Make the most perfect and easy Air Fryer Lamb Chops! With simple 3 ingredient marinade, lamb chops in air fryer turn out juicy and tender with a beautiful sear.
You can also make these pan fried lamb chops or lamb loin chops recipe.
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I love lamb a lot! Air fryer lamb chops are succulent pieces of flavorful meat that have a nice crust on the outside and are tender enough to sink your teeth into.
I find there’s no need to reserve lamb for special occasions like Easter when they’re this easy to make!
Celebrate the fact you made it through another work week with delicious perfectly cooked lamb chops in air fryer marinated in rosemary, garlic, and olive oil.
Ingredients you Will Need
I cook these air fryer lamb chops in my favorite Cosori air fryer because it fits 4 chops at a time. So, only 2 batches.
Besides the air fryer you will need:
- Lamb chops: I used 8 small lamb chops with bone-in. You can use rack of lamb cut into chops too.
- Olive oil: First, as part of the marinade, helping to penetrate the flavors into the meat and helping everything adhere to the chops. As well, it’s helpful in the air fryer as a nonstick agent and the air fryer needs a small amount of oil to get a nice outer crust.
- Rosemary: Use fresh rosemary or dried rosemary, whatever you’ve got.
- Garlic: Minced garlic packs a ton of aromatic flavor into air fryer lamb chops’ simple marinade.
- Salt & pepper: The only part of the seasoning that happens after the marinade and just before air frying. Brings out the flavors that much more without drying out the meat.
- Lemon (optional): Finish off the lamb chops with a squirt of lemon before serving.
Recipe Tip
Why do I not add salt until right before cooking the lamb? Because it starts the cooking process immediately and the last thing you want is tough air fryer lamb chops.
How to Make Lamb Chops in Air Fryer
The hardest part of this air fryer lamb chops recipe is just waiting for the 30 minutes it takes for the meat to marinate! Seriously, even the clean up is easy.
No need to spray the basket either because of oil in marinade.
Make the marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. Add the lamb chops and toss them around.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to as much as overnight.
Preheat the air fryer: Set it to 400 degrees F and preheat for 5 minutes. Then place lamb chops in air fryer as many as you can fit into the basket, sprinkle each lamb chop with salt and pepper, flip and repeat on another side.
Air fry lamb chops: See below for recommended cook times depending on how you like your meat!
Serve air fryer lamb chops immediately with a squirt of lemon juice if desired and your choice of side dish. Keep reading for complete meal ideas!
How Long to Cook Lamb Chops in Air Fryer?
Cook lamb chops in air fryer to your desired level of doneness by checking with quality meat thermometer. Here is a handy time chart:
- Rare – 11 minutes or until internal T 120°F.
- Medium rare – 12 minutes or until internal T 125°F (pictured).
- Medium – 13 minutes or until internal T 130°F.
- Well done – 14 minutes or until internal T 145°F and higher.
Tips for Best Results
Here are my top tips for the best air fryer lamb chops in the world!
- My air fryer size: I use a large 5.8 quart Cosori air fryer. If your air fryer is smaller, fit as many ingredients as you can, as long as they are in a single layer. Overcrowding air fryer can lead to a lack of delicious crust.
- Accurate temperature: If you haven’t invested in a digital kitchen thermometer yet, I highly recommend it. It’s the best way to tell whether your meat is cooked to your liking. That’s especially important when you’re serving other people!
- Achieve the sear: Not every air fryer recipe requires a preheat. Air fryer lamb chop recipe does because we want a nice crust from a gorgeous sear.
- Keep them warm: If you’re working in batches, lay the finished chops on a rack on a foil-lined baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven on low until they’re all ready to be served.
Variations
- Fresh or dried herbs: You could use fresh thyme, dried thyme, fresh tarragon or dried tarragon instead of rosemary.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh mint is also another herb that pairs well with lamb.
- Zesty: For a zestier kick, add some Dijon mustard to the air fryer lamb chops marinade.
- Garlic powder: If you don’t have fresh minced garlic, go ahead and use garlic powder. Onion powder too.
- Vinegar: A balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar would add an acidic component which would penetrate down to the bone, but also help to break down the fibers in the meat, making it even more tender.
Recipe Tip
Using acid in your marinade? If so, make sure to marinate for no longer than 30 minutes. Otherwise, the acid will break down the fibers too much starting the cooking process.
How to Serve Air Fryer Lamb Chops?
These air fryer lamb chops are easy and quick enough for a weeknight meal, but fancy enough for special occasions and make for a perfect Easter meal.
They are great along all kinds of veggie dishes and sides. Try them with:
How to Store Leftovers
Store: Keep leftover air fryer lamb chops in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat: Use the air fryer again to reheat the lamb for 3-4 minutes at 300 degrees F.
More FAQs
Each piece of lamb will look different and have a different temperature reading depending on how you like them. The best and most accurate way to know is to use a digital thermometer. At a minimum, it should read 120 degrees F for rare and 145 degrees F and up for well done.
Typically, the lamb chops we see that come from racks of lamb are the ones we see with the one bone sticking out of them (mostly trimmed for presentation). It’s tender meat, as are lamb loin chops, but the loin chops are not cut from the rib.
Because our marinade does not contain salt or acid, up to 48 hours is acceptable for this air fryer lamb chops recipe.
More Lamb Recipes
More Air Fryer Recipes to Try
Air Fryer Lamb Chops
Ingredients
- 8 small lamb chops
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tbsp fresh or dried rosemary chopped
- 4 garlic cloves grated
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lemon optional for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add olive oil, rosemary and garlic; stir. Add lamb chops and using your hands or tongs toss to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. Remove lamb chops from the bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Air fry in 2-3 batches, depending on your size of air fryer at 400 degrees F. Here are the recommended cook times:– for rare – 11 minutes or until internal T 120°F– for medium rare – 12 minutes or until internal T 125°F (pictured)– for medium – 13 minutes or until internal T 130°F– for well done – 14 minutes or until internal T 145°F and higher.
- Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon, if you wish, and your favorite side and salad.
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: In air fryer at 300 degrees F for 3-4 minutes or until warm.
- My air fryer size: I use a large 5.8 quart Cosori air fryer. If yours is smaller, fit as many ingredients as you can, as long as they are in a single layer. Overcrowding can lead to a lack of delicious crust.
- Accurate temperature: If you haven’t invested in a digital kitchen thermometer yet, I highly recommend it. It’s the best way to tell whether your meat is cooked to your liking. That’s especially important when you’re serving other people!
- Achieve the sear: Not every air fryer recipe requires a preheat. This one does, because we want a nice crust from a gorgeous sear.
- Resting time: A 5 minute rest does wonders!
Quick, easy and delicious……. what’s not to love ❤️
Yay! Fantastic! Couldn’t agree more.
A healthy swap from the usual! So simple, loved it!
So happy to hear this! Air fryer makes everything better 🙂