Use your favorite countertop appliance to make an Air Fryer Chimichanga that is hot, crispy, and ready so much quicker!
Chimichanga vs. Burrito?
These two items are very similar. In traditional Mexican cuisine, a burrito is a soft flour tortilla stuffed with beans, rice, and meat. A Chimichanga (or chimi) is basically a burrito that has been fried so that the outer tortilla is crispy.
Frozen chimichangas are made so that they are crispy when they’re cooked in the oven, while frozen burritos are designed to be heated in a way that keeps them soft.
The air fryer does such an amazing job of making foods crispy, so it’s the best choice for cooking up a hot and crisp frozen chimi!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Frozen Chimichangas – The most commonly found brand of frozen chimichangas is El Monterey. You might also find these made by Jose Ole, or other regional or store brands. Any of these brands will work with these air fryer chimichangas instructions.
- Toppings – While you can enjoy your air fryer chimichangas plain, I prefer them dressed up with sour cream, salsa, and fresh cilantro! I have more topping ideas for you as well.
how to make them
- Remove the chimichangas from their outer packaging, and prepare any toppings you plan to use later.
- Place the chimichangas in the air fryer basket. Avoid overlapping them, and leave room around each.
- Air fry at 400F for 12-15 minutes, carefully flipping every 5 minutes, until golden and crispy.
- Serve with your favorite toppings, such as sour cream, fresh salsa, and chopped cilantro.
serving tips
- I love making a bag of air fryer frozen broccoli! It takes just a few minutes, and goes with almost any meal. The frozen broccoli comes out of the air fryer tender and browned, just like magic.
- Or try a simple salad, like this Chickpea Salad. It’s cool and fresh with tomatoes and cucumbers.
- Tortilla Chips with fresh salsa or queso dip are always a good idea when you are enjoying Mexican food!
- Instead of plain sour cream, make a flavorful Cilantro Garlic Sauce to top your air fryer Chimichangas!
- Looking for a meatless Monday idea? Try making Air Fryer Cauliflower Tacos, or make vegan burritos from scratch. You can always air fry them or pan fry them to turn them into chimichangas!
Topping suggestions
Want your air fryer frozen chimichangas to have a little something extra? You can easily make this frozen food into something that you might be served at your favorite Mexican restaurant.
Add the chimichangas to serving plates, and top each with sour cream, pico de gallo, and fresh cilantro leaves.
Or, choose your favorite taco toppings! Guacamole, diced avocado, salsa, Mexican crema, taco or enchilada sauce, and diced tomatoes are all great additions to air fryer chimichangas.
how to tell when they’re done
Once you’ve air fried the chimichangas for 12 or more minutes, they should be hot and melty inside and golden brown on the outside.
If you want to be certain that the inside is hot and properly cooked, use a kitchen thermometer to ensure that the temperature is at least 161°F.
can I use this recipe for frozen burritos?
Follow my Air Fryer Frozen Burrito instructions to get all of the details, but yes, the air fryer method for frozen burritos is very similar to this one for frozen chimichangas.
more frozen foods to try
Air Fryer Frozen Okra is a southern style favorite! Make it crispy and delicious in the air fryer, and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Pick up a bag of Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken and learn how to cook this fan-favorite frozen meal the easy way – in the air fryer!
There are so many more instructions for air fryer frozen foods here!
Check out how we make Frozen Pot Pie, Fish Sticks, Frozen Chicken Nuggets, and more.
Air Fryer Frozen Chimichanga
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Frozen chimichangas
- Sour cream for topping
- Salsa for topping
- Chopped cilantro for topping
Instructions
- Remove the frozen chimichangas from their packaging.
- Place the chimichangas in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 400F for 12-15 minutes, carefully flipping every 5 minutes, until golden and crispy.
- Serve with your favorite toppings, such as sour cream, salsa and cilantro.
Notes
- For accurate nutritional values, please see the packaging for your frozen chimichangas.
- Do not thaw the chimichangas. Cook them straight from frozen.
- You don’t need to add any oil to frozen chimichangas to get them crispy, as they’re made with oil on them already.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may be able to fit more or less than 4 chimichangas. Make sure they are all in a single layer and do not overcrowd the basket.
- You can eat the chimichangas as is or top them with your favorite toppings. I love to top mine with sour cream, salsa, and cilantro. Avocados or guacamole are also great on top, too!
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
- Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes airfrying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.
Nutrition
I was just gifted an air fryer for Christmas, so am slowly learning about this “new” way of cooking! I love chimichangas, so am really happy to have found a way to make them in my new toy.
My oven is a little on the ancient side and takes so long to heat up, so the air fryer method is so much better and energy efficient (for me personally, anyway!).
Thank you!
Yes! I agree – my oven takes around 10 minutes to get to the desired temperature, so add cooking time on top of that and it can be a pain! Enjoy! 🙂