BBQ Salmon in the Air Fryer
- May 20, 2024
- Updated: October 10, 2025
- 1 Comment
If you want to simplify your salmon at home, make this BBQ salmon in the air fryer. It’s easy and efficient, cooks in under 15 minutes, and pairs beautifully with rice, grains, garlic bread or your favorite starch.
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We try to eat salmon once a week. As a Registered Dietitian, I’m here to promote eating seafood twice a week – Salmon is chockfull of nutrition, and is great for heart health, skin health, inflammation and more.
But, have you ever made BBQ salmon in an air fryer? It’s quick, easy to clean up, and tastes amazing.
I always have salmon on hand, thanks to my Butcher Box orders. Plus, I want my kids to be familiar with it and like it, so I often flavor it differently each time.
For example, for other salmon tastes and textures, we love zucchini salmon fritters which use canned salmon, and a sheet pan salmon with veggies.
Both are tried and true options for the kids!
Recently, I tested out making salmon in the air fryer. It turned out to be quite a delicious meal and my 3.5-year-old LOVED it.
She asked for more, which as any parent knows, is an extra pat on the back – especially for a weeknight dinner.
The 18-month-old eats pretty much everything, and the 6-year-old is a pretty good eater in general.
So I was thrilled that the middle child (my usually “selective eater” picky toddler) asked for more. Salmon in the air fryer was a win!
Why We Love BBQ Salmon in the Air Fryer
There are so many reasons to make this BBQ salmon air fryer recipe at home.
- Cooks perfectly every time – No more feeling underwhelmed about the taste and texture of salmon. I love it on the grill, but it’s not always grilling season. Sometimes, on the stove, it burns too easily. But in the air fryer, this flaky salmon shines and comes out perfectly.
- Full of nutrients – Salmon is full of nutrients and healthy omega-3 fatty acids, like EPA and DHA, and micronutrients like iron, zinc, selenium and B-Vitamins. Things we need to prioritize! Plus, most people aren’t getting enough omega-3 fatty acids in their diets.
- No stove or oven required – That’s why I love this air fryer honey bbq glazed salmon for the hot summer months. No reason to heat your kitchen more! A great option for when you don’t know what to cook.
- 15 minute recipe – Say no more – we thrive on quick family recipes in under 30 minutes for those busy weeknights. While you can marinate the salmon for up to 30 minutes ahead of time, it takes less than 15 minutes to cook salmon in the air fryer. My meal prep ebook has many more 30 minute recipes.
- Family friendly – You can alter the sweetness, and let the kids pick what to pair it with (garlic bread, rice or hidden veggies mac and cheese are popular for our house!) We also love to serve it with a quinoa fruit salad for a healthy dinner!
Quick Prep Tip
If you want to prep this air fryer BBQ salmon recipe ahead of time, you can pre-make make the marinade.
Before cooking, place the salmon in the marinade for 30-60 minutes.
Round Up What You Need
A few notes on the key ingredients:
- salmon fillets – Make sure the salmon is thawed. If you have leftover salmon fillets that are already cooked, just add this tasty BBQ sauce to spice up the flavor. Salmon is a pantry staple ingredient that we always have in the freezer! I use Butcher Box and love how they are individually wrapped, so I can keep some fresh and some frozen when they arrive.
- BBQ sauce – store-bought or you can make your own. I truly just prefer storebought when I’m in a pinch, but if you’re more apt to make your own BBQ sauce, you do you!
- spices – garlic powder, onion powder, minced garlic, paprika. I also like salt and black pepper, to taste.
How to Make Air Fryer BBQ Salmon
To make this BBQ salmon in the air fryer, pre-heat your air fryer to 380 degrees F.
Next, combine the ingredients for the honey barbecue sauce. Note that you can add more honey to sweeten it or more water to thin it out as needed.
This recipe is lower in sugar than you’d think, considering we’re using BBQ sauce. We’ve watered down the sauce slightly since BBQ sauce can have a lot of sugar.
Then, coat your salmon filets with the BBQ marinade and add the salmon filets to the air fryer basket, making sure to add them skin side down.
Save any reserved sauce for topping the filets after cooking! I love to do this to enhance the flavor.
Hot Recipe Tip
If you have time, marinating the salmon for 20-30 minutes before placing in the air fryer will be more flavorful.
Cook for 10-12 minutes, or until salmon reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
Food Safety Tip
Make sure to cook salmon until it reaches 145 degrees F. I love this food thermometer for checking temperature.
How to Store BBQ Glazed Salmon
Store salmon in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s best if eaten the day of cooking.
TRY some of these other AIR FRYER recipes!
- Air fryer butternut squash fries
- Air fryer honey parsnips
- Air fryer sweetpotato wedges
- Acorn squash in the air fryer
- Air fryer pizza bites
The Best BBQ Salmon Air Fryer Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 salmon filets
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
- 1 Tbsp water
- 3 tsp honey
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ onion powder
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- ¼ tsp paprika
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for sauce in bowl. Add more honey to sweeten or more water to thin it out as needed.
- Coat with marinade. If you have time, allow salmon to marinate for 20-30 minutes before cooking for optimal flavor.*
- Add salmon skin side down to basket of air fryer. Cook at 380 for 10-12 minutes or until salmon reaches 145
deg F using a food thermometer.
Notes
Nutrition
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Support Bucket List TummyI never thought about putting salmon in the air fryer, but now it’s my favorite way to cook it!