Air Fryer Gluten-Free Fish Sticks

These air fryer gluten-free fish sticks are fresh cod coated in a flavorful almond meal crust, a delicious upgrade of classic fish sticks!

Have you ever made homemade fish sticks?  I’ll be honest; I’m happy to buy frozen fish sticks from the store. Trader Joe’s is our favorite.  And cooking them in the air fryer is magic.  

So, why make homemade ones?  Well, I have approximately six bazillion pounds of almond meal, which I typically use for my Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.  However, I’d be making chicken tenders for the next 10 years with the amount of almond meal I have.  So I decided to see if the almond meal crust I LOVE on my chicken tenders would work on fish sticks because I love chicken tenders, but not enough to eat every day, ya know? 

So this was purely an experiment, but a happy one!  And I know many of you are gluten-free, so would want to try these! Or even if you aren’t gluten-free, using almond meal as the crust imparts a wonderful nutty flavor and upgrades this classic snack with more nutrients like healthy fats, vitamins, and more!

Unfortunately, I don’t have process photos for you today. I took them, but my SD card fell apart, and now I can’t access them.  Can we talk for a second about how apple computers now have that weird port on them (no, I don’t care the name) requiring you to buy adapters for everything?  So I bought one of those cheap multi adapters from Amazon, and it literally ate my SD card.  So now, I’m out the SD card, and I had to buy an Apple SD card reader so that the new one wouldn’t get ruined.  Ugh, I was annoyed the whole time, like this is exactly what Apple wants, is for me to buy this damn accessory in addition to the computer.  UGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH  If Apple computers weren’t so good, I’d stop buying them. But, I love my Apple, and therefore Apple Inc. has me wrapped around their giant multi-million dollar finger. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Oh well, it gives me an excuse to make these delicious gluten-free air fryer fish sticks again!  They aren’t the same as classic fish sticks, like I said, a bit more nutty and rich in flavor.  However, I honestly love them just enough. I could eat either and be totally happy!  Especially with some cocktail sauce and Mr. Hungry has finally made me a fan of tartar sauce.  I always tell my toddler when he says he doesn’t like something that “he just hasn’t tried it enough times yet,” which I fully believe.  It took about 100 times and 10 + years into our relationship, and Mr. Hungry finally has me appreciating tartar sauce. Although to be fair, he makes it from scratch most of the time, which doesn’t hurt its appeal.  

What’s something you used to hate but have learned to love after trying it enough times? 

Tag me if you make these! I love to see what you guys make! You can tag me on Insta @hungryhobbyRD and Facebook @hungryhobby!

More Air Fryer Recipes:

• Air Fryer Sweet and Spicy Dry Rub Wings
• Air Fryer Quesadilla
• Air Fryer Cauliflower Gnocchi
• Air Fryer Tortilla Strips
• Air Fryer Sweet Potato Chicken Nuggets

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5 from 3 votes

Air Fryer Gluten-Free Fish Sticks

These air fryer gluten free fish sticks are fresh cod coated in a flavorful almond meal crust, a delicious upgrade of classic fish sticks!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer fish sticks, gluten free fish sticks, keto fish sticks, paleo fish sticks

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 269kcal

Author: Kelli Shallal MPH RD

Equipment

• Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Silicone Liner

Ingredients

• 1 lb cod
• 1/2 cup oat flour or coconut flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 tsp garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp old bay seasoning

Instructions

• Prep: Add flour to a medium bowl. Whisk eggs until frothy in another medium-size bowl. Combine almond meal with seasonings in a large bowl—Cut Cod into 1/2 inch thick strips about 2 inches long. Try to make codpieces as even as possible—dry fish pieces entirely with a paper towel. 
  1 lb cod, 1/2 cup oat flour or coconut flour, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup almond meal, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 tsp old bay seasoning
• Coat: Dredge each piece of fish in the flour, then the eggs, and then the almond meal mixture. Set on wax paper or in greased air fryer tray insert (only some models) while repeating with as many fish pieces will fit in your air fryer.  
  1 lb cod, 1/2 cup oat flour or coconut flour, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup almond meal, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 tsp old bay seasoning
• Cook: Preheat air fryer to 400F and add coated fish into air fryer (grease bottom tray.) Lightly spray the top of the fish with cooking oil. Cook for 15 minutes, turning halfway through. 
  1 lb cod, 1/2 cup oat flour or coconut flour, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup almond meal, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 tsp old bay seasoning

Notes

To reheat: Reheat using the reheat function in your air fryer.  

To freeze: Make sure to use fish that has NOT been previously frozen, almost impossible here in AZ, so I have not tried this, but this is how I do it with my air fryer chicken tenders, a similar recipe.  If you can find fresh cod, you can follow the prep and coat steps, place coated fish sticks on a baking sheet lined with wax paper, and place in the freezer. Once fish sticks are frozen, you can transfer them to a ziplock baggy. Follow the cook step from frozen, but you'll need to increase the time to 20-25 minutes.  

Nutrition

Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 386mg | Potassium: 566mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 204IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?I'd love to see what you made! Tag me @hungryhobbyRD or tag #hungryhobby if you try this recipe!