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!
Recipe
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
Nancy M says
We love it! Make it regularly! Haven’t make pork chops any other way!
Easy and tasty! I make extra rub so I always have some on hand. Thank you Jason! Sending this to my sister and suggesting she have a BYOP (bring your own pork chop party). She has an airfryer in her oven and its just too big for a single lady.
Sandra says
This is one of the first meals I’ve cooked in my new air fryer and it was so easy, delicious and QUICK!!
I omitted the brown sugar because I’m on a no-carb diet, and doubled the garlic powder just because of personal preference. I used boneless loin chops and they were so tasty that I pinned the recipe so I can find it easily….I will definitely be making this again!
Also, my chops were maybe about 1″ thick, so I cooked them for less time and had no issues with the meat being tough, as I read in another comment. The timer setting on my Cuisinart oven/air fryer combo does not distinguish increments below 10 minutes, so it’s a little bit vague but I think I cooked the chops in two increments of 6 mins… 12 mins total. They turned out wonderfully!
cindy c heddaeus says
This recipe was so easy and soooo yummy. I don’t use my air fryer a lot and i am wondering why???????? Thank you thank you thank you!
Beryl Rose says
First time did it as recipe but bit tough don’t know what I did wrong
Eric Sowers says
It might have been the pork chop, but most likely you overcooked it by a minute or so. The same thing happened to me with my first attempt. The pork chop tasted great, but was a little bit tough at 14 minutes. The next time I reduced the cooking to 12 minutes and the pork chop came out perfect.
Mae says
I made these last night and was amazed! They were so good, juicy and the rub was the perfect compliment. This is now my go to recipe. Thank you for sharing ????
Louise says
I am in the UK and didnt quite know what to do with these very American thick chops! This rub was perfect – sweet, peppery, savoury – delicious and now I am going to try it out on other meats like chicken or fish! Thank you
Dani Baur says
Wow! These turned out so good. I used pork chops without the bone. Soooo yummy!!
Carrie says
Easy to make. Delicious and juicy.
Helene Royster says
Very tasty! Wish the nutritional value was included in the description
Judith Allen says
This is seriously the best pork chop recipe ever! The rub is only a bit sweet and pairs well with the pork. I put a little spice in mine because we like a little heat. the pork chops stay moist and succulent. Thank you for a great way to make pork better!