Air Fryer Pork Belly Bites are flavorful, seasoned pieces of pork belly that are cooked crispy in an air fryer with less oil and mess compared to deep-frying. Try my Bacon Chicken Bites for another bite-sized appetizer packed with flavor. Or, try the Maple Mustard Pork Belly Bites for a fun twist!
Air Fryer Pork Belly Bites
Air-fried foods are lower in fat than deep-fried foods, which is one good reason to give it a try with a recipe like this. But, just because it saves on some fat and calories doesn’t mean it is light on flavor. These pork belly bites still turn out crispy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I dare you to eat just one!
What is Pork Belly?
Pork belly is like a huge slab of bacon, but uncured, unsliced, and unsmoked. Both pork belly and bacon come from the flesh from the underside, or belly, of a pig. You could buy pork belly and make your own bacon. However, once you try this pork belly recipe, you may want to stick with pork belly over bacon.
Pork belly can be up to 12 pounds. I went with 1 1/2 pounds for this recipe. You can find it at most large grocery stores. If you buy it from a butcher, he or she can cut the amount you want. Or, you can freeze any extra pork belly for up to six months to use later. If your pork belly has thawed to room temperature, put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to harden it up before cutting.
What is the Best Air Fryer?
I have tested 3 brands in my home and I recommend the Ninja Air Fryer. (affiliate link) You can go up a size if needed, but it is superior in achieving consistent results and also ease of use. I’ve been very happy with this Air Fryer!
Can I Make Pork Belly Bites in the Oven?
Yes! If you do not have an air fryer, or if it is being used for another flavorful appetizer like Air Fryer Pulled Pork Egg Rolls, make these in the oven. If making them in the oven, first, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Be sure the pork belly pieces are flat and in a single layer on the lined sheet. Bake at 400°F for 42-45 minutes.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Pork Belly Bites
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds pork belly, patted dry, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.*
- In a large bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add the pork belly pieces to the oil mixture, covering each piece.
- Lay the pork belly pieces in a single layer in the basket of your air fryer. (I was able to fit all of the pieces in the basket, but you may need to split them up into two or three batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.)
- Air fry the pork belly cubes for 18-20 minutes, shaking and flipping them a couple of times throughout the cooking time. Please note: Air frying times will depend on the size of your pork belly pieces and the size of your air fryer.
- Remove from the air fryer and serve warm.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
It was a good and flavorful. I added some Dijon mustard and Mirin to the mix.
First time making these and they weren’t bad. Mine got a little tough and weren’t as tender as I would like. That very well could have been the cut, or I could have cut cooked for them too long. Overall though, the flavor was very good.
I also made the honey Sriracha sauce that someone else posted in the comments:
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons Sriracha**
2 teaspoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh cilantro stems**
Fourth time I’ve made your recipe, not disappointed ever. As with any recipe, and any cut of meat, nothing is ever equal and needs to be monitored. Well Done 💪
Amazing, Terry. Thank you and so, so glad you are enjoying this!
I just wanted to thank you for your recipe and work involved. I hate the negative comments people make. I love to be able to look up a recipe online basicly free and give it a whirl.
You are welcome, Vickie!
Awesome Recipe as is!! Cooked faster in my Ninja Air Fryer than I thought but that is no problem. Just have to closely monitor. Could be a meal, but we used it as an 3-5 piece appetizer and got rave reviews.
Yummy
Resulted in Tiny over cooked pieces of pork, oil everywhere. Follow the instructions. In hindsight, what other outcome could there be than oil everywhere?
Oh no, F! Sounds like you cut them smaller than recommended if you had “Tiny over cooked pieces of pork”. Making them smaller would also mean they would cook faster. Such a bummer! I hope you are able to look at the images so that you can see the correct size and then follow the recipe as written, I know you will love the results!
Sounds like someone may have been telling them that one inch is much smaller.
Amazing recipe. I air fried pork belly with the fat on and it was the best pork belly. Loved it!!
I watched them closely, and pulled them at 15min. For my ninja air fryer, 400 was too hot and they were overdone. Next time i recommend trying 390f instead.
Very nice 😊
What is the best dipping sauce for these made them? They were yummy but was unsure about that.
We use the pork belly in tacos, but you can use a teriyaki sauce, or peanut sauce, or Korean bbq, anything!!!
I made a honey siracha dip for mine and it was awesome. I also added a teaspoon of mustard to the mix for added flavor
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons Sriracha**
2 teaspoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh cilantro stems**
To Chris, I believe the marinade should suffice to enhance the flavor of the pork, maybe just make a little extra glaze and just a little citris juice added like squeezed orange or mandarin or tangerine or pureed mango to the glaze to make a dipping sauce. I wouldn’t want to over power the taste of the pork belly, basically bacon flavor, maybe also,add in a few ground slices of fresh jalapeño seeds removed. Just saying.👍✌️😎
Great flavour. Just one question. Why were some pieces chewy and others had a brittle rind. I didn’t overcrowd. In fact there was a lot of space between pieces.
Maybe pull out earlier? What’s the way to know that they are perfectly done.