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
MyKeshea says
What a recipe! We had all the spices in our cabinet. We had four large pork chops so we doubled the amount of spices. We ended up putting about 2tsp of seasoning on each side of the chops (so 4tsp seasoning per chop). We decided to just cook one pork chop at a time so that the air fryer wouldn’t be crowded.
Let’s talk about the flavor — my, my, my! We usually eat our chops with some 57 sauce or A1 on the side. These damn chops didn’t need anything extra. My husband cleaned all the meat off the bones (and almost ate the bone too. Haha!!) Our 2 year old daughter and 9 year old son ate their full servings of the pork chops.
We served our pork chops with smashed potatoes and broccoli. This recipe is a keeper! I’m going to share it with all my friends.
RecipeTeacher says
You just made my day, MyKeshea!! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it so much and your feedback is awesome!
Ashley says
These were a big hit in my house. I did have to cook them a little longer than the recipe called for. But regardless they were absolutely delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Amber McPherson says
These came out really great! The only downside is my air fryer did get a little messy front when flipping the pork chops. It was a hit with the family and I would definitely make them again.
Lexi says
I have pork chops that aren’t bone in. Do you suggest altering the temperature/cook time? Excited to try this recipe!
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Lexi, maybe just a couple of minutes less time. Same temp and everything else.
Lisa says
One of the best pork chops I’ve ever had! It was so juicy and the flavor was Just phenomenal! This will definitely be a regular in my menu planning from now on. I’m new to airfrying, so I’m looking forward to trying some of your other recipes. This one will be hard to beat, though. New favorite! Thank you for sharing!
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome, Lisa! Thank you!
Susan Oneil says
You’ve set a new standard for delicious pork chops. And so quick and easy. Thank you!
Colleen says
These pork chops were the absolute best! I have never made a decent chop – ever – until today! Just delicious! I think I will make them again tomorrow! And then I am going to make the air fryer fajitas! Keep those airfryer recipes coming!!!
Joyce says
cooked these in our air fryer yesterday for the first time and I agree that they are the best damn pork chops we’ve ever had.
Pam M says
I altered this recipe due to taste and what I had on hand- it was great! First, I cut the sugar in half. Next, I didn’t have mustard seed so I rubbed some mustard in with the olive oil. Lastly, I use bone in fattier type of pork chops. My husband and I loved them! This is a keeper recipe. Thank you!
RecipeTeacher says
Thank you, Pam!
Sylvia says
Everyone loved them! Im not a pork chop fan, I was tired of the mundane cooking and decided to make these. Wonderful flavor, Added more smiles at our family meal.