This recipe for the Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Chops is so juicy, tender and delicious, it’s sure to quickly become a favorite air fryer recipe. With a few simple ingredients, and only 12 minutes cook time, these air fryer pork chops are perfect for a tasty dinner any day of the week.
Which Pork Chop Do You Have?
Not all pork chops cook the same way. Start with the cut you’re using, then choose the method that works best for you:
- Using Boneless Chops? If you’d rather use your oven, my Best Damn Oven-Baked Boneless Pork Chops are a reader favorite for staying juicy and tender.
- Have Bone-In Chops? For that traditional “Sunday Dinner” flavor, follow my simple Guide for Bone-In Chops in the Oven.
- Want a Savory Twist? Try these Parmesan Garlic Air Fryer Pork Chops for a buttery, cheesy crust that uses basic pantry staples.
- No Air Fryer Available? If you want to use your stovetop, my Best Damn Pan Seared Pork Chops are perfect for a quick, 10-minute weeknight meal.
Let me start my saying how much i’m loving my air fryer. I’ve owned a lot of kitchen gadgets over the years and my two favorites are my air fryer and my Instant Pot. And honestly, not far behind is my George Foreman Grill – but that’s a discussion for another day. The thing about an air fryer, is that, well, you’re not really frying in the traditional sense. It’s honestly more like a rapid cook oven/broiler. And there’s plenty of times I don’t want to heat up the house by turning on the regular oven. Besides, for this pork chop recipe I get the best results in the air fryer anyways!
What are the best pork chops for the air fryer?
I’ve found that the very best pork chops for the air fryer are thick, center cut, bone-in chops. I try to get them as thick as possible – somewhere between 1 ½ inches to 2 inches thick. The reason I like the thick chops the best is that with the cooking time required, it’s gives the pork chops a beautiful char on all sides. Thin pork chops will cook too quickly and never get that nice char on them. Thick pork chops require a cooking time of about 12 minutes. And with our rub from this recipe, we get that beautiful char on them that’s delicious!
Make a rub for air fryer pork chops
For this recipe for air fryer pork chops, we will not be breading the pork chops. Rather, we will be making a rub seasoning mix which we are going to very liberally apply to the meat. The rub is very simple too. We’ll use brown sugar, paprika, ground mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. We mix it together and rub it all in to pork chops that have been rinsed, dried, and coated with a little olive oil. Rinsing the pork chops and patting them dry with a paper towel is important so don’t skip that step.
Cooking
Preheating your air fryer is an important step! You’ll want to preheat at 400°F for 5 minutes. Then, when it’s ready, cook the pork chops in the air fryer for 12 minutes, flipping them over after 6 minutes. Check for doneness with an instant-read food thermometer. We’re aiming for an internal temp of 140°F. If your pork chops are very thick, they may require an additional few minutes.
When the pork chops are done, remove them from the air fryer and place them on a plate and let them rest for a couple of minutes. Then you’re ready to serve and enjoy! There will be a nice juice that will form from the seasonings and the natural juices of the pork. Slice the pork chops in thin slices, and get some of the seasoned juice on each bite. You’re gonna love it!
Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Chops
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 2
Description
Juicy, tender and delicious air fryer pork chops.
Ingredients
- 2 center-cut, bone-in pork chops, 1 ½ – 2 inches thick
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
- Rinse pork chops with cool water and pat dry completely with a paper towel.
- In a small bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
- Coat the pork chops with olive oil and rub in the mix. Rub it in well and liberally. Use almost all of the rub mix for the 2 pork chops.
- Cook pork chops in air fryer on the air fry setting at 400°F for 12-14 minutes or until internal temperature of 140°F. Flip pork chops over after 6 minutes.
Notes
Air fryer temperatures can vary. Remove pork chops when internal temperature reaches 140°F. The carryover cooking will bring the temp up to 145°F.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Category: Pork chops
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: American
E says
I wonder if these chips should be marinated in the rub. Mine are alright, but the flavor did not permeate.
Nicole says
Trying this tonight! Wish me luck!
Thanks for posting the recipe
RecipeTeacher says
Good luck, Nicole! Let me know how it goes!
Donna Waltrip says
This recipe is AMAZING!Truly the best damn porch chops!!!
Patsy Ward says
My husband just brought these Thick Thick porkchops home. I was thinking — how am I going to cook these without them being tough as nails. He also brought an air fryer home 2 days ago but it came without recipes. So I looked online & found your recipe. DELICIOUS & so very juicy!!!! They turned out just like the pictures. Thank-you Thank-you. Thank-you!!
RecipeTeacher says
Aww I love hearing that, Patty! Thanks so much for the feedback! I’ve got more air fryer recipes coming so be sure to check back.
WILMA says
I have everything but the dry mustard will yello mustard do?, or should I leave out all together?
RecipeTeacher says
Leave it out
Wilma says
These are the best damn air fryer pork chops ever, they’re moist & juicy and the rub is great!!
Wish I could post a pic, looks just like your pic!! Thanks for the recipe
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome, Wilma! Thanks for the feedback!
Debbie says
The name for this recipe fits perfect!!!! My Adult Son loves the pork chop and he’s not a huge meat lovers…except for these. I even over cooked them last time (bad time management on my part) and they were still juicy. Thank You so much for sharing this recipe♥️
Dawn says
Made this recipe tonight with boneless chops. I didn’t have the MMS so I used Steak & Chop seasoning. It was delicious!!! So moist and the caramelization was like candy on the outside.
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome, Dawn! Glad you liked them!
Carla Harrell says
How would I adjust the recipe for thin chops?
Kathy says
I’ll be making these tomorrow. Can’t wait! It looks amazing!!!
RecipeTeacher says
Very cool. Please let me know how it goes!
Tonya says
FABULOUS!! New family favorite!!
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome! Thanks, Tonya!
Frances says
Does anything change if you’re cooking 4 chops?
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Frances. Just double the dry rub mix.
MelanieO says
My air fryer is coming today! My husband likes thin cut chops. What would you do time-wise with the thin chops? Thank you
RecipeTeacher says
All air fryers are gonna be a little different. I’d do just a few minutes less and see how they look. Make sure to use a lot of the rub.
Scott R. says
I did thin pork chops and cut the time to 9min then flipped at 4 1/2 minutes. Title says it all, thanks for the recipe.
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks, Scott!