Air Fryer Appetizers Perfect for Game Day

The vegetable that fooled absolutely nobody as "pizza crust" has finally found its true calling as a buffalo wing imposter. These little florets get the full spa treatment with a double breading of cheesy breadcrumbs, transforming them into golden, crispy nuggets of buffalo perfection. Prepare for them to vanish faster than your resolution to eat more vegetables.

These tiny handheld apple pies don't require a fork, a plate or any semblance of table manners. It starts with easy-peasy basic ingredients of refrigerated biscuit dough and canned apple pie filling, but the real genius comes when you roll these little parcels in melted butter and cinnamon sugar before they hit the air fryer.

These little guys are like the choose-your-own-adventure books of appetizers. Just three ingredients stand between you and these flavor vessels that are about to become your new party trick. Shape tiny turkey meatballs into cups that become edible containers for whatever creamy, dreamy filling your heart desires.

Each jalapeño half gets hollowed out and packed with a luscious cream cheese mixture before adding the bacon crown on top, because apparently someone decided that peppers stuffed with cheese weren't quite indulgent enough on their own. Just keep some napkins handy because eating these gracefully is absolutely not an option, nor should it be.

Ridiculously easy to make and even easier to inhale at an alarming rate, these mozza bites deliver with the kind of cheesy commitment that would make your middle school cafeteria's mozzarella sticks weep with envy. The air fryer creates a crunchy golden shell that splits at first bite to reveal molten cheese that does that perfect slow-mo cheese pull.

Sometimes an appetizer comes along that's so packed with flavor, it basically tells dips and toppings to take a hike. These mini tacos are that confident. The air fryer transforms them into crispy, golden pockets of seasoned filling that stand perfectly well on their own, no dip required. They're like if regular tacos went to finishing school and learned how to be party-appropriate.

Food wrapped in bacon?! Is there any more to say? Bacon-wrapped scallops is the surf and turf of the appetizer world...fancy enough to impress but casual enough for a game day spread. The air fryer ensures the bacon gets properly crispy while the scallops stay tender and juicy inside their salty blanket.

Remember when blooming onions were only available at restaurants and required a vat of oil deep enough to swim in? The air fryer changed all that. You take one large onion, fan it out into a beautiful flower shape, coat it in seasoned breading and let the air fryer work its magic. What you get is a dramatically oversized onion that's crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.

These crispy wontons are stuffed with a dreamy mixture of cream cheese and crab meat that gets all warm and melty inside their golden shells. Each bite is a study in textural contrast that'll have you reaching for another before you've even finished chewing. Pro tip: make extras because these babies will disappear faster than you can say "touchdown."

Tossed in your favorite sauce or left naked and proud, wings are non-negotiable for game day, and one secret ingredient takes these air fryer wings from good to legendary levels of crispy. These aren't just crispy wings; they're the crispiest wings you'll ever pull out of an air fryer, with skin that shatters like glass and meat that stays juicy underneath.

Soft pretzels typically require yeast, rising time and a level of patience most of us simply don't possess. Enter the shortcut version made with premade pizza dough that still delivers that classic chewy texture and golden brown crust, emerging from the air fryer as perfect bite-sized pieces of carb heaven.