Sometimes you just want a quick snack that actually feels a bit special, and this is perfect for that. The olives get crispy on the outside while staying soft and a little creamy inside.
It’s super simple, takes just a few minutes, and works great when you need something easy to put on the table.
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Servings: 4 (snack portion)
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Pat the olives dry with a paper towel so the filling sticks better.
- Stir the cream cheese with garlic powder, smoked paprika, lemon zest, and black pepper.
- Fill each olive with a small amount of the cheese mixture.
- Tip: A piping bag or small spoon makes this much less messy.
- Beat the egg in a small bowl until smooth.
- Mix the breadcrumbs with Parmesan in another bowl.
- Dip each stuffed olive into the egg, then roll in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Tip: Press gently so the coating doesn’t fall off during cooking.
- Lightly drizzle or brush the olives with olive oil.
- Air fry at 190°C for 7–8 minutes, shaking once, until crisp and deeply golden.
- Let them cool for 2 minutes before eating so the filling isn’t too hot.
- Tip: They taste best warm, when the outside is crunchy and the center is creamy.
Tips & Variations
You can play around with the filling a bit depending on what you like. Fresh herbs like parsley or dill add a nice fresh touch, and if you want a bit of heat, spicy olives work really well here. You can even swap the lemon zest for orange zest if you want something a little softer and slightly sweet.
If you want to get ahead, you can prep and coat the olives earlier, then just air fry them right before serving — they’re definitely best hot and crispy.
Go for larger olives if you can, they’re just easier to work with, but smaller ones will still be fine. And if the coating isn’t sticking, it’s usually because the olives are too wet — just pat them dry first and press the crumbs on gently.
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