Can you cook lamb chops in air fryer? You bet! This air fryer lamb chops recipe is juicy, robust, and savory without being gamey. Learn to roast lamb chops in the air fryer that are low carb, keto, and gluten free. Get tips on cooking air fryer lamb loin chops vs lamb shoulder chops, the safe temperature for cooking lamb, and more!
Lamb isn’t just good in the air fryer- it's AMAZING! I’m usually not a huge fan of lamb, but these easy air fryer loin lamb chops have altered my opinion.
This is a marinated lamb chop air fryer recipe. The marinade flavors the dish and the acid in the marinade tenderizes the meat.
I’m actually using the same marinade that I used in the marinated tempeh air fryer recipe. You can play the game of “who wore it better,” but let me save you some time. These air fried lamb chops are the clear-cut winner to my taste buds.
(Of course, if you’re vegetarian or trying to eat less red meat, it’s good to have options. With a double batch of the marinade, you can make both recipes and have food ready for omnivores and vegans alike.)
Anyhow, I hope these airfryer lamb chops make it to your table soon. Lamb in air fryer is simple enough for a weeknight meal but fancy enough for a holiday entrée. It’s worth the effort of seeking it out!
Jump to:
- ⭐ Lamb Chops Air Fryer Benefits
- 🥘 Air Fryer Lamb Chops Ingredients
- 🔪 How to Make Lamb Chops in an Air Fryer
- ⏲️ Air Fryer Lamb Chops Cooking Time
- ❓ What temperature should lamb chops be cooked to?
- 🌡️ Reheating Lamb Chops in Air Fryer
- 😋 What to serve with lamb chops?
- 📋Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
- 💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
- FAQs
- 👨🏾🍳 Other Air Fryer Meat Recipes
- The Disclaimer…
- 📖 Recipe
⭐ Lamb Chops Air Fryer Benefits
Why make air fryer lamb chops? Here are a few nutritional benefits and other reasons to try this recipe:
- Quick and easy: After a relatively quick marinating time, lamb chops air fry in only 16-20 minutes! If you’re looking for a pretty hands-off and easy air fryer recipe, this one’s for you.
- Protein: Lamb is considered a red meat that is packed with high-quality protein. Certain cuts of lamb are lean protein (such as lamb loin), and the fat is easy to trim.
- Vitamins and minerals: Lamb is rich in zinc, selenium, iron, and phosphorus (per Cronometer). Lamb is also packed with an assortment of B vitamins, including riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B12. The zinc and iron found in lamb is more bioavailable than when you get these nutrients from plant foods.
- Low carb, keto, gluten free: Lamb fits many of the special diets. This includes keto, low carb, gluten free, Paleo, dairy free, soy free, and sugar free.
- Juicy and flavorful: Perhaps the most important reason for eating lamb is that it is delicious! Try lamb as an alternative to the usual chicken or beef at your next family dinner.
🥘 Air Fryer Lamb Chops Ingredients
Here’s what you need to air fry lamb chops:
- Bone-in lamb chops
- Red wine
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Crushed garlic cloves
- Dijon mustard
- Ground coriander
- Dried rosemary
- Salt and pepper
You can find the specific quantities of the ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of the article!
The lamb chops you use will impact the outcome of this recipe. The cut of lamb you use can impact the cooking time. So can the thickness and weight of the chops or lamb cutlets.
I am using bone-in lamb loin chops from US Wellness Meats (purchase here) for this recipe. These are high quality chops that are about 1.5-inches thick (3.8 cm). They weigh about 6 ounces (170 grams) each.
If you don’t want to buy online, you may be able to find lamb at Costco and other local stores. I recommend trying to find lamb loin chops, as they’re more tender than lamb shoulder chops.
Another option is to cut lamb chops from a rack of lamb. This will make “lollipop” lamb chops if you cut between the bones. (Again though, the cooking time and temperature for this recipe may need to be modified if you go this route.)
There are many ways to season lamb, and you are welcome to change up the seasonings I’m using here. However, adding sugar to the marinade will cause the lamb to brown faster, with a higher risk of burning.
I recommend using a cheap red wine in this recipe. Since we’re only using it in the marinade, it mostly gets discarded. Save the good expensive stuff for drinking.
🔪 How to Make Lamb Chops in an Air Fryer
Begin by mixing the ingredients for the lamb marinade together. This is the wine, vinegar, oil, garlic, mustard, coriander, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Put the lamb chops in a bowl, and pour the marinade over the top.
Cover the bowl and allow the lamb chops to marinate in the fridge for 4-8 hours. Flip the lamb chops occasionally so all sides of the meat has contact with the marinade.
After marinating, allow the lamb chops to rest at room temperature for one hour before air frying.
Preheat the air fryer to 390F (200C) for 5 minutes. Lift the lamb chops out of the marinade and carefully place them on a hot air fryer tray. If you have an air fryer oven, they should go on the top rack.
I developed this recipe with a 10-Quart Kalorik Digital Air Fryer Oven. You can make air fryer lamb chops in a Ninja Foodi, Philips, Nuwave, Pampered Chef, Actifry, Instant Pot Vortex, Cosori, Breville, or another air fryer. You may need to halve the recipe if you have a small air fryer basket.
Some air fryer brands cook more quickly than others. Always check the food early the first time you try a new air fryer recipe to prevent overcooking the food.
⏲️ Air Fryer Lamb Chops Cooking Time
How long to cook lamb chops in air fryer? What is the air fryer lamb chops temperature?
Air fry lamb chops for a total of 16-20 minutes in an air fryer preheated to 390 degrees Fahrenheit (200C). Flip the lamb chops over after the first 10 minutes of cooking.
Check the lamb chops with a meat thermometer to ensure they’ve reached the right temperature. (More on this in the next section.)
After air frying, the lamb should rest for 5 minutes before serving. Cover the lamb with foil to keep it warm.
❓ What temperature should lamb chops be cooked to?
How do you know when lamb is cooked? Use a meat thermometer! According to the USDA, raw lamb chops should be cooked to a minimum internal temp of 145F (63C) before removing from the heat source. The lamb should rest for at least 3 minutes before slicing and serving.
Lamb cooked to 145F (63C) is medium-well done (though I’ve seen some sources calling it medium). Here is a handy guide for lamb doneness (source):
- Rare: 115 to 120°F
- Medium-rare: 120 to 125°F
- Medium: 130 to 135°F
- Medium-well: 140 to 145°F
- Well-done: 150 to 155°F
Keep in mind that lamb will continue to cook for a few minutes as it rests, after pulling from the air fryer. This means that lamb pulled at 145F (63C) could end up well-done, which is overcooked by the standards of some. I prefer to remove lamb from the heat a little before it reaches 145F for this reason (though you’re not technically supposed to do that).
Ground lamb has a different minimum safe temp than cuts of lamb. Ground lamb should be cooked to an internal temp of 160F (71C).
🌡️ Reheating Lamb Chops in Air Fryer
It’s best to enjoy lamb chops fresh, and only make what you’ll eat. Leftover lamb chops can be kept in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can reheat lamb chops in an air fryer at 350F (177C) for 3-5 minutes.
Another way to reheat lamb chops is in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Cooked lamb chops also freeze well. Store them in a freezer bag with the air pressed out.
😋 What to serve with lamb chops?
Wondering what to eat with lamb chops? The last time I had lamb chops, I served them with asparagus and mashed sweet potatoes.
Here are some other sauces and side dishes to go with lamb chops:
📋Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
One serving of air fryer lamb chops has 313 calories, 0 grams net carbs, and 25.5 grams protein. This is for one lamb chop with a 4-ounce edible portion of meat (113 grams). Marinade is not included in the nutrition information since it is largely discarded.
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 2 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). The nutrition information provided below is for a lamb loin chop with visible fat eaten. If you trim the fat, the lamb will be leaner and much lower in calories.
Lamb appears to be more popular in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa compared to the United States. I would love to see it become more popular here, as it's a tasty protein alternative to chicken, pork, and beef.
A common question is whether lamb is better or healthier than beef or chicken. I actually don’t like that sort of question for a few reasons.
First of all, the healthier option always depends on the needs and preferences of the person. For example, if you exclude beef for religious reasons, lamb will definitely be the better choice for you. If you have no diet restrictions and simply don’t like the taste of lamb, beef may be better.
Second, trying to rank similar foods in terms of health can lead to unnecessary food exclusions. Lamb, beef, chicken, etc. are all whole foods that provide a variety of nutritional benefits. Why not include a variety of protein sources in your diet, and enjoy them all?
FAQs
You can make air fryer frozen lamb chops, but the results will not be as good as when you cook them from fresh. Depending on your recipe, you will need to add 5-6 minutes to the total cooking time.
You can air fry marinated lamb shoulder chops, but the cooking time will depend on their thickness and your air fryer. In general, air fry lamb shoulder chops for 6-10 minutes in an air fryer preheated to 390F (200C). Flip the chops halfway through cooking time.
Here’s a popular recipe from Bon Appetit for herb-roasted lamb chops in the oven. The lamb chops are marinated, seared in a skillet on the stove, then transferred to the oven to roast. Yummy!
Color is not the major indicator of doneness in lamb and other meats, internal temperature is. The minimum safe internal temperature for lamb is 145F (63C), regardless of whether there is still some pink inside.
Which food is “healthier” generally hinges on the needs of the individual. Both lamb and beef are red meats that pack in the high-quality protein, B vitamins, and highly bioavailable minerals. In some instances, lamb is leaner than beef, but this is not always the case.
👨🏾🍳 Other Air Fryer Meat Recipes
Looking for more air fryer recipes for meat? Try these:
You may also want to check out the entire collection of Air Fryer Recipes while you’re here!
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Lamb Chops in Air Fryer Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs. lamb chops 680 grams (4 bone-in lamb loin chops, 1½-inches thick)
For the lamb chop marinade:
- ⅓ cup red wine
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Whisk the ingredients for the lamb marinade together. This is the wine, vinegar, oil, garlic, mustard, coriander, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Put the lamb chops in a bowl, and pour the marinade over the top.
- Cover the bowl and allow the lamb chops to marinate in the fridge for 4-8 hours. Flip the lamb chops occasionally so all sides of the meat has contact with the marinade.
- After marinating, allow the lamb chops to rest at room temperature for one hour before air frying.
- Preheat the air fryer to 390°F (200°C) for 5 minutes. Lift the lamb chops out of the marinade and carefully place them on a hot air fryer tray. If you have an air fryer oven, they should go on the top rack.
- Air fry lamb chops for a total of 16-20 minutes in an air fryer preheated to 390°F (200°C). Flip the lamb chops over after the first 10 minutes of cooking.
- Lamb chops should reach a safe minimum internal temp of 145°F (63°C) using a meat thermometer. Let the lamb rest for 5 minutes before serving. You can cover it with foil to keep it warm.
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