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I’ve spent months perfecting this Air Fryer Crispy Pork Belly recipe. I’ve tried many different methods at different temperatures, times, and air fryers, and this is the method that consistently puts out a crispy, puffed up skin and juicy, tender meat.
If you have an air fryer at home and also love Chinese roast pork with the super crispy skin, you’re going to love this recipe!
Watch the Air Fryer Crispy Pork Belly Recipe Video Below!
Want a non-meat alternative? Try my super crispy Air Fryer Tofu!
Ingredients for this Recipe
This crispy pork belly is incredibly easy to make in the air fryer and only require a few ingredients and seasonings! Here is what you’ll need to make this super crispy pork!
- pork belly skin on
- kosher salt
- white pepper
- five spice powder
- sugar
- Shaoxing wine
- kosher salt
- white vinegar
- neutral oil
Getting the perfect crispy pork belly is not as hard as it looks! I’ve made so many versions of this over the years and have learned a few KEY tips & techniques that will ensure your pork belly is JUICY & the skin is CRISPY!
If you love crispy, you’ll LOVE my Air Fryer Chicken Wings, which is the top recipe on my site!
Key Tips for the best Crispy Pork Belly in the air fryer!
- Select the Right Cut: Start with a good cut of pork belly. Look for one with a nice balance of meat and fat, as this will ensure both flavor and crispiness.
- Poke the Skin: Use a sharp knife or piercing tool to poke holes into the pork belly skin, just enough to pierce the skin but not too deep that it pierces into the meat. This helps the skin crisp up by allowing some of the fat to render out more easily, effectively frying the skin and allowing it to puff up.
- Dry the Skin: Pat the skin of the pork belly dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of crispy skin, so make sure it’s as dry as possible.
- Salt the Skin: Rub a generous amount of coarse sea salt into the skin. This helps draw moisture out of the skin and aids in crisping it up.
- Rest Before Slicing: Once done, let the crispy pork belly rest for a few minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in juicier meat.
If you liked this Air Fryer Pork Belly recipe, check out some of the most popular recipes on the blog for your next lunch or dinner!
Love pork? Try my Sweet and Sour Pork recipe!
If you tried this Air Fryer Crispy Pork Belly or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Air Fryer Crispy Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 3 pound pork belly, 1.5 kg, skin on
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon white pepper, 5 g
- 1/2 tablespoon five spice powder, 5 g
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar, 6 g
- 1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 7 ml
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 15 ml
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, 15 ml
Instructions
- To the meat side, use a knife to make 1/2" deep cuts lengthwise across the pork belly. In a small bowl, combine salt, white pepper, five spice powder, sugar, and Shaoxing wine to make a paste. Evenly spread the paste on the meat side of the pork and crevices ensuring not to touch the skin.
- Pat the skin-on pork belly dry with a paper towel and poke holes all across the skin of the pork using skewers or sharp knife. Ensure that the holes only puncture the skin and fat (do not pierce all the way through the meat). Cut the slab of pork belly so it will fit in your air fryer.
- Create a tin foil frame around the pork belly, leaving a ½” gap up from the edges of the pork to prevent salt from spilling over. Brush a layer of vinegar on the skin, then cover the skin completely with a layer of salt.
- Air fry at 250F for 30 minutes or until the salt has dried completely.
- Remove the salt from the pork belly and brush off any excess. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Brush the skin with neutral oil, then air fry at 400F for 30-40 minutes until the skin is puffed and crispy. Check at the 20 minute mark and every 5 minutes to monitor the skin, checking for burning, as the time will vary with different air fryers! If spots of the skin begin to burn, place a small piece of foil over the specific area to cover it and allow the exposed areas to continue crisping up.
Notes
- Select the Right Cut: Start with a good cut of pork belly. Look for one with a nice balance of meat and fat, as this will ensure both flavor and crispiness.
- Poke the Skin: Use a sharp knife or piercing tool to poke holes into the pork belly skin, just enough to pierce the skin but not too deep that it pierces into the meat. This helps the skin crisp up by allowing some of the fat to render out more easily, effectively frying the skin and allowing it to puff up.
- Dry the Skin: Pat the skin of the pork belly dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of crispy skin, so make sure it’s as dry as possible.
- Salt the Skin: Rub a generous amount of coarse sea salt into the skin. This helps draw moisture out of the skin and aids in crisping it up.
- Rest Before Slicing: Once done, let the crispy pork belly rest for a few minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in juicier meat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My employer says it’s good,,it’s just that maybe it need more poking to make it crispier
I don’t know if I’m missing it but I can’t see where the video is. I want to try this but I’m a visual learner – watch one, do one – so I find videos really helpful.
Hi Ellie – the recipe video is at the top of the blog post under the title “Watch the Air Fryer Crispy Pork Belly Recipe Video Below!” I hope that helps!
My air fryer doesn’t go down to 250F, the lowest is at 300F. Is that ok?
Hi Ella – that temperature should still work for the first air fry. Please let me know how it turns out!
Caame out perfectly
Considering this was a first for me. It was pretty fab and easy and tasty juicy. Save a lot not having to be buy roast pork as often
Wow! Successful & delicious roasted pork belly. Super easy & mess free. The meat was tender & the crackling crispy without it being too hard. Definitely a keeper.
Thank you Audrey!
Such an amazing recipe, I’ve always wanted to make crispy pork and this recipe really demystified it for me and made it seem much more doable than I had thought.
Excited to try this recipe for CNY.
The pork looks so juicy and crispy! Looks easy enough for me to make:)
Roasted pork belly is my weakness! 😅 Thanks for making an easy to follow recipe so I can have it whenever a craving hits me.