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
Emmie Peterson says
Recipe was easy to follow and turned out tasty and tender. I will always do my pork chops this way from now on. Thank you!
Lilly says
I LOVE this recipe! My husband makes a request this be included in our meal plans at least once a week! But our air fryer decided to retire and I’m hoping this recipe can be the best damn “baked” pork chops as well- if so- do I keep all the same ingredients, oven temp, and cooking time?
Rinne says
Very yummy, reminds me of shake n bake mom used to make so long ago. Used 1” pork chops; 10 min was a little too long. Will try 9 minutes next time.
Elizabeth says
These pork chops were amazing!! Thank you!
Rachel Picek says
Delicious! Super simple to put together with ingredients I had in my cabinets. Came out so moist. This recipe is a keeper. I will be making these again.
Danny says
I plan to give this a go for the first time tonight. I have about 1inch boneless pork chops on hand. Any suggestions to make this recipe work with what I have?
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Danny, you’ll be just fine with 1 inch chops. It will be a couple of minutes less time. Just pay attention to that internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. Cook those chops to 145°(F).
Suzy says
I’m trying this tonight as well,my pork chop is bone in but only about 1 inch thick
Crystal W says
Really is SOOO good!
Lolita says
Second time trying this recipe and once again it was a hit! So, so good!
Tiffany says
Omg! I have had the worse luck trying to cook thick chops. They always get dry. These came out perfect!!!! I subbed a little Dijon mustard rubbed on the meat after the olive oil(I had no ground mustard) and did the rest of the rub per the recipe. It was amazing! Thank you!!!
LMS says
These were amazing! I increased the garlic to 1/2 tsp and added the same amount of cumin as well… 7 min each side and they were perfect! What a keeper recipe!
RecipeTeacher says
Oooh I LOVE a little cumin thrown in! Nice call!
Terri says
Omg, this needs to have a 5 star rating. It is delicious! Made it tonight and the chops were so juicy and tender and the flavor is out of this world. My new favorite pork chop recipe ????
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks so much, Terri!
dquig says
Amazing and juicy!!!! Everyone loved it!!! Simple ingredients, but, WOW!!!
Kay says
Will it work with boneless pork chops? I only have those right now.
Thanks!
Fay says
The rub is amazing! Thank you for sharing with us.
Eliz says
Bet they would be good w/ Chinese 5 spice, too.