Air-Fryer Pork Chops

By Eleanore Park

Updated June 22, 2026

  • Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 3
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(689)
Comments
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This easy air-fryer recipe creates tasty, effortless pork chops, with the flexibility to season ahead of time or with no notice at all. The sugar-and-spice blend performs double duty, injecting a jolt of seasoning all over while also caramelizing as the pork cooks, forming a delightfully crackly crust that keeps the meat moist. Depending on the size of your air-fryer basket, you may be able to fit more than two pork chops, but the temperature and cook time will stay the same.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

  • 2 (¾-inch-thick) boneless pork loin chops (about 6 ounces each)

  • Salt

  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar 

  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

3 grams carbs; 100 milligrams cholesterol; 276 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 409 milligrams sodium; 35 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat air fryer to 375 degrees, if preheating is recommended for your air fryer.

  2. Step 2

    Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Season the pork chops with salt on both sides. In a shallow plate or small bowl, combine the sugar, cumin and coriander. Season pork chops all over with cumin mixture, rubbing until fully coated. (Pork chops can be seasoned just before cooking or up to 12 hours in advance. If seasoning the pork chops in advance, let them sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator, to allow the salt and sugar to settle into the pork chops, permeating and tenderizing them. Let the pork chops come to room temperature before cooking.)

    Image of two raw pork chops being seasoned with a spice mixture for making air-fryer pork chops.
  3. Step 3

    Transfer seasoned pork chops to the air fryer basket and cook until beautifully browned and cooked through, flipping halfway through, about 5 minutes per side.

    Image of golden brown pork chops in an air-fryer basket for making air-fryer pork chops.
  4. Step 4

    Allow pork chops to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

    Image of cooked pork chops resting on a cutting board for making Air-Fryer Pork Chops.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
689 user ratings
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Comments

Todd

Is it 20 minutes total cook time, flipping at 10 minutes, or 10 minutes cook time, flipping at 5?

Ubet

The article says “Time”, not “cook time”. “Time” encompasses the entirety of the process including prep and cook. Later in the instructions is: “flipping halfway through, about 5 minutes per side”. That would indicate a total of about 10 minutes.

LarryAt27N

I agree that the writing is sloppy and therefore confusing. Another recipe site recommends 12 minutes total at 400F for thick chops, turning them at 6 minutes. The recipe is rated (if true) 4.9 from 370 reviews. Personally, I recommend using an instant-read thermometer* to check the internal F while the beast is paused. My preference is medium rare and remove chops from the heat source at no more than 128F, which goes up another 6 degrees while resting. *Mine is made by Kizen.

Vicki

I cooked them for 10 minutes total, flipping after 5 minutes. Let them rest for about 5 minutes and the temp on them was fine.

DrewM3

We get article after article on cutting out unnecessary sugar and yet here we are encouraged to add sugar to meat?

PatP

3/4 inch chops, 7-8 min each side, use at least half ts sugar maybe more Very tender and delicious

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