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Air Fryer Pork Belly Recipe
Get ready to treat your taste buds to the best pork belly ever. This Air Fryer Pork Belly recipe is crispy and delicious with the perfect combination of sweet and salty in every single bite.
We love ordering pork belly at nice restaurants for date night. Pork belly is just a whole other level of flavor. Cooking it in the air fryer is one of the best ways to cook it for tender meat plus super crispy skin.
Trust me that pork belly tastes like the best bacon you’ve ever had. This air fried pork belly recipe will be on your forever list once you try it.
Make sure to check out my Keto Pork Chops as well as my Keto Pulled Pork for more great pork recipes to try. Or try smoking some pork belly with my Smoked Pork Belly recipe.
Ingredients
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- Pork belly – This is a cut of meat from the belly of the pig. I find my pork belly at Costco. But you can try the meat market at your local grocery store. If you can’t find it at the supermarket a local butcher should have it on hand as well. It will be more expensive than regular bacon but worth it!
- Maple syrup – The syrup is optional but I recommend you try it at least once. This gives each bite that balance of sweet and salty goodness. You can use my homemade keto pancake syrup if you would like it to be sugar-free.
- Salt & Black Pepper – Pork belly does not have added salt the way bacon does. You will need to add some kosher salt or sea salt and pepper for the best flavor.
How To Make Air Fryer Pork Belly
Step One: Slice the pork belly strips in half with a sharp knife on a cutting board. For crispy crackling, dry it well with paper towels.
The size of your strips may depend on the size of your air fryer. I have an Instant Pot with an air fryer lid. You want them to fit without bending.
Top Tip💡
For the best results, grease the air fryer basket or rack with olive oil cooking spray so the pork belly slices don’t stick.
Step Two: Air fry the pork belly pieces in a single layer in the air fryer for up to 30 minutes cooking time. The internal temperature will be safe to eat much before 30 minutes. But if you want crispy pork belly just keep cooking until it’s as crisp as you like.
Step Three: Once done, remove the pieces of pork belly and drain on a paper towel. They won’t release much grease but will release a little.
Step Four: Drizzle with the syrup or add salt and pepper. Store any leftovers in an air-tight container.
Variations
- Syrup – Try a bit of honey or hot honey instead of the maple syrup.
- Brown Sugar – Brown sugar or a brown sweetener added during the last 5 minutes is delicious. You can have a bowl of it next to the air fryer and coat each piece and then add it back for that to glaze on.
- Asian – Mix brown sugar sweetener with soy sauce and cook until it reduces by half. Use as a glaze.
- Seasoning – Onion powder and garlic powder are natural choices as well as smoked paprika and chili powder.
- Barbecue Sauce – Try dipping a piece of pork belly in Keto BBQ Sauce. So good.
- Bites – Want crispy air fryer pork belly bites instead of strips? Just cut the strips into bite-sized cubes with a sharp knife before cooking. Pork belly cubes are my kids’ fave!
Storage
Leftover pork belly keeps well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days. We will chop it up and add it to salads.
Common Questions
Do I need to boil pork belly before air frying it?
Nope! Just put it raw right into the air fryer. You can have air fryer CRISPY pork belly without messing up the kitchen boiling it first.
Is pork belly the same as bacon?
While it’s cut from the same part of the big for the most part, it’s not the same. This is because most bacon is cured already while pork belly is not.
What do you serve with pork belly?
This pork belly air fryer recipe is the perfect appetizer but you can easily eat it for any meal of the day.
Cutting it into pieces and adding it into a salad is always a great idea. You can even eat it on a BLT sandwich with fresh garden tomatoes and lettuce! Or make some pork belly tacos.
Can you overcook pork belly?
You can. But the good thing about it is that since it has such a high level of fat content, it will still have great flavor even if you’ve overcooked it.
Why is my pork belly not crispy?
If your pork belly is not crisp you need to cook it longer. When I first started making it I was shocked how long it took to cook air fried pork belly. It has a lot of natural fat and you need all that to render to get it crisp.
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Air Fryer Pork Belly
Try my easy way to cook pork belly – no boil, ready in 30 minutes! This Air Fryer Pork Belly Recipe is the perfect combo of sweet & salty.
- 1.5 lb pork belly cut into 1/2 inch slices 4-5 inches long
- 2 tbsp maple syrup optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
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Spray air fryer basket with non-stick spray. Place pork belly in the basket. Make sure there is room between the pieces for air to circulate.
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Cook for 25-30 min on 400 until it is your desired level of crispiness. Thicker pieces take longer. It is helpful to rotate and flip pieces over halfway through.
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Drizzle with syrup and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.
Syrup – You can use maple syrup, honey, hot honey, or a keto version of any of those.
Calories: 440.7Carbohydrates: 0.1gProtein: 7.9gFat: 45.1gSaturated Fat: 16.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4.8gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 61.2mgSodium: 172.6mgPotassium: 158.2mgFiber: 0.1gVitamin A: 8.8IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 4.6mgIron: 0.4mg
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Originally Published November 5, 2021. Revised and Republished September 26, 2025.
