Air-Fry Your Lettuce For An Extra-Crispy Salad

Most of us have one or two salads we consistently rely upon to get us through busy work weeks. But beyond changing up the way you cook your protein of choice or altering the ingredients behind your favorite salad dressing, how much more exciting can you make a Cobb salad recipe? At the end of the day, most salad varieties start with a base of green and are mixed with a plethora of crunchy and colorful fruits and vegetables. These produce-filled meals are typically finished off with varying kinds of protein and your favorite extras, such as cheese or toasted nuts. But if you're looking for a new way to spice up your everyday salad, look no further than your air fryer. 

If you own one of these trusty appliances, then you already know the magic that results from using this convection-like gadget to whip up crispy vegetables or homemade French fries. Foodies across the world are finding new ways to make all sorts of goodies in their air fryers, such as grilled cheese and donuts. Why not throw in some lettuce and see if some extra heat will give your standard health-infused meal a significant upgrade? 

Surprisingly, a little time in the air fryer leaves makes for slightly crispy lettuce, which may impart a significant flavor boost to your next meal.

Before we get into specific dos and don'ts for making air-fried lettuce, let's uncover one TikToker's method for preparing an epic air fryer salad. Apart from using this appliance for making appetizing air fryer recipes for everyday meals, we now have a way to upgrade our standard bowls of salad, thanks to one creative TikTok user. 

Alexa Rae Loebel gained quite a following in 2021 when she began posting air fryer Brussels sprouts salads on TikTok. But more than Brussels sprouts, she blew up on the social media platform for sharing her method behind air-frying romaine lettuce as a crispy salad base.

@alexaraeloebel

Reply to @chelly668 follow the same process for brussel sprout version! 💕 #fyp #tiktokfood #healthy #healthylifestyle #airfryer #dailyvlog

♬ You're Too Close – Francis Karel

In this video, Loebel replies to a request from one user on how to make her specialty air fryer salads and highlights the step-by-step process of making a salmon Caesar version. To obtain perfectly crispy lettuce, Loebel first drizzles romaine lettuce in avocado oil and then cooks the oiled leaves in her air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 4 minutes. From here, the on-screen foodie adds extra ingredients to her bowl of crispy lettuce and chows down.

Before you choose some of the best salad and salad dressing recipes for the week ahead, carefully consider the type of greens you typically purchase, especially if you plan on using an air fryer to level up your standard lettuce base. 

Spring greens and loose-leaf greens, such as spinach and arugula, may not result in a crispy texture, due to their lightweight structure. Because air fryers are unique in their ability to fry or crisp food without an exorbitant amount of additional oil, baby greens will likely blow around inside the air fryer basket without many noticeable textural differences. You're better off sticking to greens that are weightier and can handle the air fryer's convection-like fan, such as kale or romaine lettuce.

Even when using these more structured greens, a little oil is necessary to give lettuce a new and exciting texture. Without oil, those precious leafy greens may wilt and turn soft instead of providing that signature crunchy texture. The last important factor to keep in mind is the amount of time you cook your lettuce. While you can leave romaine in an air fryer for up to 4 minutes, you may need more or less time depending on how much lettuce you add to the fryer basket. As long as you cover these necessary bases, you're just a few steps away from upgrading your standard salad into a more flavorful meal.