Air Fryers and Fatty Liver Disease: Everything You Must Know

Note: This article is based on my personal experience and research. I am not a doctor or a dietitian, and this content is for informational purposes only. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle.

We have to change our way of eating and cooking after being diagnosed with a fatty liver – that is a known fact. This means that eating some of the foods we used to eat, such as deep-fried ones, is no longer possible.

But, at the same time, we’d like our food to taste as close to what we used to eat before, right? That’s when air fryers come to the rescue! Today’s article will help you decide whether air-fried food is good for you if you have been diagnosed with MASLD (formerly known as NAFLD).

So… are air fryers good for those suffering from fatty liver disease? Here’s the quick answer if you don’t care about all the details:

Yes, air fryers are a good cooking method for people with fatty liver disease if you use them the right way and with the right foods. When cooked properly, air-fried food will taste almost like deep-fried, but it will have up to 70% fewer calories and way less fat than fried food would.

But, of course, that’s just the main part of the story. There are still many things that you have in mind, like the foods to avoid and more we’ll talk about below.

Air Frying and Its Potential Benefits Over Traditional Cooking Methods

The benefit is not that an air fryer magically transforms unhealthy food into something nutritious – there are no cooking methods that do that.

However, when comparing healthier food options cooked traditionally (frying them in oil or deep-frying), we have some benefits:

• your food absorbs far less fat (around 70% less – source here)
• the total calories per serving drop
• the harmful byproducts of deep frying (or re-using oil for frying) are reduced
• you gain a way to enjoy texture without relying on oil

It’s still your responsibility to choose liver-friendly ingredients and reasonable portions. But the cooking method itself is one of the safest and most convenient ways to reduce the fat load without giving up enjoyable meals.

In other words, fried sausages will still be sausages (very high in fat and probably other artificial flavors and preservatives); cheese sticks will still be cheese sticks; processed snacks don’t become healthy because they touched hot air instead of an oil bath. What changes is the amount of damage you avoid by ditching deep-frying.

Used correctly, an air fryer becomes a tool that supports your diet, and one that fortunately manages to keep the taste as close to the things we used to eat as possible.

Easier Portion Control and Meal Planning

Another benefit comes from the fact that air fryers cook smaller batches and work best when the basket isn’t overcrowded. That naturally reduces the size of each cooking session.

Smaller batches mean you are less likely to prepare oversized meals that push your daily calorie limit over the edge, so it’s easier to stick to your diet long term.

Caution: Acrylamides

Until recently, it was believed that air frying reduces the formation of acrylamides, harmful substances that appear during high-heat cooking and are linked to negative long-term health effects.

This matters especially with potatoes and other starchy foods, which are the main sources of acrylamides (although most foods will form some when cooked).

A recent study surprisingly found that air frying produced more acrylamides even than deep frying. A solution to lower the amount formed is to soak the potatoes for 15 minutes before cooking (or avoid eating them completely – or go for boiled ones instead).

Strangely enough, a previous study (from 2020) concluded that air frying potatoes produces fewer acrylamides than deep frying them. So the conclusion is that more research is evidently needed.

What You Should Cook in an Air Fryer When You Have Fatty Liver

Not all foods work well with an air fryer, and not all foods are liver-friendly. However, the ones below can be cooked in an air fryer and the taste is amazing (I’ve tried them all, but if you have additions for the list, comment below to let us all know):

• Chicken breast and turkey breast (without skin)
• White fish (cod, hake, tilapia)
• Moderate portions of wild salmon
• Tofu
• Mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower
• Chickpeas
• Lean turkey patties

These foods don’t require oil to crisp, and their natural textures work well with circulating hot air.

Foods that are fine in moderation – these are not necessarily bad in the air fryer itself, but should be avoided because of the diagnosis:

• Any type of potatoes (Sweet potatoes are a better choice)
• Homemade wedges or chips
• Whole-grain flatbread pizzas
• Slightly oiled vegetable medleys

Air fryer or not, these aren’t a good choice (and this is not an exhaustive list):

• Frozen breaded foods
• Sausages
• Pork with visible fat or most types of read meat
• Cheese-heavy items
• Processed nuggets
• Pastries or dough-based snacks

The cooking method can’t fix an ingredient that’s unhealthy from the start.

How to properly cook your food in an air fryer (for Fatty Liver Disease)

Air frying is very similar to cooking in a convection oven. The main difference is that air fryers are way smaller, so they can cook food a bit faster.

They also have a dedicated tray for collecting excess fat which can always come in handy, as it prevents you from eating that unwanted fat.

But in order to cook crispy, delicious foods in the air fryer and still get all its health benefits, you have to know how to properly use it and make sure you never overdo eating air fried foods.

For starters, you should try to never add extra oil to the fryer. Yes, I know that you can add a teaspoon to improve the taste, but you don’t have to.

Not adding that extra fat will keep the food even healthier, while the taste will be pretty much the same.

If you really can’t go without the added oil, make sure to add as little as possible. A teaspoon is enough for potatoes and most dishes and use liver-friendly oils like extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.

Chicken already has fat, so there’s no need to add extra (but you do have to remove the skin!)

In other words, air fryers are not a magical item that allows us to eat anything, in whatever quantities.

We still have to make sure that we keep portions under control, as well as the amounts of added fats.

But for some delicious vegetable sticks? These will be perfect when cooked in an air fryer, and they will make it easy for you to get some quick, delicious snacks too.

Air fryers can burn foods fast, especially smaller pieces or thin fillets, so you have to keep the temperature under control. Remember: burned food increases acrylamide formation, which you want to avoid.

My story with air frying

I recently bought an air fryer after researching them a lot. I did have a convection oven and I was using it before to cook without oil. And I was generally satisfied with it.

However, some foods – meat in particular – ended up very dry when cooked in the oven. I still liked it, but I decided to just buy into the air frying hype and get one.

So I did and I was extremely pleased with the results.

The potatoes we cook there are crispier than those cooked in the oven – and my son enjoys them so much more because they’re no longer “mushy” (his words).

But I am really happy about my cooked chicken breasts. They are no longer as dry as they were when cooked in the traditional convection oven.

So overall, I am extremely satisfied with it, although I must admit and say that I could’ve lived well (and cook well) even without it.

But when your diet is already very limited, any improvement will be highly appreciated – and that was my personal story with the air fryer.

A word of caution, though: the food is cooked way faster when you air fry it (faster than in the oven, that is) and it’s really easy to burn it – especially the smaller bits, if there are any.

It might take a few tries before you are able to cook your food to perfection, but it’s really worth it in my opinion.

They are also very easy to clean and maintain, so if you haven’t used one yet – especially if you don’t already have a convection oven for cooking, then you should definitely look into buying one.

You will be happy with the taste of your food after you do.

Final words

Now it’s your turn! Have you tried air fried food? Do you agree with me that it’s better than what you can cook in a convection oven and almost just as tasty as deep fried dishes? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Also, if you have any questions about air frying for fatty liver – let me know and I’ll do my best to answer as soon as possible.