This air fryer keto fish recipe is so simple and so tasty, you might never make fish sticks any other way again! Just like my air fryer crab cakes, they come out succulent and crispy at the same time. And the whole family loves them.
Don’t have an air fryer? Don’t worry, I also included instructions for oven-baking. Because I am nothing if not considerate like that! I sure do love my air fryer, though. It’s a convenient way to cook up everything from pork chops to gooey peanut butter stuffed brownies. And my whole family adores Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken.
I first made these Keto Fish Sticks in 2018, so they were ripe for a little update. I’ve added new photos, tips, and best practices. So you can enjoy crispy air fryer fish sticks whenever you want them!
Why we love this recipe
Air fryer fish sticks are a fun way to serve up a healthy dinner. We love them because:
- Quick and easy: It does take a bit of patience to dredge the fish properly but the whole recipe only takes about 25 minutes to make.
- Delicious coating: The keto breading gets deliciously golden and crisp in the air fryer.
- Succulent fish: The fish stays wonderful tender.
- Less messy: Air frying is far less messy and time consuming than deep frying.
- High protein: It’s a delicious way to get some protein into the whole family!
Reader’s Thoughts
“Bravo. These fish sticks are really tasty. I have made them a few times. I really enjoy them. Thanks for the recipe.” — Matt
Ingredients you need
- White fish: Choose a fish with firm flesh. I like to use cod as it holds up well and is incredibly tender.
- Pork rinds: Crushed pork rinds (aka pork panko) makes the best breading for keto recipes. However, you can use almond flour if you prefer. It just won’t get as crisp.
- Binder: I use a combination of mayonnaise and dijon mustard instead of eggs for the glue to hold the “breading” to the fish. If you prefer, you can just whisk an egg with a tablespoon of water.
- Seasonings: Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper.
Step by Step Directions
- Cut up the fish: Pat the fish dry and cut into sticks about 1 inch by 2 inches wide (how you are able to cut it will depend a little on what kind of fish you by and how thick and wide it is).
- Whisk the wet ingredients: In a small shallow bowl, whisk together the mayo, mustard, and water.
- Prep the breading: In another shallow bowl, whisk together the pork rinds and Cajun seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste (both the pork rinds and seasoning could have a fair bit of salt so dip a finger in to taste how salty it is).
- Dredge the fish: Working with one piece of fish at a time, dip into the mayo mixture to coat and then tap off the excess. Dip into the pork rind mixture and toss to coat. Place on the air fryer rack. Do not crowd the fish. If you have a smaller air fryer, you may need to work in batches.
- Air fry: Spray the air fryer rack generously with non-stick cooking spray (I use avocado oil spray). Set to Air Fry at 400ºF and bake 5 minutes, the flip the fish sticks with tongs (carefully!) and bake another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Tips for Success
I’ve found is that the bottom of air fried foods never gets that crispy unless you flip them partway through cooking. This is particularly true of fish. But you need to flip it extra carefully, and tongs are the best way to do so. It’s also vitally important to grease the air fryer rack well. Some readers have asked about the air-fryer parchment sheets, but I haven’t tried that myself.
Don’t crowd the fish! Air fryers work by circulating hot air around the food, so you want to make sure there is space between each piece.
If you don’t want to use pork rind crumbs, you can try almond flour. It will taste good, but I don’t think it will end up that crispy. It will also be higher in carbs.
Anything that can be air fried can also be cooked in the oven. If you’re dying for these fish sticks but don’t own or want to own an air fryer, I’ve included some instructions in the recipe notes. You know I am not the sort of person to leave hungry people hanging!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can enjoy fish sticks on a keto diet, and there are many ways to prepare them. If you want crispy breaded keto fish sticks, use breading ingredients like crushed pork rinds, almond flour, and grated Parmesan.
These air fryer fish sticks are best served immediately, as they lose their crispiness as they sit. But you can store any leftover fish sticks in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They may not be crispy anymore, but you can gently re-heat them in a warm oven. They are great over a salad for lunch!
Most fish sticks are coated with bread crumbs and other high carb ingredients. But this keto version uses pork rinds for a golden brown coating and has only 1g of carbs per serving!
More Delicious Keto Fish Recipes
Keto Air Fryer Fish Sticks
Ingredients
- 1 lb (453.59 g) white fish such as cod
- 1/4 cup (56 g) mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp (30.43 g) Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 cups (90 g) pork rind panko, such as Pork King Good
- 3/4 tsp cajun seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Spray the air fryer rack generously with non-stick cooking spray (I use avocado oil spray).
- Pat the fish dry and cut into sticks about 1 inch by 2 inches wide (how you are able to cut it will depend a little on what kind of fish you by and how thick and wide it is). Pat dry with a kitchen rag or paper towels.
- In a small shallow bowl, whisk together the mayo, mustard, and water. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the pork rinds and Cajun seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste (both the pork rinds and seasoning could have a fair bit of salt so dip a finger in to taste how salty it is).
- Working with one piece of fish at a time, dip into the mayo mixture to coat and then shake off the excess.
- Dip into the pork rind mixture and toss to coat, gently pressing the coating onto the fish. Place on the air fryer rack. Don't crowd the fish (if you have a smaller air fryer, you may need to work in batches).
- Set to Air Fry at 400ºF and bake 5 minutes, the flip the fish sticks (carefully!) with tongs and bake another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Carolyn,, made these tonight…fabulous, and perfect for Friday’s during Lent! Thank you for a another great recipe!
Damn autocorrect,,,Fridays during Lent ????
Haha, I wouldn’t have “dinged” you for that error. I do a lot of voice-to-text and it messes up my grammar all the time!
Just found your site thanks to Wendy Polisi and her food blog!
I’d really love the information on your air fryer too! A lot of them don’t work, and knowing I can replace my about to be toast toaster oven, with an air fryer that works would be great!
Thanks!
We just received our Air Fryer today & tried this recipe tonight. What an Amazing & Delicious Recipe it is. The flavors of the mayonnaise, dijon mustard made it very moist. The coating made it crunchy which is what we love. Thank You for a Wonderful Recipe that we will use over & over.
So glad you liked it!
Another source for pork rind breading is “Pork Panko” by Bacon’s Heir. Their ingredients are pork skin and salt. I am not affiliated in any way, but I do use their product. Here is a link:
https://baconsheir.com/collections/best-selling-products/products/pork-panko-3oz-3-pack
Help!!!!i dnnt eat pork but need to know another keto coating for baking or air frying. So many recipes I am unable to use it is sad. Help please!!!
Sorry but nothing gets as crisp as pork rinds. You can try almond flour. Search my blog for chicken piccata, I have a recipe where I use almond flour for that…
Hi Carolyn,
I love all your recipes by the way! I’ve tried this twice with the Pork King Good and mayo mixture as stated in the recipe. For some reason the breading is too wet with mayo mixture and when I try to flip it or move it, the breading comes right off. It’s also only crispy for a short time before becoming mush. Also tried on chicken with the same issues. Any suggestions?
Thank you
Hi Marina. It is tricky to flip them, I recommend a very good metal spatula to get under them. I am not sure what brand of mayo you are using, I use Primal Kitchen avocado mayo. But yes, they “unclips” very quickly, which is something I’ve noticed with all air fryer things. I once left some chicken wings in there while it was off and they became considerably less crisp very quickly. Sorry! These are best eaten right away.
That was supposed to say “uncrisp” but autocorrect doesn’t like it!
I just purchased an air fryer and am so excited to try this out! Just a quick question – is there a reason mayo was used versus an egg? That’s just what I’m used to for breading and I was wondering if it is maybe specific to the air fryer or using pork rinds versus a more traditional breading?
Well the mayo plus the Dijon gives it great flavor. You can do an egg but this is even easier.
Holy WOW these were AMAZING! So quick. So easy and they tasted exactly like frozen fish sticks! I dipped in some low sugar ketchup and this completely satisfied my craving! Thank you for the recipe!! New favorite for sure.
So glad you liked them!
Thanks, I’ve been jonesing for some fish sticks — nothing like comfort food now that the days are getting colder! I also appreciate your including instructions for those of us who don’t have air fryers; much as I’d love to get one, I have a tiny kitchen with only four feet of counter space so it’s not happening, ha ha.
Carolyn, Can you post the link to your Cuisinart Air Fryer? Also congrats on the Keto Award for BEST KETO RECIPE WEBSITE. We all love you and appreciate all your hard work. Looking forward to all the new recipes.
Hi Carolyn – is yours the Cuisinart TOA-60 Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Light? 1800 watts? I’ve been looking at this at Sears and I like that it’s larger, etc.
I know it’s the Cuisinart one but I don’t know the wattage. I think that’s th only one they make?
Hi Carolyn, I was glad to see your recommendation of Pork King Good crumbs because I have a jar but haven’t tried them for breading. But did you know the ingredient list includes corn flour and msg? I didn’t even realize until I looked at the product listing again just now. It figures, the one time I don’t read the ingredients before I buy something… Why can’t pork rind crumbs just be pork rinds? Anyway, just something to note for others who might be concerned.
I did NOT know that. Just like you, I didn’t read the label that carefully. ARGH. Well in looking at the label, it seems it’s the seasoning that they use that contains these things. Perhaps we can prevail up them to find a different seasoning because it really shouldn’t need it.
Hi there,
Not sure why our original reply yesterday didn’t go through, but I’m going to try to repost as much as I remember. I’m still waking up and having coffee. 🙂
Our product was developed by a woman that has PCOS and has lost over 100lbs since when she started her Keto diet 4 years ago. Even though we started selling our product in August, we have personally been using and developing this product for a year.
Our very first batch that you both received contained extremely small amounts of MSG and corn flour (as a method of helping the seasoning to adhere to the pork rinds). We removed the MSG in our second batch and are now in the process of removing the corn flour completely.
We understand that some customers may have reservations about these ingredients and we’ve listened and have made the changes. (But just an FYI – there is more MSG to be found in a single serving of kale than what was in our serving of the Pork Rind Crumbs). 🙂
One of the luxuries of being a startup company is that we have the ability to pay attention to customer feedback and to make immediate changes to our processes, so feel free to reach out to us at any time with your concerns, questions, or recommendations!
On another note, the Cajun flavor is completely clean. No corn flour, no MSG.
We hope you give our product a shot! So far we’ve been absolutely blown away by the positive response from thousands of customers and the amazing recipes that users have come up with.
~Rick, The Pork King Good Team
Thanks so much, Rick. I appreciate the response. I figured that this would be an issue you’d be willing to address. Thanks!
Hi Rick, thank you for your reply! I had mentioned the msg mostly because so many people want to avoid it. Personally, I don’t mind the msg as much as others; I know it’s a naturally occurring substance (much like nitrates and nitrites!) but I do try not to use anything with corn products. That’s a slippery slope issue for me. I really appreciate your company’s attentiveness to customer concerns and preferences. What a commendable approach to business! I look forward to seeing the new ingredients list, buying more jars of Pork King Good crumbs, and recommending your products to others. Thank you again, sincerely.
❤️
I would recommend once you dip and ‘bread the fish put it in the refrigerator for a half hour before air frying. I have found that the breading will come loose from air frying. I love the air fryer and use it extensively especially since I make dinners for one. My husband does not do keto but he uses it for his fries.
I’ve always done that, even back when I was making regular fried chicken. If you’re using breading, no matter what the cooking method, it’s a good idea to set the coating before you cook the dish. So, yeah, that’s a great tip. Thanks for the reminder. I forgot to do that last time I used pork rind breadcrumbs.
Thank you for this tip! My mom loves her Phillips air fryer and when our toaster oven died, I decided to buy the Cuisinart shown in this post to replace our toaster oven and get the bonus of an air fryer. The tiny bit that was left after flipping the fish sticks tasted great, but what a mess! Even though I followed the directions as stated in the recipe, almost all of the breading was left on the basket and the fish was broken up into little pieces. I decided to never use it for anything breaded again which was very disappointing. This gives me hope! 🙂
Looks great. Can you just grind up pork rinds and use that instead?
Yes. I’ve done that. I have some sitting in my cupboard right now that I didn’t need when I made my last batch of chicken.
Yes totally! It takes work to get them evenly crushed but you absolutely can.
Just use a food processor to crush the pork rinds.
These sound delicious! Question: there are family members who keep kosher, so no pork products. Do you have a suggestion for a pork rind Pablo substitute?
You can always do almond flour but they just won’t be as crispy.
Is an air fryer also called a convection oven? My toaster oven has a convection option which I have not used much. These sound wonderful! Also, forgive me if this posts multiple times. When I tap the post button nothing seems to happen.
No, an air fryer is similar to a convection oven but not quite the same. It gets hotter and circulates the air so well that it crisps things as if they are fried.
I don’t have an air fryer – would either the convection bake or convection roast settings on my oven work for this recipe? And if so, would time/temp settings be the same?
This was designed for the air fryer so I can’t say for sure. I would definitely set on convection bake and try my timing and see if it’s cooked after that. Fish doesn’t take too long to cook anyway.
I think if I put the fish on a wire rack over a baking sheet that might help get the air circulating on all sides. I’m really looking forward to something crispy that I can dip in the Primal Kitchen sugar-free ketchup i just bought…I’ll give it a try soon and let you know…thanks!