Air fryer roasted tomatoes are the easiest side dish and the perfect way to use up those summer tomatoes! If you love roasting tomatoes in the oven, you will love using the air fryer, they are ready in 11 minutes and are so simple!
Why you will love this recipe
- Quick and easy – unlike oven roasted tomatoes, these air fryer tomatoes are ready in just 11 minutes and so simple. Even clean up is a breeze! You will be making these on repeat all summer long!
- So flavorful – juicy tomatoes with a slightly charred, smoky outside are the perfect addition to any dish. Serve them with eggs in the morning, on grilled cheese sandwiches, salads, pasta salad, pizza or eat them all by themselves as an afternoon snack.
- Great weeknight side dish – the best thing about air fryer tomatoes is that you don’t even have to shake the air fryer basket while they are cooking, you can just set it and forget it while the air fryer does all the work.
Ingredients
- Ripe tomatoes – I prefer roma tomatoes for making air fryer roasted tomatoes – they are the perfect size an cook perfectly when cut into quarters. You could also use cherry/grape tomatoes (whole) or a larger slicing tomato, which should be cut into ½ in steaks vs. into quarters.
- Avocado oil or olive oil spray – spray the outside of the tomatoes to help the salt/seasonings to stick and to help the tomatoes caramelize/roast in the air fryer.
- Spices: Salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning – this combination of spices smells incredible as the tomatoes are roasting and make them taste almost like pizza! You can use your favorite dried herbs or fresh herbs at the end.
How to make roasted tomatoes in the air fryer
Start by cutting the tomatoes into quarters. Cut the tomato in half lengthwise, then cut that in half again lengthwise. This is the preferred method for roma tomatoes, you will want 4 tomato “spears”.
Add the tomatoes to the air fryer, skin side down.
Spray the tomatoes with avocado oil/olive oil. Sprinkle the tomatoes with all the seasoning, coating well.
Cook at 390F for 11 minutes.
Serve hot, you may need a pinch of salt depending on how ripe your tomatoes were.
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Top tips
- When making tomatoes in the air fryer, be sure to be generous with your seasonings. This is the only chance the tomatoes have at getting seasoning, so be sure to coat them well.
- When removing the tomatoes from the air fryer, I recommend you use silicone tipped tongs. My air fryer basket has a ceramic coating that I try not to chip with metal utensils. If you have a similar basket style, it is very helpful to have silicone tipped tongs.
- I find that clean up (especially when you use roma tomatoes) is very easy – there is almost no mess at all in the air fryer basket. If you are using larger tomatoes that require slicing into thick slices vs. quarters, you may want to put down parchment paper in the bottom of the air fryer to make clean up a bit easier, however it is still relatively easy to clean up, just soak the basket for a few minutes.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe, however you will want to make the tomatoes in batches. Don’t overcrowd the basket or the tomatoes will not caramelize properly.
What adjustments should be made for other tomatoes?
Grape/cherry tomatoes: There is no need to cut these tomatoes, they will burst slightly as they cook.
Campari tomatoes: These smaller round tomatoes sometimes have more seeds than romas but are very similar in size. You can cut these into quarters (just like romas) and cook them the same way.
Large slicing tomatoes (beefsteak, heirloom tomatoes): Anything much larger than a roma tomato should be cut into thick slices (about ½ inch thick) vs. into quarters. This way the tomatoes will cook through and get caramelized without being too soggy in the center.
Other seasonings
- You could use dried herbs de provence in place of the Italian seasoning
- Add ¼ tsp. dried oregano for a strong Greek vibe
- Top with fresh basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, mint, or cilantro after cooking
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil after cooking.
- Add some heat: add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes after cooking.
How to use these tomatoes
- Drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and serve with crusty bread or crackers
- Finely chop fresh basil and serve with goat cheese or mozzarella
- Chop the tomatoes and add to pasta salad, regular salad and top with creamy basil dressing
- Add to pasta
- Use as a pizza topping (would be great over lentil flatbreads with pesto)
- Crush the tomatoes and use them like pasta sauce or tomato sauce.
Common questions
Do you need to deseed the tomatoes?
This is going to be a personal preference but I like to keep the seeds in the tomatoes. It helps them stay juicy and to not dry out or burn during cooking. If you prefer to not have the seeds, you may want to remove them after baking to ensure the tomatoes cook properly.
Do you have to peel the tomatoes?
Nope, they do not require any advanced preparation besides a quick rinse and to be dried off before slicing and going into the air fryer.
Does this make sundried tomatoes?
No, this method of roasting tomatoes in the air fryer does not make sundried tomatoes. To make sundried tomatoes, you would want to dehydrate the tomatoes, not air fry them. Your air fryer may have a dehydrate setting, but I cannot give you any guidance on that.
Will the tomatoes stick to the air fryer basket?
Not in my experience. However the Ninja Air Fryer that I use has a ceramic coating, so I believe that helps. If you are using a wire basket, you may want to spray it slightly with the avocado oil or olive oil spray just to be sure they won’t stick.
What is the best knife to cut tomatoes?
Serrated knives are the best. They actually make tomato knives as well that are relatively inexpensive and a great kitchen tool to have it you are cutting tomatoes regularly.
How to make these into crushed roasted tomatoes?
To make these into crushed tomatoes, you will want to crush them with the back of a fork or add them to a food processor and pulse them until they resemble crushed tomatoes.
Storage
Fridge: Store leftover air fryer tomatoes in the fridge in a well sealed container for up to 5 days.
Freezer: You can freeze these tomatoes, but the texture will be different when you defrost them. If you need to freeze the tomatoes, I would recommend that you crush them first and then freeze that. Freeze crushed tomatoes for up to 6 months in a freezer safe bag or container. You can portion them out into ½ – 1 cup portions using SouperCubes. Freeze the mixture in the SouperCubes and once frozen solid, remove and transfer it to a freezer safe bag or container. Don’t forget to label the bag, put the date, how big the portions are and the use by date on the bag/container.
If you love this recipe, you should try
Air Fryer Tomatoes
$1.40 Recipe/$0.70 ServingIngredients
- 4 medium tomatoes - $1.16
- avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil spray - $0.12
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning - $0.07
- 1/4 tsp salt - $0.02
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder - $0.03
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes in quarters but first cutting them in half lengthwise then cutting them in half again lengthwise.
- Add the tomatoes to the air fryer skin side down.
- Spray the tomatoes with avocado oil/extra virgin olive oil. Combine the italian seasoning, salt and garlic powder and sprinkle it over the tomatoes.
- Cook in the air fryer at 390F for 11 minutes.
- Serve hot. You may need to sprinkle with salt.
Notes
- You could use dried herbs de provence in place of the Italian seasoning
- Add ¼ tsp. dried oregano for a strong Greek vibe
- Top with fresh basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, mint, or cilantro after cooking
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil after cooking.
- Add some heat: add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes after cooking.
