This Beer-Battered Air Fryer Haddock is soft and flaky on the inside and extra crispy on the outside. Whip these breaded fish filets up in 20 minutes and serve alongside your favorite chips recipe or turn them into the ultimate fish tacos drizzled with homemade tartar sauce.

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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- An alternative to deep frying. One of the best features of an air fryer is its ability to make a crispy, golden breading with very little oil. If you haven't already, try my extra popular Air Fryer Chicken and Waffles and Air Fryer Chicken Tenders next! Between these 3 recipes, you'll be hooked on air frying over deep frying.
- Faster than the oven. I love baked haddock fillets, but sometimes I don't have time to wait for it to cook through completely. By using the air fryer, I can cut the cooking time down significantly. Air Fryer Haddock is one of my new go-to recipes for an easy weeknight dinner when I need something quick.
- Pairs well with several sides. You can go the traditional fish and chips route and serve this beer-battered fish with your favorite homemade fries. I recommend my Air Fryer Frozen Fries or these Air Fryer Potato Wedges. Or, serve them with any of your favorite sides!
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions

- Haddock - This mild white fish is a member of the cod family and is regularly substituted for cod fillets! It can be purchased fresh or frozen. If purchasing frozen, allow the haddock filets to thaw completely in the refrigerator. Frozen fish fillets have not been tested and cannot be recommended.
- Flour - I have only tested this recipe using regular all-purpose flour. It's best for creating a light and crispy battered crust. Replacing this with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend may work but it has not been tested, so experiment at your own risk.
- Cornstarch - Adding a light cornstarch coating is the best way to make the crispiest beer batter without much oil. If you prefer to make crispy fish without cornstarch, try my Crispy Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and panko crusted cod made with panko breadcrumbs.
- Beer - I used a light, lager beer. It's more neutral in flavor profile than dark beers and won't overpower the flavor of the fish. Feel free to use your favorite beer, but know that this can change the flavor of the breading.
- Egg - Egg white helps the batter stick to the fish and create a nice even, layered crust on the fish.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
🔪Instructions
In a mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup of flour with the cornstarch, salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup of flour with the baking soda, lager beer, and egg white.

Step 1: Pat the fish dry using clean paper towels, then dip the fish into the dry flour mixture, coating it evenly on both sides.

Step 2: Next, immediately place it into the beer batter and coat it on all sides.

Step 3: Transfer the fish to the flour mixture one more time, coating on all sides then tapping off any excess.

Step 4: Place the haddock in a parchment-lined air fryer basket or tray. Lightly spray each fish filet with cooking spray. Cook for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway. When ready, the haddock will be golden brown on the outside and flaky in the center.
💭Recipe FAQs
This can happen for several reasons, but it's likely the air fryer was not set to a hot enough temperature, the fish was overlapping and not in a single layer, or they weren't sprayed with cooking spray. To get a nice crispy, beer-battered breading, it is essential to do all three of these things! Skipping or altering any of them will alter the results.
Yes. I prefer to use parchment paper because I find the haddock is less likely to stick, but aluminum foil is a fine substitution. Avoid using things like wax paper - they are not meant to withstand high heat and will melt.
I recommend it. Since there is a layer of parchment paper between the air fryer basket and the fish, the hot air won't circulate the same as it would without the parchment paper. Flipping the fish halfway through helps ensure both sides get nice and crispy. You can even respray the fish with cooking oil halfway through if you like yours extra crispy!
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- Altered cook time may be required. Keep in mind that the cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your crispy fillets and the model of air fryer. Thicker fillets will take longer to cook through completely and may require the full 15 minutes (or longer!).
- Don't skip patting the fillets dry. This is essential to allowing the dredging to stick to the fish. If the fish is too moist, the beer-battered breading may slide off of the fish.

🥗Serving
Try this Air Fryer Haddock served with your favorite french fries, as a beer-battered fish sandwich, stuffed in taco shells, or as a tasty appetizer with your favorite dipping sauces. Here are some of my favorite suggestions:
- French fries: Serve with these Air Fryer Frozen Seasoned Fries.
- As a sandwich: Swap out the Salmon Burgers with beer-battered fish in this easy recipe: Air Fryer Salmon Burgers. Serve alongside Connecticut-style lobster rolls.
- As tacos: Serve with your favorite slaw, lime wedges, Roasted Tomato Salsa, or Mango Salsa!
- Dipping sauce: Tartar Sauce is a classic, but you can also serve with ketchup, a squeeze of lemon juice, or a Spicy Cajun Dipping Sauce!
More Recipes You May Like
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- Air Fryer Argentine Red Shrimp13 Minutes
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Beer-Battered Air Fryer Haddock
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
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Ingredients
- 1 pound haddock, cut into filets
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 (8 ounce) lager beer
- 1 egg white, whisked
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F, if needed.
- In a bowl, mix 1 cup of flour with the cornstarch and spices.
- In another bowl, whisk together the other cup of flour, baking soda, beer and egg white.
- Pat the fish dry with a paper towel. Dip a piece into the dry flour mixture, then place it into the beer batter and coat on all sides.
- Finally, dredge the fish in the flour mix one more time.
- Line your air fryer basket or tray with parchment paper. You can spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking oil to prevent sticking, if desired. Next, place the fish in the air fryer. Lightly spray the top with cooking oil.
- Air fry for 10-15 minutes, until flakey and golden. Be sure to flip the fish with a spatula, halfway through to ensure both sides get crispy and golden.
Sarah's Tips
- Altered cook time may be required. Keep in mind that the cook time will vary depending on the thickness of your crispy fillets and model of air fryer. Thicker fillets will take longer to cook through completely and may require the full 15 minutes (or longer!).
- Don't skip patting the fillets dry. This is essential to allowing the dredging to stick to the fish. If the fish is too moist, the beer-battered breading may slide off of the fish.
Marie C. Rackley says
Sarah, I would like to try this recipe for batter fish but we are not beer drinkers. What other liquid could I use?
Sarah Hill says
Hi Marie, I haven't tried it but unflavored club soda should be a good substitute.
Dan Panke says
Disappointing. The 8oz. of beer left the batter with a consistency of pizza dough. A lot more liquid is required. After cooking to 15 minutes the fish batter still did not brown up.
Sarah Hill says
Hi Dan, so sorry this recipe didn't come out right for you. The 8 ounces of beer was enough liquid for me but I will test the recipe again soon to see if it should be tweaked. The fish may need to be cooked longer than 15 minutes depending on each individual air fryer model. Again, sorry to hear you had some issues.