Air Fryer Recipe
Crispy Tempura Vegetables
Crisp, light tempura vegetables made easily in the air fryer, perfect for a quick snack or side.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cold sparkling water
- 1 egg
- Assorted vegetables: e.g., courgettes, sweet potatoes, red and green peppers, aubergines, mushrooms, carrots
- Salt, to taste
- Optional: Soy sauce or tempura dipping sauce
Method
- Wash and cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces, slicing any thicker ones thinly.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, crack in the egg, and pour in the cold sparkling water. Mix lightly until just combined, leaving the batter lumpy.
- Preheat the air fryer to 190°C (375°F) for five minutes.
- Dip the vegetables into the batter, making sure each piece is well coated. Shake off any excess batter.
- Place the coated vegetables in the air fryer basket without overcrowding. Cook in batches if needed.
- Air fry at 190°C (375°F) for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown, shaking the basket halfway through.
- Remove the vegetables from the air fryer and place them on a wire rack. Season with salt to taste.
- Serve hot with soy sauce or a traditional tempura dipping sauce.
Why this works in an air fryer
Cold sparkling water and minimal mixing limit gluten, so the batter stays brittle rather than bready. In an air fryer, rapid convection dries the batter film quickly; shaking off excess is crucial because there is no deep oil bath to set a thick coating evenly.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 4–5 litre basket with vegetables in one loose layer; a smaller basket will need 2–3 batches. In a single-drawer model, keep denser pieces near the hotter outer edges and turn halfway. In a dual-zone air fryer, split by vegetable thickness and check the thinner zone 2–4 minutes earlier.
Common pitfalls
- Batter looks pale and leathery at minute 12: the coating is too thick or the basket is crowded; shake off more batter and cook in a single layer, adding 2–3 minutes if needed.
- Coating slides off in patches: the vegetables were wet after washing; pat them dry thoroughly before dipping, especially mushrooms, courgettes and aubergines.
- Sweet potato or carrot still firm when the batter is browned: the slices are too thick; cut them 3–5 mm thick or give them 2 minutes in the air fryer before battering.
- Dark spots on peppers while aubergine stays soft: mixed shapes are cooking unevenly; batch similar vegetables together or remove quick-cooking peppers earlier.
Variations & substitutions
- Use rice flour for half the plain flour for a more delicate, shattery coating; it browns a little less, so judge by crispness rather than colour.
- Add a pinch of baking powder to the batter for extra lift; the coating will puff more, so leave extra space between pieces.
- Swap in broccoli or cauliflower florets, cut small and flat-sided; they need good spacing because the buds hold batter and can turn heavy.
- Use chilled beer instead of sparkling water for a malty flavour; the sugars encourage quicker browning, so start checking from 10 minutes.
Storage & reheating
Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 2 days and reheat in a single layer at 180°C for 4–6 minutes until the coating feels crisp again.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
