cook, and just two ingredients can enhance its flavor, but full ears don't always lend themselves to every recipe. Hello canned sweet corn, an instant dash of color and (shh so the kids don't hear) a dose of fiber. It's also a great food to cook in an air fryer: Sweet corn gets a caramelized crunch that is delicious, whether it's in a veggie or meat patty or on its own.

Looking for a movie night snack but not in the mood for popcorn? Drain and rinse a can of sweet corn, dredge it with salt, garlic powder, and paprika, then coat it in corn starch. Scatter it on the bottom of the air fryer pan and cook until crunchy and golden. Alternatively, tip the seasoned corn into a bowl and add a few knobs of butter before popping it all in the air fryer.

Of all the canned fruit that can be given a new lease of life in various recipes, pears are one of the most under-rated. Unlike the fresh fruit, canned versions are always perfectly ripe, and need zero preparation but they still have all the health benefits, including lots of fiber and vitamin C. Tinned pears also work brilliantly in a bunch of air fryer recipes.

Want a more sophisticated air fryer crumble or sponge cake for a family dinner? Swap out that canned apple for tinned pears and watch everyone's faces light up. If you're looking for something lighter, try turning them in a combination of melted butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Carefully place them in the air fryer pan and cook for 10 minutes or until the edges become caramelized, and serve with Greek yogurt or crème fraîche.

There are lots of pitfalls to cooking salmon fillets at home, but tinned salmon in the air fryer? It couldn't be simpler. If you've got a spare can of this delicious fish in your pantry, it can be a great way to introduce children to its subtle, sweet flavor — not to mention a sneaky way of getting all that omega 3 and vitamin D in them.

Salmon patties are a popular air fryer staple for everyone: a mix of egg, breadcrumbs, herbs, seasoning, and fish, shaped into flat rounds and cooked until golden. Tinned salmon is also a great replacement for leftover fish in this recipe for crunchy, tasty salmon croquettes. Want a dinner menu with a difference? Swap the ground beef out of a stuffed pepper for salmon for a rich and filling protein boost in minutes.

The United States is a patchwork of regional foods, and few reflect the nation's proud immigrant history like the sausage. Chorizo, kielbasa, breakfast sausages, bratwurst, and Italian sausage are just a handful. As this Redditor quipped, "Americans are not averse to enjoying meat in tube form of all shapes, sizes, and flavors." That includes tinned Vienna sausage.

Canned Vienna sausages are tailor-made for air fryers. Crack a can open and call it convenience squared. Pop the Vienna sausages directly in the basket — make sure there's a little space around them so they're evenly done — and cook them for around 15 minutes, or bread them and air fry for up to 10 minutes for a crispy version. If you want more than a plateful of savory faves, dice the canned sausages and mix them with eggs to give a meaty boost to a breakfast omelet.

It's hard to believe these days, but pineapples were once the preserve of the very rich. Today, thanks to the tinned food industry, millions of households have a can or two of this sweet treat sitting in their kitchen cupboards. Like lots of tinned fruits, pineapple comes with a host of benefits for our bodies, including boosting our gut health. It also cooks up a storm in an air fryer.

Got a can or two of pineapple rings? That's all the reason you need to revive a lost food from the 1970s with this air fryer cake. For 21st century sophistication, grab your spices and a can of pineapple chunks. Sprinkle brown sugar into a bowl, then add the warm spices of your choice: Nutmeg and cinnamon work well, as do paprika or even red pepper powder. Add a dash of lime or lemon juice, mix and coat your pineapple, before air frying.

If you're looking for a fantastic, flavorful way to give this superfood a twist, using an air fryer is the way to go. Most people eat their beets pickled or roasted, and it's the latter option that opens the door to foodie adventures with the canned beets and the counter-top appliance.

For delicious crispy-yet-fondant roasted beets, crack open a can of slices or cubes, drain them and pop them in a bowl with a little olive or avocado oil. Add salt and pepper, as well as garlic powder, or a touch of cumin or paprika, and coat the veggies in the marinade. Tip the lot into your air fryer, and cook until the edges of the beets are darkened and deliciously caramelized. Serve them as a veggie main course, or as a healthy side to a family dinner.

Love them or loathe them, mushrooms are a flavor powerhouse, whether they're adding depth to a sauce or giving a glow up to a plain burger. Fresh ones can be a challenge to keep that way: One day they look round and tempting, the next they're a pile of slimy mush, and while dried fungi definitely serves flavor, it can do so at a price. The tinned kind are a long-lasting, cost-efficient alternative, and they're ideal for air fryer recipes.

Add them to whisked eggs for an umami omelet to start the day, or throw them and some cheese into the mix for a meat-free savory muffin. Drained and tossed in olive oil, canned mushrooms come out crisp and delicious after 10 minutes in an air fryer, not forgetting the evergreen breaded kind. Don't forget to sprinkle garlic powder in the coating to give your tinned mushrooms a flavor boost.

Most people use tinned tuna cold in a salad or a poke bowl, but this fish is also great when it is cooked. Like canned salmon, tinned tuna makes for some delicious air-fried patties or croquettes.

Drain the fish, then mix thoroughly with flour, egg, onions, mayonnaise, cheese, and herbs. Form small patties and cook in the air fryer until golden, flipping them about half way. You can also make the ultimate tuna melt casserole in an air fryer, using pretty similar ingredients for the patties, but switching lemon juice for the flour and egg. Just mix everything in the air fryer basket and heat through. Looking to upgrade your tuna melt? Put the entire sandwich in the air fryer for the ultimate snack.

Millions of people spend the summer gorging on fresh peaches, so it's no surprise that many of them keep tins of them in their pantries, too. This trick will make them last even longer but if you can't wait, open the can and whip up a fruity, sweet dessert using your air fryer.

If you want to take canned biscuits to the next level, throw a couple of cans of peaches into the bottom of your air fryer, top with the biscuits and bam: delicious cobbler in minutes. Got vegan or vegetarian guests coming over, or want to up the family's fruit intake? Dust your tinned peach halves or slices in honey or brown sugar and top with a blend of oats, flaked nuts and cinnamon for a delicious dessert in around 10 minutes.

Some tinned foods are packaged at the peak of freshness, like fruit or vegetables. They can also be a quick all-in-one meal. While the former might be healthier than the latter, they still have a place in our cupboards. Sometimes, they're even responsible for new foodie discoveries. Take canned tamales. Who would have thought they would be amazing in an air fryer?

Plenty of home cooks love them. One Facebook user said it was a "great idea for a quick and easy dinner," but what's the deal? Instead of warming your canned tamales in a pan on the stove, strain them to separate the sauce, and set that aside. Roll the tamales in seasoned flour or breadcrumbs, then air fry them for around 20 minutes until crunchy, and serve with the sauce as a dip. Alternatively, place the tamales in a foil-lined air fryer basket, cover with the sauce, cheese, and seasoning, and cook for five minutes before devouring.