If you’ve been craving Southern-style catfish with a crispy, golden crust, this easy, gluten-free air fryer catfish recipe brings all the flavor without the mess of deep-frying. A quick buttermilk soak eliminates the fishy taste, so even the pickiest eaters love it. Whether you cook it in the air fryer or pan-fry it on the stove, this recipe makes tender, flaky catfish with a perfectly seasoned cornmeal crust.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary:
Have you fried fish in your air fryer yet? It allows you to enjoy all the crispy flavors without the fat from frying in oil. I tested this recipe multiple times to make this recipe perfect, including making it kid-friendly!
Another great mild fish to introduce to kids is cod. Try this easy gluten free Cod Alfredo recipe. My kids love it. You will also want to try my Gluten-Free Air Fryer Fish Sticks recipe and the rest of my gluten-free air fryer recipes on the blog for more air fryer recipe ideas!
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Catfish – Use either filets or catfish nuggets to make this recipe. Always give the fish a quick check and remove any bones you find!
- Cornmeal – Adds the traditional fried catfish flavor.
- Buttermilk – You can also use regular milk. I typically make my buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to milk. This also gives a nice lemon flavor to the fish.
- Flour – Any gluten-free flour works here, with or without xanthan gum. I often use my gum-free DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend.
- Creole Seasoning – I prefer using Zatarain’s brand. This brand is gluten free.
- Paprika – I used Hungarian paprika, not smoked.
A Note From My Kitchen
I know that cooking fish can feel intimidating, especially if you’re new to gluten-free or air fryer cooking. But this recipe is surprisingly simple. The buttermilk soak makes a big difference in removing that strong fishy taste, which is something that helped me win over my own picky eaters. If you’re wondering if the breading will hold or turn soggy, don’t worry. I’ve tested both the air fryer and stovetop versions, so you can choose which cooking method works best for you.
How to Make Air Fryer Catfish (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Soak the catfish. Start by soaking your catfish fillets or nuggets in buttermilk for about 30 minutes. This helps mellow out any strong flavor and tenderizes the fish.
No buttermilk, no problem! If you don’t have buttermilk, stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into regular milk and let it sit for a few minutes before adding the fish.
Step 2: While the fish soaks, mix your flour, cornmeal, Creole seasoning, paprika, and salt in a large zip-top bag or shallow bowl. This coating adds great flavor and crunch.
Remove the catfish from the buttermilk and pat it dry. Optional: I like to dip the catfish in egg before placing it in the bag with the cornmeal mixture. This gives you added insurance that the breading will stick.
Place the catfish or nuggets in the coating bag, one fillet at a time. Shake gently to coat the raw catfish fillet in the catfish breading mixture.
I love using my 8-qt Ninja Air Fryer because it has two separate compartments, making cooking a whole meal at once easy. If you don’t need a large air fryer, a smaller air fryer will do the job just as well. Make sure the air fryer you buy is dishwasher safe, so you have easy cleanup.
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Step 3: Preheat your air fryer to 375ºF. Spray the bottom rack liberally with avocado or canola oil. This excess oil helps crisp the bottom without having to flip the fish. Avoid olive oil, it smokes at high temperatures, which can add an off taste.
Step 4: Spray the top of the gluten-free breaded catfish liberally with oil. This will help the crust get nice and crispy!
Step 5: Place the breaded catfish into the basket in a single layer and spray the tops with oil. Cook for 12–15 minutes, depending on the size and thickness. No need to flip unless your air fryer cooks unevenly. Catfish nuggets will need about 6–8 minutes to fully cook.
👀 Sandi Says: Some recommend flipping your catfish over partway through the cooking cycle. I find this difficult without the catfish falling apart in the air fryer. It is up to you if you want to try this. I did not flip it, and my catfish was still crispy and delicious on both sides.
Drizzle the cooked catfish with lemon juice. Serve with my fluffy Gluten-Free Air Fryer Dinner Rolls and some French fries!
How to Fry Catfish on the Stovetop:
- To fry your catfish in oil on your stovetop, follow steps 1 and 2 above. In a Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet, heat your oil. I recommend using either avocado or canola oil. It is very important to use an oil that can tolerate high heat.
- Heat the oil to 350-375º F. Gently add a piece of breaded catfish. If you are using catfish fillets, fry one fillet at a time. If you are frying catfish nuggets, you can fry several together as long as they don’t touch.
- Cook in the hot oil for 3 minutes, then gently flip it with tongs. Be careful of the hot oil splashing. Cook for 3 minutes on the other side.
- Use a long metal slotted spoon to move the fried catfish from the hot oil to a paper towel-lined plate. The paper towel will help absorb extra oil from frying. * If your catfish is thick, it may need to cook longer on each side.
Storing Tips:
Store the fried catfish in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The catfish will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator, but it will lose its crispiness. To re-crisp, reheat in the oven at 325°F for 15 minutes or in the air fryer at 350°F for 7 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Use high-smoke-point oils like avocado, canola, or grapeseed. Avoid olive oil—it can smoke and turn bitter at high temps. Here is a full list of oil that can handle high heat.
Yes! Soaking in buttermilk helps eliminate the strong fishy flavor and tenderizes the fillets. I always soak mine for about 30 minutes.
I do not recommend cooking frozen catfish in the air fryer. The fish will taste fishy, and the breading will not stick to frozen fish.
Yes, swap the milk for an unsweetened non-dairy milk with the lemon juice.
To keep the crust crispy, reheat in the oven at 325°F for 15 minutes or in the air fryer at 350°F for 7 minutes.
Serve Catfish With:
Fried catfish is often served with sides, such as coleslaw, potato salad, gluten free macaroni salad, and tartar sauce.
More Air Fryer Recipes to Try:
I’ve tested and shared almost 50 gluten-free air fryer recipes, and this catfish is one of our family favorites. If you’re looking for more gluten-free air fryer recipes with big flavor, don’t miss these reader-favorites:
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this air fryer catfish recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out—and which pan or flour blend you used! Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Crispy Southern Catfish – Air Fryer + Stovetop Options
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add 1 cup buttermilk to a bowl and gently place the 1 1/2 pounds catfish fillets (or nuggets) into the milk. If you don't have buttermilk, it is easy to make by adding lemon juice to milk. Soak the fish for 30 minutes. This step is important to remove the fishy flavor from the catfish.
- Mix 3/4 cup cornmeal, 1/4 cup gluten free flour , 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground paprika,1 teaspoon creole seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a large bag.
- Place the cornmeal fish breading and seasoning ingredients into a large bag and shake to mix it up.
- Optional, but recommended: Remove the fish from the buttermilk and pat it dry. Dip it in egg to coat it. This will help the coating stick to the fish better while frying.
- Place the catfish into the bag, one fillet at a time. Shake gently so the raw catfish fillet is coated in the catfish breading mixture. Press through the bag so the coating is adhered to the fish.
- Preheat your air fryer to 375º F.
- Spray the bottom grill of the air fryer liberally with a high heat oil like avocado or canola. (Do not use olive oil or another heat intolerant oil or your fish will turn out rancid.)
- Place a breaded catfish fillet in the air fryer. Make sure the fish isn't touching other fillets so the air can circulate around each piece of fish.
- Spray the top of the gluten free breaded catfish liberally with more oil. This will help the crust get nice and crispy!
- Cook your catfish in the air fryer for 12-15 minutes. The actual cook time will vary depending on the size of your catfish fillets, and whether you use catfish nuggets or fillets. You will know the catfish is done cooking when it is crispy and the cornmeal breading is a golden color. (Catfish nuggets should take 7-10 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the nuggets.)
- Note, many will recommend flipping your catfish over partway through the cooking cycle. I find this difficult without the catfish falling apart in the air fryer. It is up to you if you want to try this. I did not flip it and my catfish was still crispy and delicious on both sides.
- Drizzle fresh lemon juice over the fish and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
- If you are gluten-free make sure the bag of cornmeal you buy says gluten free. Bob’s Red Mill and a few other brands label their cornmeal.
- To make your own buttermilk, add 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. It also adds some nice lemon flavor to the fish. You can use unsweetened dairy-free milk if you are dairy-free.
- Gluten free flour blend – you do not need to add Xanthan gum. You can also use brown rice flour.
- I like to use Zatarain’s cajun seasoning because it is gluten-free. Always read the labels on the spices you use.
- This fried catfish will keep up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
- To re-crisp leftovers, reheat in the oven at 325°F for 15 minutes or in the air fryer at 350°F for 7 minutes.
Frying Catfish Stovetop:
To fry your catfish in oil on your stovetop, follow steps 1 and 2 above. In a dutch oven or cast-iron skillet, heat your oil. I recommend using either avocado or canola oil. It is very important to use an oil that can tolerate high heat. Heat the oil to 350-375º F. Gently add a piece of breaded catfish. If you are using catfish filets, fry one filet at a time. If you are frying catfish nuggets, you can fry several together as long as they don’t touch. Cook in the hot oil for 3 minutes and flip it gently with tongs. Be careful of the hot oil splashing. Cook 3 minutes on the other side and move to a paper towel-lined plate. The paper towel will help absorb extra oil from frying. * If your catfish is thick, it may need to cook a little longer on each side.Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
This post was updated from an older June 2021 post with more cooking details.
I was looking for a recipe that would provide an accurate cook time. The suggested time in this recipe was perfect. Overall, it is a great recipe. Next time, I will pat the fish dry and/or cover it with mayonnaise so that the breading sticks better. The breading was flavorful, but the fish itself was not, so next time I’ll add salt to the soaking liquid. I didn’t turn the fish over in the air fryer, but I did spray both sides with oil before putting the fish in the air fryer.
I used Walmart’s Great Value gluten-free flour blend.
It is good to know Walmart’s flour blend worked well. I agree to add salt to the soaking liquid, or sprinkle salt and pepper on the catfish before dipping in the batter. Thank you!
My son also has a milk and egg allergy. Would this recipe still work well if I use coconut or rice milk?
Hi Angel, non-dairy milk will work well, you may consider using Just Egg or another egg replacer so the batter sticks better to the fish.
I did buttermilk/hot sauce soak and dredged in cornmeal/all purpose flour seasoned with Slap ya’ Mama and Lemon Pepper. When trying to flip the bottom breading immediately fell off with not much resistance. Next time I will add egg to the buttermilk for a better binding. Otherwise 15 minutes at 400F was perfect for the filets. Very tender and flakey!
Please do let me know how it turns out with the egg. Thank you so much!
Love this easy catfish recipe. It comes out great every time!
I am so glad Ashley.
Would this work with crappie or bream filets?
Hi Pam, I am not sure how thick they are, but yes, this would work for them…you may need to cook longer if they are thicker, or less if they are thinner.