I know that fish isn’t always for everyone. But for me, it’s one of my favorite proteins (especially salmon)! It’s light and flaky, always tender, and cooks SO fast. It’s also high in protein, which helps with counting macros. One of my new FAVORITE ways to enjoy salmon is in this recipe for hot honey air fryer salmon bites! They are perfectly tender and caramelized bite-sized salmon pieces. So GOOD! I could eat these salmon bites every day!
Air Fryer Salmon Bites Ingredients
To make these yummy air fryer salmon bites, you only need a few ingredients! And besides the salmon, you might already have most of the ingredients on hand!
Here’s what you need to add to your grocery list to make these salmon bites (also, this recipe is in my meal plan subscription, so you can add it that way too to make things easier):
- Salmon filets, chopped into salmon cubes or bite-sized salmon pieces
- Hot honey (You can buy this at the store; a popular brand is “Mikes.” But regular honey works too!)
- Kosher salt
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Pinch of black pepper
- Olive oil
Choosing the Best Salmon
Let’s talk about the best type of salmon for these air fryer salmon bites.
One of the biggest questions I get asked is where I buy my salmon. If you’ve been hanging out with me for a minute, you know I LOVE salmon! I’m all about the frozen salmon fillets from Costco because I can store them easily, pull them out when I’m ready to make dinner, and then cook them really quickly (especially when it’s cooked in the air fryer).
The recipe in this post is calculated using the Costco Atlantic Salmon. You can also use wild-caught salmon, which will lower the fats in this recipe quite a bit. Feel free to use whatever salmon fillets you prefer. The Atlantic salmon is my favorite.
How to Make Air Fryer Salmon Bites
Making these air fryer salmon bites is super easy, and it makes the perfect quick lunch or dinner! And bonus? You can whip up this quick recipe in less than 30 minutes! Here’s how:
- Thaw the Salmon. For this recipe, thaw your salmon by placing it in the fridge overnight, OR, if you’re less of a planner like myself, thaw the frozen fillets in a bowl of cold water for about 30 minutes. If I’m really in a pinch, I run the salmon fillets under cool water for a few minutes to thaw them enough to chop.
- Prep the Salmon and Air Fryer. While I’m prepping my salmon, I start preheating the air fryer to 400 degrees F. This is not essential but it helps! After it’s done preheating, you can also add one of these easy liners to keep your air fryer clean while cooking. To prep your salmon, pat the salmon dry and chop it into bite-sized cubes.
- Season the Salmon Cubes: The seasoning for these hot honey air fryer salmon bites is super simple. Hot honey has become so popular lately, that you can find it at most stores near the honey. But you can also swap it for regular honey! We’re not using a lot of it, so it won’t make a huge difference. Hot honey is honey with a little infused chili and heat. YUM. (it also tastes great on sandwiches or crunch wraps). Drizzle the cubed salmon with your hot (or not-hot) honey. Then, sprinkle the salmon bites with Kosher salt, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper. My measurements for this recipe are just estimates since I sprinkle everything on top.
- Add Your Salmon Bites to the Air Fryer: All that is left is to spray your seasoned salmon bites with a quick mist of olive oil spray, toss to coat, and add the salmon to your hot air fryer in a single layer for the best results. I prefer cooking my hot-honey salmon bites for just 5 minutes, but cook the salmon to your preference. I’d say 5-7 minutes at 400 is good.
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Are Air Fryer Salmon Bites Gluten-free and Dairy-free?
The answer is YES! This recipe for air fryer hot honey salmon bites is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, so you don’t need to make any modifications to enjoy this yummy dish.
Most of my recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free or have super easy swaps! My cookbook PLANNED is especially great if you need to cut out dairy or gluten. I had to eliminate gluten and dairy when writing the recipes for PLANNED for health reasons, so all the recipes are either naturally gluten-free and dairy-free or they have easy swaps in the notes!
Serving Suggestions
There are so many delicious ways to enjoy these tasty salmon cubes. Enjoy them on rice bowls or salads. These fried salmon pieces also taste great tucked into tacos or even wraps. There’s something extra yummy about the perfect little salmon bites!
Our favorite way to eat them is over rice with cucumbers, carrots, avocado, and a little sriracha mayo! But these bowls are SO versatile. There are so many ways to enjoy it, you could also add soy sauce, sesame oil, or even a little lime or lemon juice on top. You can add whatever you love best! Just remember to log the rest of the meal separately if you’re counting macros.
Similar Recipes
I love SALMON fillets and eat them all the time. So if you have some extra frozen salmon after making this bowl, here are some other recipes you can make throughout the week!
Soy Ginger Salmon with Asian Slaw
Air Fryer Salmon Bites Recipe
This air fryer salmon bite recipe is just SO GOOD, and it can be enjoyed in so many different ways.
If you’re looking for other easy macro-balanced recipes, check out my cookbooks and follow me on Instagram. Those are all of the places where I share my weekly eats as well as how to make eating macro-friendly easy.
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Hot Honey Air Fryer Salmon Bites
Ingredients
- 2 Salmon filets, chopped into cubes (392 g)
- 2 tsp Hot honey (10 g)
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp Paprika
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 tsp Olive oil (5 g)
Instructions
- If your salmon is frozen, thaw it by placing it in the fridge overnight or in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F while you prep your salmon.
- Pat the salmon dry and chop it into bite-sized cubes.
- Drizzle the cubed salmon with hot honey, and sprinkle it with seasoning. My measurements are estimates since I really just sprinkle everything on top.
- Spray the salmon with a quick mist of olive oil spray and add it to your preheated air fryer. Cook at 400 degrees F for 5-7 minutes.
- Enjoy these salmon bites on rice bowls or salads, or tucked into tacos or wraps. We love them over rice with cucumbers, carrots, avocado, and a little sriracha mayo!
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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Oh. My. Goodness. Need I say more?? I loved this recipe so much!! My husband loved it too and I am literally dreaming of eating it again!
So good! Served them over jasmine rice drizzled with the sriracha mayo and a side of roasted asparagus. I used salmon with the skin on and after cooking the skin easily peels off. Thanks so much for the recipe!
This recipe is SO delicious and easy! I made them into tacos with a mango corn salsa and it was so good! Can’t wait to have it again tomorrow night.
Probably a dumb question, but do you peel the skin off the salmon, or buy it without the skin?
I’ve made it both ways. The salmon is easier to cut into chunks without skin, but it works either way. I think it’s personal preference.
Yeah, for ease I usually buy mine without the skin! Either frozen Costco fillets or I get it at the butcher at sprouts and ask them to cut the skin off first!
How long would you cook in the over if you didn’t have an air fryer? And still cook at 400 degrees in the oven!
Simple and full of flavor
My family has had its share of Salmon – I’m a native Seattleite for whom this blessed fish is its own prominent food group. Unfortunately, my picky family members don’t share my undying love of the fish. BUT THIS RECIPE HAS RENEWED THEIR LOVE! After many failed attempts at converting them back to the one true way that is regular salmon consumption, they declared this preparation “the best salmon they have ever had!!!” Requested “you should always make salmon this way!” And my husband even declared it as on par with a memorable dish he enjoyed at Nobu years ago!
Thank you, thank you Lillie for bringing salmon back into my family’s hearts! I loved it, too.
Wow wow wow this is goood! My teenage son and I love salmon but it always intimidates me. I don’t have an air fryer so I just used my oven at 400 for around 15min (I didn’t cut up my filets). I also didn’t make the mayo but I’m sure it’s delicious. We had the salmon over rice with broccoli and I will certainly be making this again! Thank you!!
I made this recipe last night and my husband has declared this is THE only way he wants me to fix salmon in the future. It was delicious. I followed the recipe per the instructions and I served the salmon bites with rice, sliced cucumber and sliced avocado. I also prepared the mayonnaise sriracha sauce to drizzle on the top. Perfection!!
I was skeptical about fish in the air fryer but these salmon bites are delicious! Wonder if any other type of fish can be cut up and cooked in this way?
This recipe is so filling and delicious. My husband loves it too. I love how easy it is and quickly it comes together.
This is a winner!! So good, healthy, easy and quick!! I have made this twice so far, first time with regular honey and the second with hot honey once I got it! Wow, with honey it good but the hot honey it made it even better! Light, fresh and delicious! I have already shared it with several friends!
DELICIOUS and SIMPLE! Perfection!
Oh my gosh Lillie! This salmon was amazing! From the hot honey to the Sriracha mayo! Wow! The flavors were amazing! My new favorite way to make salmon! Thank you!
Sound delicious! I think I’m going to make it this week. What would you recommend adding to the regular honey to make it more like hot honey?