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
Ronny says
Unbelievable. Interrupted dinner to post. Thank you so much. Just wish i had dropped some potatoes in the fryer to go with the roassted brussel sprouts and salad. Desert is coming soon!
RecipeTeacher says
Right on, Ronny!! Thanks for the feedback. And I hope dessert is awesome too!
Shawna says
Great recipe! Very seldom do I follow a recipe without tweaking. This recipe didn’t need tweaking although I did add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes because we like heat. The dry rub was so tasty I made a batch x5 and put in a jar to use later. The rub is also fantastic on chicken wings!!
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks, Shawna! Some red pepper flakes definitely add a nice little flare.
Jess R says
Haven’t had a pork chop in probably 15 years. These were amazing! Had to share with all of my friends. Definitely need to make with thick cuts. Absolutely picture worthy!
Duane says
This was the juiciest and most flavorful pork chop I’ve ever made. I added more garlic powder because I like garlic. I’ll definitely be making these again.
Carmen Will says
I made this recipe last night. My husband and I couldn’t believe how perfect the pork chops turned out–more flavorful and juicy than any pork chops we’ve ever had–and we’ve been around a long time:). I was a bit hesitant to use so much paprika in the rub…but I’m so happy that I followed the recipe exactly. All I can say is this: There is no reason for me to ever use any other pork chop recipe.
Walt says
Damn good! I made them with rosemary and thyme instead of the ground mustard at my wife’s request. They were boneless, but perfectly done inside. I let them rest while I made onion rings in the same air fryer (10 minutes), so that helped. Spot on recipe – thank you!
Kikki says
I made these with a 2in thick chop wrapped in bacon. I have a power air fryer pro plus and I cooked it on the meat setting (400°) for 12 mins, flipped it at the 6 min mark and used a meat thermometer and it wasn’t cooked all the way. I put them back in for another 12 mins flipping them at the 6 min mark and rechecked the chop temp it was perfect at 165° done! Best pork chops in awhile! Love the rub!
RecipeTeacher says
Oh goodness I can only imagine how awesome it must have been with bacon wrapped chops! Thank you for the feedback, Kikki!
Joy says
These were delicious and moist! Although I often use boneless pork chops, I used bone in chops! We will have these again soon.
Stacy says
Hi! Going to try this! Did you do this from thawed or frozen? Thank you!
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Stacy. I always use thawed.
Tilly says
Exactly what they are called!!! Fantastic! These were the second thing I fixed in my new air fryer easy recipe to follow instructions were great. My boyfriend he could not believe you could get a pork chop that great out of an air fryer……HA! Will be making these again and again.