Easy Turkey Legs in Air Fryer

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This Air Fryer Turkey Legs recipe is an easy weeknight dinner that will become a staple in your household. Seasoned with a garlic pepper rosemary blend, these will be on the table in under an hour.

Tongs holding an air fryer turkey leg.

Whether you are looking to make a small dish for Thanksgiving or looking add to your list ofย game day recipes, these turkey legs will fit in perfectly!ย 

Air Fryer Turkey Legs are mouth watering; theyโ€™re crispy on the outside and deliciously moist and juicy on the inside, making them so much better than traditional smoked turkey legs. This easy recipe requires just a little prep and only 40 minutes of cook time, which is great if you donโ€™t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen!

Why You’ll Love Making A Turkey Leg In Air Fryer

Air fryer recipes are some of my favorite to share! I honestly donโ€™t think I could live without my air fryerย (I also have theย best air fryer). Air fryers are so much more convenient and I use mine almost every single day, as it does a really great job of cooking quickly and efficiently.

Enjoy air fryer recipes as much as I do? Give theseย air fryer chicken recipesย a try sometime!

Turkey is an extremely versatile protein and you can cook turkey similarly to chicken, likeย Oven Baked Chicken and Cauliflower. You can even use your leftover turkey to makeย Leftover Turkey Tacos.

This recipe is a healthy alternative to deep frying. Turkey legs themselves are a great option and a pretty healthy meal because the dark meat in them has more vitamins and minerals than white meat on other parts of the turkey.

You can remove the skin if you want to reduce the fat content, but the crispy skin makes them irresistible! Especially because the skin of the turkey legs are seasoned with a tasty dry rub that gives it loads of flavor when cooked.

Because of the hot circulating air in the air fryer, this method will give you deliciously crispy turkey legs. This is honestly the best way to cook turkey drumsticks!

For a complete meal, serve your turkey legs withย cornbread stuffingย and homemadeย orange cranberry sauce.

Garlic powder, garlic salt, seasoned pepper, brown sugar, and fresh rosemary laid out on a table.

How to season Turkey Legs

I keep the seasoning for my turkey legs pretty simple and thatโ€™s what I love about this recipe! You will need:

  • garlic powder
  • garlic salt
  • seasoned pepper
  • brown sugar
  • fresh rosemary

How to Cook Turkey Lets in Air Fryer

Garlic powder, garlic salt, seasoned pepper, brown sugar, and fresh rosemary in a clear glass bowl.

Step 1: Make the dry rub. In a small bowl, mix the garlic powder, garlic salt, seasoned pepper, brown sugar, and rosemary.

Three turkey legs on a cutting board with the dry rub sprinkled on top.

Step 2: Season they turkey legs. Spray the turkey legs on both sides with olive oil and evenly coat them with the dry rub.

Three turkey legs covered in seasoning inside an air fryer basket.

Step 3: Air fry. Air fry for 20 minutes at 400ยฐF. Flip and cook for 20 more minutes. Cook until the internal temperature has reached 180ยฐ F at the thickest part of the leg.

Cooked turkey legs on a white plate with stuffing and fresh rosemary.

Step 4: Serve. Enjoy with stuffing and cranberry sauce, or your choice of sides!

How long to cook Turkey Legs in Air Fryer?

Turkey legs should be cooked in the air fryer for about 40 minutes, or until they have reached an internal temperature of 180 F. To get the internal temperature, youโ€™ll want to use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey leg.

Two air fryer turkey legs on a plate with stuffing and cranberry sauce on the side.

Air Fryer Turkey Legs Variations

There are a ton of ways you can change up this recipe. Adding onion powder to the dry rub will really bring out the rest of the flavors. You can also substitute black pepper for seasoned pepper if need be.

Skip the olive oil and mix the spices with melted butter, making it seasoned butter, which will make a juicy turkey leg even juicier. For crispier turkey legs, rinse them before adding the dry rub and dry them off using paper towels.

If youโ€™re feeding more people, you can use the same dry rub recipe and air fry a whole turkey, though cooking time will definitely be different. If you canโ€™t find turkey legs at your local grocery store, try buying a turkey breast instead. Air fryer turkey breast is a great alternative, it will come out just as juicy as this air fryer chicken!

Another side dish you can serve with these is Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato or for a less Thanksgiving-like side dish, try Air Fryer Broccoli. Store any leftover turkey legs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

What to serve with Air Fry Turkey Legs

Storing Air Fryer Turkey Legs

Cooked turkey legs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen for 2-3 months.

How to reheat Turkey Leg in Air Fryer

To reheat your turkey legs, preheat the air fryer to 350 F. Air fry the turkey legs for 5-7 minutes, or until they are heated through.

WANT TO TRY THIS AIR FRYER TURKEY LEGS RECIPE?

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Air fryer turkey legs pinterest long pin.

Did you make this recipe? Post a photo on Instagram and tag me @JZEATS or #JZEATS so I can see! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think, too!

Tap stars to rate!
5 from 13 votes

Youโ€™ll love making Air Fryer Turkey Legs

This Air Fryer Turkey Legs recipe is an easy weeknight dinner that will become a staple in your household. Seasoned with a garlic pepper Rosemary blend, these will be on the table in under an hour.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 835
Author: Jordan

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the air fryer to 400ยฐ F.
  • Mix the Garlic Powder, Garlic Salt, Seasoned Pepper, Brown Sugar, and Rosemary, and set aside.
  • Lay the turkey legs on a plate or cutting board. Spray them on both sides with olive oil. Coat the turkey legs with the dry rub on both sides.
  • Place the turkey legs in the air fryer basket and cook for 20 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 180ยฐ F. (Make sure you are taking the temperature from the thickest part of the turkey leg)
  • Serve with stuffing and cranberry sauce, and enjoy!
If you tried this recipe, please leave a review letting me know how it was!

Video

Notes

  • Turkey legs are fully cooked once they have reached an internal temperature of 180F. To get the internal temperature, youโ€™ll want to use a meat thermometerย in the thickest part of the turkey leg.

Nutrition

Calories: 835kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 133g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 281mg | Sodium: 450mg | Potassium: 1895mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 12mg
Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Tried this recipe?I’d love to see your dish, mention @jzeats or tag #jzeats!
5 from 13 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Recipe Rating




14 Comments

  1. Joy Kramer says:

    5 stars
    So good! So easy and quick and delish!

  2. Kushigalu says:

    5 stars
    These air fryer version was fantastic. Thanks for the recipe

  3. Gina Abernathy says:

    5 stars
    These were so good! The seasonings was perfect and now I have a new air fryer recipe to keep in my file for another time. My family is a fan of turkey and turkey legs.

  4. 5 stars
    These are so good! I was super impressed with how juice they were!

  5. 5 stars
    Loved the medley of spices. Such a comforting recipe.

  6. 5 stars
    I love how perfectly the air fryer cooks turkey legs every time! I’m going to be making this all season long and especially during the holidays!

  7. 5 stars
    I made this recipe and it turned out really good but I kept saying there’s something missing. I finally figured out what that was after reviewing the web page again. I didn’t have the drink that JZ has in her hand(LOL)..care to share what you’re drinking please

  8. 5 stars
    Oh. My. Gosh. These air fryer turkey legs are the best I’ve ever had! So easy and boldly flavored.

  9. 5 stars
    Using the air fryer to make these turkey legs leaves them super juicy on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside.

    1. Yes! Exactly ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. 5 stars
    Love all the seasoning on these easy to make and delicious turkey legs. They are perfect any time of the year and my family loved them!

  11. 5 stars
    WOW, this was such a fantastic air fryer recipe. These turkey legs were incredible with all the spices and so easy too.

  12. 5 stars
    Ah, this is an amazing recipe! Love how delicious the turkey legs turn out!