The Best Air Fryer Foods at Whole Foods

Being Indian, I often like to flood my insides with the oil of deep-fried delicacies. But having reached the ripe-old age of 23—and having lost a gallbladder somewhere along the way—I often find myself gravitating toward healthier grocery stores, like Whole Foods. But even then, I can’t quiet the little voice in my head: Hey, what if that was fried? The air fryer revolutionized my life and it can for you, too. You can throw pretty much anything in there. But if you’re strapped for time, why not check out these Whole Foods delicacies that were born to air fry? Here are the best air fryer foods at Whole Foods that I spotted on a recent visit.

Better Chew Extra-Crispy Fried Chicken

Full disclosure: The first item on this list is vegan. It’s even “vegan approved,” according to the packaging. That means if you’re vegan, you must have approved this product at some point in the same mysterious way I lost my gallbladder at some point. In other words, there’s absolutely no excuse for you to not buy it. Better Chew fried chicken is made with super simple ingredients (mostly soybeans) and nutritional yeast, an additive in a lot of plant-based food that contributes good, savory flavor. Even if you’re not vegan, Better Chew claims these are “meatier than ever,” so fire up the air fryer and engage in a little healthy self-deception, why dontcha?

Read our ranking of the best vegan chicken

Feel Good Foods Thai-Style Vegetable Spring Rolls

I clearly need to be educated because I cannot quite comprehend the difference between Thai spring rolls and Thai-style spring rolls. If you’re dumb like me, it doesn’t matter because these look delicious. What stands out about these spring rolls is the emphasis on the lemongrass and ginger flavors, which will add a hint of brightness to the fried flavor. Not many frozen spring rolls feature those flavors (we know; we’ve tasted a lot of them!). Not to mention, these little guys are packed with veggies and actually come with the sauce. Nothing’s sadder than getting home and being sauceless. Sure, you could cook these in the oven, but they cook up even faster in the air fryer—the best air fryer foods combine lots of flavor and time-savings.

Read our ranking of the best frozen spring rolls

Strong Roots Cauliflower Hash Browns

A lot of people buy air fryers because they’re more artery-friendly than deep fryers (or because they can’t deep fry without lighting their houses on fire). Of course, that depends on what you’re putting inside the air fryer—so we love an option that has some veggies involved, even if it comes pre-fried. Before you look at these Strong Roots hash browns and scream at the idea of cauliflower replacing potatoes, allow us to assure you there are still potatoes in these guys. What we have here is an example of the timeless parental technique of hiding veggies in our food. This is one of the best air fryer foods we tried in our taste tests last year. Trust us. Even if you don’t dig cauliflower, you’ll like these.

Read our ranking of the best potato alternatives

Jack & Annie’s Buffalo Jack Wings

Now, before you grumble about another vegan, nugget-like product making this list of the best air fryer foods at Whole Foods, I want to make it clear that this, to me, is a whole new dish. I’ve never had a jackfruit substitute for meat that didn’t taste like, well… jackfruit. Sure, it’s got the texture of meat, but it also has an irresistible and wholly original flavor which is just begging to be paired with tangy Buffalo sauce. Love jackfruit for what it is and give these suckers a go! The air fryer will help you get all the flavor and texture jackfruit without the sliminess.

Read our ranking of the best vegan Buffalo wings

Maspanadas Chicken & Vegetable Empanadas

While you might be offended that a serving of Maspanadas Chicken & Vegetable Empanadas only allows for three delicious meat-filled pockets, rest assured that even if you eat the entire bag of these in one sitting, it’s only 390 calories. To me, that’s a huge plus. Empanadas are delicious and filling, so if you’re looking for something with protein and heft without a ton of calories, these are a wonderful choice! Not to mention how crispy that crust will be once these have been air fried to a golden brown.

Afia Falafel

If you’ve never air fried falafel, you’ve been missing out. These dense nuggets are packed with flavor and they’re extremely versatile, too. Afia falafel contain only 11 ingredients—a majority of which are yummy spices. The only thing to be cautious of is the air frying time. Afia suggests it can take from 8 to 20 minutes, but just keep an eye on them to make sure they reach a golden brown. If you overcook a batch, oh well. Crumble them up and put them on a salad! That’s the beauty of falafel, one of the best air fryer foods, if you ask me.