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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.
Yum yum yum!
This came out perfectly cooked & absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for making my recipe and taking the time to review it! I’m so glad you loved it!
Tried it for the first time today. Followed the instructions exactly. Kids loved it I. had a toaster air fryer oven. Had to deal with the smoke. Otherwise the results got thumbs up all around. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for sharing and taking the time to write a review, Julie!
I have a 1.5lb pork belly with skin. I know I would half the seasoning. For the cook time, do i still do the same cook time or also half the time?
Hi Thy – if the pork has a good amount of fat, you can cook it for the same time. The most important part is making sure the skin gets puffed and crispy!
Epic!!
Perfectly crispy skin and the subtle Chinese flavours are so good. Best pork belly we’ve had – better than restaurant grade. 👍
Thank you so much!
Thank you for your lifesaving recipe, Chef CJ! I made this for my in-laws for dinner, and needless to say, my mother-in-law was impressed!! Even my brother-in-law, who’s on a strict low calorie diet, couldn’t help himself from eating more. I’m so happy your recipe worked for me. It was very easy to follow. I’m grateful!
I made the pork belly and I am really excited about cutting into it and trying some. It looks delicious. This is my fourth recipe that I’ve tried of yours.
I’m so glad you loved it, Marguerite!
So sad, followed instructions to a T and the skin was hard and the pork was dry!
Any tips?
Hi Rebecca – I’m so sorry to hear 🙁 How fatty was the pork belly you were working with and was the size at least 3lbs? Based on your outcome (skin was hard and meat was dry), my guess is that the holes were not poked deep enough, or the cut of pork belly was too lean from the start (with not enough fat to render up and “fry” the skin through the holes, which would also make sense why the pork was dry by the end). Let me know – I would love to help you achieve the correct result!
Brilliant recipe and easy and quick in an AF. Delicious ❤️❤️
Thank you, Tracy!
I’ve made this four times, didn’t change a thing and it came out lush! Simply delicious 😋
This recipe is phenomenal! Didn’t think Chinese crispy pork could be done in under 1 hour, but it worked. No need to make this the long way ever again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Dave!