Air Fryer Calamari – Crispy Squid Rings Recipe (2024)

If you have an air fryer, you have endless possibilities for making crisp, delicious foods without deep-frying! This air fryer calamari was dipped in a buttermilk batter and air fried to crispy perfection. Make this when you are craving the fried seafood at your local seaside fish shack but want a healthier version. I’ve added a side of garlic-dill fries and broccoli to make it a full meal.

I’ve updated this recipe for 2021 with new photos, a recipe video, and more nutrition information. Enjoy!

Have I mentioned yet that I was gifted an air fryer for Christmas? I am so happy about it because it means that I get to start sharing air fryer recipes here!

Air fryers are awesome if you want to lighten dishes because you can make foods that taste fried without the added oils. Added oils are extremely energy-dense, at around 120 calories per tablespoon. If you are trying to maintain a calorie deficit for weight loss, limiting added oils may make it easier.

My husband got a great Black Friday deal on the 10-Quart Kalorik Digital Air Fryer Oven. It comes with two air-frying racks, a drip tray that doubles as a baking tray, and a rotisserie spit.

It’s big enough to make a whole rotisserie chicken! (BTW, I can teach you to make air fryer rotisserie chicken too!)

The downside is that there are no instructions on how to make most of the foods that I want to make. A cookbook was included, but it doesn’t cover how to cook chicken on the spit. It also doesn’t give instructions for crispy calamari.

Thankfully, after a few tries that were not quite right, I think I perfected this air fryer calamari recipe. The third time ended up being the charm in this case!

⭐ Benefits

It’s well known that most folks in the U.S. are not meeting the recommendations for seafood intake. If you aren’t getting your two servings of seafood in per week, don’t forget about this easy calamari recipe! Here are some nutritional benefits of these crispy squid rings:

• Lean Protein: Everyone knows chicken breast is a lean protein, but did you know that calamari is a protein dense food too? Each 4-ounce serving of (plain) calamari is only 45 calories, but provides 13 grams of protein.
• Low in Saturated Fat: If you're looking to lower your saturated fat intake to improve your blood cholesterol levels, you’re in luck. My package of calamari lists 1 gram of total fat and 0 grams of saturated fat per 4-ounce serving. The downside is that because it is so lean, it is lower in omega 3s than fatty fish options.
• Low Calorie: As alluded to above, calamari is a protein dense food, meaning it provides lots of protein for very few calories. If you have a weight loss goal, it’s easy to integrate calamari into a filling and low-calorie meal.
• Healthy: Squid rings are rich in an assortment of essential vitamins and minerals. This includes riboflavin, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and zinc. Their mild flavor and awesome nutrient profile make them a top pick for seafood!

🥘 Ingredients

To make the air fryer squid rings recipe, you only need a handful of ingredients:

• Cleaned and thawed calamari rings
• Spelt flour or whole wheat flour
• Buttermilk
• Old Bay seasoning
• Cooking oil spray

Old Bay is a salty seasoning, so you should not need additional salt on your squid. I also like to have some fresh lemon slices on hand for serving.

My local supermarkets sell packages of large squid rings and small squid rings. I’ve air-fried both, and my family prefers the small rings. They turn out a bit like crispy fried clams and would be great with your favorite seafood dipping sauce.

The last time I purchased squid, the rings came in a package with tentacles! I’ve never prepared squid tentacles before, but that’s going to have to be an adventure for another day. Certain family members of mine are not looking forward to getting the chance to try them out. Haha

I made baked potato fries and broccoli for sides. Here’s what you’ll need for those if you’ll be making the whole meal:

• Russet potatoes
• Olive oil
• Dried dill
• Dried parsley
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Salt and black pepper
• Broccoli
• Toasted sesame oil

The main pieces of kitchen equipment for this meal are an air fryer, sharp knife, parchment paper, and a baking sheet.

🦑 Calamari Dipping Sauce Options

I kept things simple by squeezing a little fresh lemon juice over my calamari. Other citrus juices, such as lime juice, would also work.

You could also serve your calamari with a dipping sauce or seafood sauce. Here are some ideas:

• co*cktail sauce
• Lemon garlic aioli
• Tartar sauce
• Marinara sauce

If you have kids, serving the calamari with a dip may make them a little more likely to try it. It’s worth a shot!

♨️ Best Air Fryer for Calamari

You should be able to make this calamari recipe with whatever air fryer you have. You can use an air fryer oven or a smaller air fryer with a basket. I’m partial to the large capacity of my inexpensive 10-Quart Kalorik Digital Air Fryer Oven, but other air fryers are super too.

That said, different brands and sizes of air fryers may give different results. If it is your first time making a recipe with your fryer, I recommend keeping an eye on the food. That way, you’ll be able to prevent the food from burning if the cooking time ends up being shorter than anticipated.

🔪 How to Air Fry Calamari

Thaw your calamari rings and drain them well. Pat them dry with a paper towel.

We’re creating a thick batter that won’t drip away in the air fryer. We don’t want the squid adding a lot of additional moisture to it.

Mix the spelt flour, buttermilk, and Old Bay together to form a batter. Add the calamari rings to the bowl and stir well to coat them with batter.

Mist your air fryer racks with the cooking oil spray. Place paper towels under the racks to catch drips. Spread your battered calamari on the racks.

The mixture is a bit liquid-y at this point and the calamari is not in distinct pieces. This is ok!

Make sure the drip tray is in place in your air fryer oven. We’re ready to get air frying!

⏲️ Cooking Time and Temperature

Your air fryer crispy calamari will bake for a total of 21 minutes at 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Start by putting the racks with the squid in the oven and baking for 10 minutes.

Flip the calamari pieces over and switch the position of the air fryer trays in your oven. Bake at 390F for 8 more minutes.

Flip the calamari over once more. Break up any squid rings that are sticking together with your fingers.

Pop the calamari back in the air fryer oven for 3 more minutes. (Don’t switch the position of the trays in the air fryer oven this time.) That’s it!

🥗 Side Dishes

If you’re making baked fries to go with the meal, I recommend starting them in your regular oven before air frying the squid. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scrub your potatoes but do not peel them. Cut them into french fries that are ½-inch to ¾-inch wide.

Drizzle the potatoes with the oil and stir in the dill, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Spread the fry-cut potatoes out on a dark parchment-lined baking sheet. Place them in the top third of the oven.

Bake the fries for 40-50 minutes, flipping halfway through baking time. These are so nicely seasoned, they really don’t need ketchup!

I also served broccoli to go with the calamari. You can steam your broccoli in the microwave or on the stovetop, your choice. Drizzle the broccoli with 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil right before plating.

🍟 Should you make the fries and the calamari in the air fryer at the same time?

As mentioned above, the air fryer I own has a fairly large capacity. However, trying to cook the fries and the calamari all at once led to overcrowding.

Cooking the calamari and fries together meant that I had to use both racks and the baking tray for cooking. The items on the baking tray did not crisp properly because the air could not circulate through the solid tray. For this reason, I recommend making the calamari in the fryer and baking the fries in the oven.

An alternative would be to make the calamari in one batch and then do the fries in a second batch. I’m going to give air fryer directions for the fries if you’d like to try this. Keep in mind that your calamari may get cold while you are waiting for the fries to finish, though.

(P.S. If you end up loving the fries, you NEED to check out this kielbasa salad with potatoes and mustard vinaigrette. Instead of enjoying them as fries, I’m serving them as chopped, roasted potatoes in an entrée inspired by Polish cuisine. It remains one of my favorite meal preps to date!)

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make air fryer calamari gluten free?

It’s possible to make gluten free calamari using almond flour or your favorite gluten free bread crumbs. Here’s a gluten free bacon fried calamari recipe that I think would be fun to adapt to the air fryer.

How do you make air fryer calamari keto?

You could make keto calamari with no batter, or use low-carb flour for the batter or breadcrumbs. Some items to experiment with include almond flour, pork panko, and coconut flour.

Can you make air fryer calamari with no batter?

Without batter or breading, it’s much easier to accidentally overcook your calamari. If you want to try air frying calamari without batter, mix the rings with a little olive oil and garlic. Air frying will likely take less than 5 minutes.

How do you get breading to stick to calamari?

This recipe used a wet batter rather than a breading. If you’re making breaded calamari instead, milk or beaten eggs works well to get the breading to stick.

Why does calamari get rubbery?

Calamari is a bit rubbery by nature, but it can become quite tough and rubbery when overcooked. Try cooking your calamari for less time or at a lower temperature if you are having issues with tough calamari.

How do you tenderize calamari?

Another tip for tough and overly chewy calamari is to try tenderizing it in buttermilk. Soak the raw squid rings in buttermilk overnight in the fridge. The next day, drain the calamari, pat it dry, and it will be ready to use in recipes.

Can you reheat fried calamari?

If you’re not too picky about texture changes or foods becoming overcooked, you can reheat just about anything! Haha For the rest of us, I don’t recommend trying to reheat this air fryer fried calamari. Instead, scale the recipe down to only make what you’ll eat that evening.

🦐 Other Air Fryer Seafood Recipes

Air fryers are great at cooking so many things! Feel free to poke around; I bet you find some new favorite foods to air fry! Here are some of my favorite air fryer recipes for seafood:

• Keto Coconut Shrimp (Air Fryer)
• Air Fryer Fish Sticks
• Frozen Tilapia (Air Fryer Recipe)
• Old Fashioned Salmon Patties (Air Fryer)

📖 Recipe Card

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