Trader Joe’s Air Fryer Vegan Food!
Who doesn’t love some air fryer goodness?! Fast, crispy, and finger-licking good! And Trader Joe’s carries so many delicious prepared items ready to heat up, so why not air fry them up?! After tinkering with temperatures and times of over a dozen grocery items, I have honed in on the perfect Trader Joe’s air fryer vegan food “recipes”!
As a self-proclaimed vegan Trader Joe’s junkie, I visit TJ’s weekly and never miss discovering and trying all the plant-based groceries. I also happen to be air fryer obsessed these days, air frying pretty much every vegetable I can. So it’s only natural that I would try out some of our favorite Trader Joe’s frozen and fresh items in search of delicious and quick hacks! Enjoy!
Ninja Air Fryer
In the market for an air fryer? I have to say, we LOVE our 5.5 quart Ninja air fryer*. Easy to use, easy to clean, and relatively compact in size, it totally works for our family of four!
But the more I use it, the more I have been eyeing the Ninja Double Air Fryer (2 basket)!
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Trader Joe’s Air Fryer Vegan Food
Hashbrowns
A perfect contender for the air fryer, the TJ’s hashbrowns come out beautifully crispy and in less time!
- Temperature: 400 degrees
- Time: 10-11 minutes
- Method: Place flat without overlapping patties. Flip halfway through cook time to even out the browning.
Taiwanese Green Onion Pancakes
These Taiwanese Green Onion Pancakes are one of Trader Joe’s best vegan items, hands down! The air fryer is a healthy preparation choice too because you don’t need to use any more oil, unlike when pan frying. They come out just as crispy and addictively delicious, with less grease to boot! And the middle layers are just as buttery and fun to pull apart.
These savory pancakes don’t get quite as brown on the outside, which my kids prefer;).
- Temperature: 390 degrees
- Time: 6-7 minutes
- Method: Cook one at a time if using single basket, or else one pancake per rack. Flip pancake twice during cook time.
Butternut Squash Zig-Zags
These butternut squash zig-zags were a bit tricky to get right. They brown up on the outside quickly, but take a bit longer to cook through. I found that cooking them at a lower temperature for longer works best. SO yummy, SO healthy, and totally scratches the french fry itch!
- Temperature: 300 degrees
- Time: 20 minutes
- Method: Toss Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Zig-Zags with oil spray, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and a few shakes of smoked paprika. Place in air fryer and be sure to shake basket 2-3 times to brown evenly.
Air Fryer Tofu
One of the healthiest and most versatile ways to eat tofu is air frying it. Kid-friendly, quick, and impressive, you have to try it! We love it in Buddha bowls and noodle soups, or more often, we just snack on it right out of the air fryer! Remember to press tofu before air frying.
- Temperature: 390 degrees
- Time: 16 minutes
- Method: Follow my simple recipe for pressing and air frying tofu without added oil or marinade!
Dill Pickle Mini Falafel
These tasty falafel balls are an awesome contender for the air fryer. Full of flavor and perfectly crisp, they don’t need any more oil. Just pop ’em in!
- Temperature: 375 degrees
- Time: 8 minutes
- Method: Place in air fryer in single layer. Shake basket at least once during cook time.
Air Fryer Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Impossible Chicken Nuggets are about as close to the real thing as it gets. Air fry them up and they are sure to beat out any nugget around in a taste test!
And the air fryer directions are already on the packaging! Cook time is 7 minutes for 5 nuggets, 8 minutes for 10 nuggets. I typically cook even more (see below).
- Temperature: 400 degrees
- Time: 10 minutes (for a full layer of about 15 nuggets, see above for less)
- Method: Place nuggets in single layer. Shake/flip halfway through cook time.
Tater Tots
Tater tots are a no brainer for the air fryer! They cook in less time and are even more crispy! Tots are the only food on this list that air fry better on a lower temperature than the oven time.
- Temperature: 375 degrees
- Time: 13-14 minutes
- Method: Place tots in air fryer in a single layer. These tots can use a little salt, so I shake a bit on before cooking. Shake and flip twice during cook time.
Mini Vegetable Samosas
These Trader Joe’s mini samosas are FULL of flavor. So delicious any way you cook them, you can save time using the air fryer!
- Temperature: 400 degrees
- Time: 9 minutes
- Method: Place in air fryer in single layer. Shake/flip about halfway through cook time.
Naan Bread (Indian Style Flatbread)
The Trader Joe’s Indian Style Flatbread is essentially their vegan version of naan bread. And while it is equally fluffy and satisfying anyway you heat it, it definitely works in the air fryer. Especially if are you cooking up an Indian-inspired meal and already have that air fryer out for the above samosas!
- Temperature: 400 degrees
- Time: 3 minutes
- Method: Place flatbread into air fryer, avoiding overlap where possible. No need to flip or shake basket. Optional: slather with vegan butter after cooking!
Vegetable Spring Rolls
Trader Joe’s vegetable spring rolls are perfect in the air fryer! Simply follow the oven temperature in the air fryer and they’re ready in less time! Crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked inside.
- Temperature: 400 degrees
- Time: 12 minutes
- Method: Place in air fryer, ideally in a single layer. Flip or shake the basket at least once during cook time.
Thai Vegetable Gyoza
For a twist on the original method, try air frying the Trader Joe’s Vegetable Gyoza! Crispy and piping hot, this is an easy variation to mix things up.
This air fryer version is great as an appetizer or side dish. I would recommend the steaming method when using in soups.
- Temperature: 390 degrees
- Time: 5 minutes
- Method: Simply place in basket, ideally in single layer. Flip or shake at least once during cook time.
Falafel
Personally, I didn’t care for the frozen Trader Joe’s falafel…until I tried air frying them! They are crispier on the outside and less dry on the inside than baking from my experience. The perfect, quick method.
- Temperature: 375 degrees
- Time: 7 minutes
- Method: Place falafel in air fryer in single layer. Flip once during cook time.
Organic Foursome Vegetable Medley
Frozen veggies get a makeover in the air fryer!
- Temperature: 400 degrees
- Time: 10 minutes
- Method: Check out my easy recipe!
Roasted Potatoes with Peppers and Onions
Air frying these Trader Joe’s roasted potatoes gives them a crispiness that they don’t get on the stovetop or microwave. I highly recommend!
- Temperature: 400 degrees
- Time: 12 minutes
- Method: Place in air fryer, okay if they overlap. Shake the basket to even out 1-2 times during cook time.
Colorful Carrot Coins in Air Fryer
These Carrot Coins are a surprisingly delicious way to enjoy carrots! Even if you aren’t a cooked carrot person, these are worth trying for the crispier texture.
- Temperature: 400 degrees
- Time: 16-17 minutes
- Method: Place in air fryer, okay if they overlap. Shake the basket to even out 1-2 times during cook time.
Kung Pao Tempura Cauliflower
These tempura cauliflower bites from Trader Joe’s are crispy on the outside, super tender inside, and that sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy! Simply follow the packaged instructions for air fyring:
- Temperature: 400 degrees
- Time: 12-14 minutes
- Method: Place in air fryer in single layer. Shake the basket to even out 1-2 times during cook time.
Seasoned Waffle Fries
We were not fans of these seasoned waffle fries before we tried air frying them…they didn’t get crispy in the oven even after cooking them longer than the packaging directions….but boy do they get crispy in the air fryer!
- Temperature: 400 degrees
- Time: 11 minutes
- Method: Place in air fryer, okay if they overlap. Shake the basket to even out once times during cook time.
Root Vegetable Fries
These root vegetable fries were pretty tasty, a balance of crispy (parsnips) and tender (beets and carrots). Contrary to the packaging instructions, I found that I needed more time to cook and less oil.
- Temperature: 390 degrees
- Time: 18-20 minutes
- Method: Place in air fryer, okay if they overlap. They will likely be a frozen stuck together ball, so air fry them for 3 minutes first. Then open the fryer and add1 tablespoon of olive oil (the packaging instructions call for 2 tablespoons, which made them quite oily, we preferred the second batch with just 1). Shake the basket to even out another two times while cooking.
Hope you find this list of Trader Joe’s air fryer vegan food helpful! Did I miss your favorite TJ’s air fryer delight? Comment below to share your favs and let me know once you try these ideas!
If you enjoyed these air fryer ideas, you may also enjoy my own air fryer recipes!
For more quick Trader Joe’s ideas, check out:
Or check out all my Trader Joe’s posts!
Cheers!
–Jenn
Save these Trader Joe’s Air Fryer recipes for later:
Hey, I was looking for a list like this. So helpful! Can’t wait to try some of these items. BTW, which air-frier do you use? Thank you!
Awesome, thanks Megy! I included a link to our Ninja airfryer at the top for easy reference. We love it!