These air fryer buffalo salmon bites are one of the easiest ways to make salmon exciting. The salmon gets cut into cubes, tossed with a little seasoning and buffalo sauce, and cooks in the air fryer in about 10 minutes. They’re bold, flavorful, and incredibly versatile. We’ll pile them onto salads, tuck them into tacos, or serve them in simple bowls with rice and veggies for a quick dinner.
I make a lot of salmon recipes and a lot of buffalo recipes, so this combination happened pretty naturally in our house. When I want everyone to be excited about salmon, coating it in a flavor we already love usually does the trick. These buffalo salmon bites have become a regular, especially in the summer when I don’t want to turn on the oven or stand over the stove. Cutting the salmon into cubes helps it cook quickly in the air fryer, which makes this one of those easy dinners that actually works on busy nights.
If you love bold buffalo flavors, you might also enjoy some of my other quick recipes like buffalo chicken bites, buffalo chicken tacos, buffalo tuna salad, or air fryer buffalo cauliflower. They all come together quickly and make weeknight dinners feel a little more exciting without adding extra work.
Ingredient Spotlight
This is not a complete list of ingredients, but a quick spotlight on a few important ingredients. The full list of ingredients is in the recipe card below.
- Skinless Salmon – I prefer using salmon with the skin removed for this recipe. It makes the bites easier to cut into cubes and helps the buffalo sauce coat the salmon evenly.
- Buffalo Sauce – Using a pre-made buffalo sauce keeps this recipe quick and simple. It’s something I almost always have on hand, and it adds bold flavor without any extra work. Don’t have any on hand? Make your own homemade buffalo sauce.
Step by step instructions
Tips for success
- You can bake this instead of air frying – Bake the salmon bites in a 425°F oven for about 9–10 minutes if you prefer not to use the air fryer.
- Use a bowl to toss the sauce – Transfer the cooked salmon to a bowl before adding the buffalo sauce so it coats evenly and you don’t waste any sauce.
- If your salmon has skin on – It’s easier to cook the fillet whole, then flake the salmon and toss it with buffalo sauce after cooking.
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Cut the salmon into bite size pieces. Add salmon to a bowl with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and stir well to coat.
1.25 pounds salmon, ½ tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
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Cook salmon in air fryer at 400F for 6 minutes (or you can bake in a 425F oven for 9-10 minutes)
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When the salmon is done cooking, pour the buffalo sauce over the top.
¼ cup buffalo sauce
- Toss the salmon with a little oil first. Coating the salmon with a small amount of olive oil helps the seasoning stick and prevents the salmon from sticking to the air fryer basket.
- Add the buffalo sauce after cooking. Cook the salmon first, then toss it with buffalo sauce. This keeps the salmon from burning and gives the bites the best texture.
- Use skinless salmon if possible. Skinless salmon is recommended since it’s hard to take the skin off the small pieces of salmon after cooking.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
How to Use Buffalo Salmon Bites
We use these a lot of different ways.
My favorite is adding them to a big salad with ranch dressing.
They’re also great in tacos with a quick slaw, or tossed into a simple rice bowl with veggies for an easy dinner.
