Air Fried Country Fried Steak

This air fried country fried steak is easy to make and tastes delicious! It’s lower in fat but still full of flavor! The air fryer does a great job of giving these a crispy outside and tender inside. It is also done, prep to finish, in about 25 minutes.

My husband loves country fried steak so I use him as my taste tester for all things country fried steak. He loves these and thinks they taste just like the “fried” version.

In fact, my husband love country fried steak so much that it’s become a joke between family and friends. Whenever we go to a diner everyone silently waits for him to order the country fried steak and we all giggle when he does. He’s a good sport and I am waiting for the day when he foils their joke by ordering something else but so far it’s just what he does. There have even been bets placed silently before we’ve gone out. Luckily this version is healthier and still delicious!

The country gravy is super easy to make too! You make a roux, which is a French term for a butter and flour mixture that is used to thicken the gravy. You then whisk in the milk, salt and pepper and simmer until it thickens. Full directions are below. Along with step by step pictures.

If you are looking for a lower carb country fried steak check out my air fried healthy chicken fried steak recipe here. That version calls for almond flour instead of regular flour.

Helpful hint: I have found that using air fryer perforated liners under these air fried country fried steaks helps prevent anything from falling through during the cooking process. I have had some of the batter get caught in the little holes and pop off when I remove these air fried country fried steaks from the air fryer without the liners, which isn’t really a big deal but the air fryer liners do help prevent it. They definitely aren’t necessary but they are helpful in cooking this recipe and many others.

Another helpful hint is to spritz these steaks with some spray oil before cooking. This helps give the outside a little more crunch. I keep olive oil in a pump spray bottle that I give almost all of my air fried recipes a spritz with. It has much less oil than you would get from frying these but gives them a little more “fried” crunch and flavor.

Please note the thickness of your cube steak, if your cube steak is less than about 3/4ths of an inch thick then reduce the cooking time by a few minutes to avoid an overly chewy steak, instructions on how to do that are below.

Another helpful hint for a more tender country fried steak is to let the beef come to room temperature before preparing these country fried steaks and cooking them. This will help relax the muscle fibers in the meat and that in turn creates less shock on the meat when it gets cooked at high temperature quickly, like it does in the air fryer.

High temperatures on a cold piece of meat causes the proteins in the meat to bundle together extra tight, making it chewy and tougher. It works the same with any protein, eggs, cream, etc., So I would highly suggest resting your meat before cooking it. I usually let it rest until it’s around 60 degrees then prepare and cook immediately, do not re-refrigerate the meat after this point as it’s risk for food born illnesses goes up. However, it is fine if you are going to be cooking it immediately. For me personally, it takes about 30-45 minutes for meat to come to room temperature but that depends on your house temperature.

What you need to make air fryer country fried steak:

makes 4 – 1/3 pound chicken fried steaks

• 4 – 1/3 pound cube steaks or about 1 and 1/2 pounds (ground hamburger or turkey can be used, press together firmly to use)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme (optional)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs – whisked together
• 1/3 cup milk of choice
• 3 dashes hot sauce
• non- stick spray
• Gravy:
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• optional – dash of cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme (optional), onion powder, baking soda and baking powder.
2. whisk together.
3. In another bowl add eggs, milk and hot sauce.
4. Blend together.
5. Take chopped steaks and dip into flour mixture then into milk and egg mixture then back into flour mixture.
6. Repeat this with all of your steaks.
7. Spritz each side of your steak with some non- stick spray or spray olive oil.
8. Optional: lay down a sheet of perforated air fryer parchment paper, this will help anything from falling through the hole when this cooks.
9. Place in the air fryer and cook at 400 F. for 7 minutes, Gently flip over steak and cook for another 6 minutes. *Note -if your cube steak is extra thin, cook for 5 minutes then flip and cook for another 5 minutes so meat does not over cook.
10. For gravy: Add butter and flour to a sauce pan. Melt butter and stir together with flour. Whisk in the milk, salt, black pepper. Whisk over high heat until the mixture begins to thicken. Once thickened remove from heat and serve over chicken fried steaks.

Printable recipe is below the step by step picture instructions.

Step 1: get your cube steak, hamburger or turkey burger ready.

Step 2: add your flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices together and mix well.

Step 3: Whisk together your eggs, milk and hot sauce in a bowl.

Step 4: Dip your cube steak, hamburger or turkey into the flour mixture then the egg mixture, then the flour mixture again. Spritz each side of the country fried steak with spray oil.

Step 5: Bake in the air fryer (optional; add air fryer liner beneath them) for 7 minutes, flip over and bake another 6 minutes more.

Step 6: This can be done while your country fried steak is cooking. Combine your butter and flour in a sauce pan. Whisk in the milk and salt and pepper and optional cayenne pepper and cook until gravy begins to thicken.

Step 7: Remove air fried country fried steaks from the air fryer and add desired amount of gravy on top and enjoy!

Printable recipe is below.

Here are a few other air fryer recipes you may love:

Air Fryer Poutine

Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes

Air Fryer Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Air Fryer Shrimp Egg Rolls

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