Air fryer turkey legs on a white plate.

The Secret to Perfectly Cooked Turkey Legs in Your Air Fryer!

These gluten free air fryer turkey legs make for a quick and easy meal for any weeknight dinner or weekend lunch when you’re feeling lazy but don’t want to sacrifice flavor!

Two fully cooked air fryer turkey legs on a plate with garnish.

This air fryer turkey legs recipe will walk you through how to cook gluten free, air-fried turkey legs that are deliciously crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

If you love easy recipes, you’ll also love our delicous spicy Cajun shrimp deviled eggs and easy creamy corn dip.

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Ingredients

Ingredients for air fryer turkey legs with labels.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

First, dry the turkey legs as much as you can by patting them with a paper towel. 

After the turkey legs are pretty dry, season them to your liking with salt and pepper. 

Next, use a small bowl and stir in the remaining seasonings with the softened butter, combining them well.

Following that, take the seasoned butter and rub it generously on each turkey leg. Just make sure to get under the skin if you can as well.

Next, be sure to preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Finally, place as many turkey legs as will fit without touching into your air fryer. Then cook for about 30 minutes. 

Lastly, make sure each turkey leg reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Add more cooking time if needed to reach the proper temp.

After cooking, let your turkey legs rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Hint: do not overcook your turkey legs. To prevent this, just make sure to use a meat thermometer and take your turkey legs out when they reach 165 degrees F.

Substitutions

  • Turkey wings – turkey or wings can be used as a substitution for turkey legs. You just may need to adjust the cooking time a bit.
  • Butter – if you do not have butter on hand, you can use olive oil, vegetable oil, or coconut oil as a substitute.

Variations

  • Spicy – to make spicy turkey legs, you can add your favorite hot sauce to the butter mixture.
  • Herbed – to make herbed turkey legs, you can more dried herbs or fresh herbs to the butter mixture. Some good options include parsley, sage, and basil.
  • Extra crispy – if you want extra crispy skin on your turkey legs, you can add a bit of gluten-free cornstarch to your spice mixture.
  • Extra flavor – give your turkey legs a flavorful turkey injection before air fryer for an extra boost of flavor.

Storage

You can store your leftover turkey legs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze your leftover turkey legs for up to 3 months.

Reheating

To reheat your leftover turkey legs, just pop them back in the air fryer for a few minutes until they are heated through. You can also reheat them in the oven or microwave, but the air fryer is hands-down the best way to get them nice and crispy again.

Top Tips

Cooking air fryer turkey legs is one of those tasks that can be easily accomplished with a simple set of instructions. It’s easy, it’s gluten free and I am betting your family will love them!

When cooking your turkey legs, it’s important to make sure they reach the proper temperature in order to be completely cooked.

You’ll know they are done when there isn’t any pink remaining around the bone and your meat thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Farenheight.

What to Serve with Turkey Legs

Turkey legs pair nicely with all kinds of sides! You can serve them with everything from grilled asparagus to scalloped potatoes to various desserts. They’re very versatile.

How Long Do You Cook Fully Cooked Turkey Legs?

Depending on the air fryer, your cooking time could vary. The air fryer will cook for about half of the amount it would take in an oven or on a stovetop. So you will need to adjust accordingly!

For air frying fully cooked turkey legs, I typically set my temperature at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I let them cook for about 30 minutes. Making sure to flip them every five minutes or so.

If following these guidelines does not produce desired results (i.e., undercooked or overcooked), please check with the manufacturer’s instructions that came with your air fryer for suggestions.

If you are heating up some fully cooked smoked turkey in your air fryer, it should only take about five minutes per side. It just depends on the size of the turkey you are cooking.

A smoked turkey leg heated up in an air fryer should cook pretty quickly by setting the temperature at 400-425 degrees Fahrenheit for about five minutes.

Just keep in mind that the cooking time will vary depending on what type of air fryer you have. However, it will typically be less than half as long as a traditional oven would require.

How to Cook Pre Smoked Turkey Legs in the Air Fryer

Some tips for cooking a pre-smoked turkey leg in the air fryer are:

Preheat your air fryer to make sure it reaches the proper temperature to heat up your turkey legs.

To crisp up your turkey legs, you can pour liquid fat such as olive oil on your turkey legs before cooking. Or you can use cooking spray instead.

Cook with aluminum foil wrapped around your turkey legs to ensure that all sides are cooked evenly.

How Do You Make Air Fryer Turkey Legs?

Air fryer turkey legs are a great substitute for the traditional stuffed and baked Thanksgiving turkey. It takes a lot less time to cook too!

Air frying is also healthier than cooking with oil or butter too. So not only will you be saving time with your Thanksgiving meal prep, you will be saving calories too!

However, turkey legs can be enjoyed year-round! I have many memories of visiting fairs and carnivals in the summer. As well as pumpkin patches in the fall and enjoying delicious turkey legs at each.

Here is how to make incredibly easy and absolutely irresistible turkey

How to Make Turkey Legs Crispy

Turkey wings are a great alternative to turkey legs and there’s no deep-frying needed! The wings have less surface area which means they need less oil and will taste just as crispy.

Air fryers use convection heat so you can cook food in the air fryer with significantly lower temperatures than required for traditional ovens or deep fryers and it doesn’t take as long!

For extra crispy turkey wings in the air fryer, you can spray them with some extra cooking oil spray and cook them slightly longer. Also, be sure to flip them about halfway through cooking time.

What Are the White Things You Put on Turkey Legs?

Turkey Legs are traditionally served with gravy on the side. That is what we see with large family dinners, especially during Thanksgiving time.

However, if you would like to make air fryer turkey legs without sauce or coating, plain or seasoned is great too!

You can also create a dry rub by combining paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper into one mixture. That mixture can then be applied to your turkey legs before cooking in your air fryer in order to give them flavor.

If you want something more similar to an oven-roasted turkey leg you can apply butter onto the turkey skin and sprinkle lemon juice on top.

So what are those white things you see on turkey legs on tv? These are called turkey booties and they are for the well-dressed turkey.

Whether you’re hosting a Thanksgiving dinner or just want to provide an extra fancy touch to the presentation of your meal, these paper caps will make any bird look as festive as can be!

Turkey booties, also called turkey frills, are little paper caps that people stick on the end of turkey legs to cover up the ugly bone ends.

The paper caps look like little chefs’ hats and can be either rounded or frilled at the top. They are so cute and fancy!

How Long to Cook Turkey Thighs in the Air Fryer

I have noticed that sometimes turkey legs can be tough to find at nearby grocery stores. Don’t worry though, if you are craving turkey legs but cannot seem to find them, there are some yummy alternatives!

Turkey thighs are a super delicious alternative to legs and are full of flavor. Air frying is a great way to cook turkey thighs because they can be cooked quickly and evenly.

They are also great to air fry because you don’t need any oil, which makes them a healthier option than traditional frying.

For cooking bone-in turkey thighs, you will need to heat your air fryer to about 380 degrees Farenheight and cook for about 12-15 minutes on each side.

How Long to Cook Turkey Wings in the Air Fryer

Air-fried turkey wings are another flavorful alternative to turkey legs! These are insanely delicious and actually cook up much faster than other cuts of turkey.

You just need to adjust the temperature settings as the air fryer does not create the same amount of heat as an oven and thus cooks faster. You don’t want to overcook them!

These are a great option for those who want to cook up a large batch when they have guests over so everyone can enjoy them at their leisure!

Just season your turkey wings to your liking and heat them in your air fryer at around 350 degrees Farenheight. Then, cook them for about 10-15 minutes on each side.

How Do You Reheat Turkey Legs in the Air Fryer?

Got some pre-cooked turkey legs for the air fryer? These gluten free turkey legs are super easy to reheat.

To reheat turkey legs in the air fryer, simply cook them for three minutes on each side, and you’ll have hot crispy air fried turkey legs!

They’re perfect as a snack or with mashed potatoes to make it a main meal.

If you want your air-fried food extra moist, then use some of those leftover juices from cooking as a marinade before placing it into the air fryer.

This will keep your meat juicy while giving it that delicious crispness you desire when eating this type of cuisine.

You can also reheat smoked turkey legs in the air fryer the exact same way!

If you are wanting to make more delicious turkey dishes, you will definitely want to try this yummy smoked Traeger turkey recipe!

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Air Fryer Turkey Legs (Gluten Free)

Jessica Jeannine Clark
These juicy, flavorful Gluten Free Air Fryer Turkey Legs could not be easier to make! Just throw them in your air fryer and dinner is served!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 230 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 4 turkey legs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp butter softened
  • ¼ tsp rosemary
  • ¼ tsp oregano
  • ¼ tsp thyme

Instructions
 

  • First, dry the turkey legs as much as you can by patting them with a paper towel.
    4 turkey legs
  • After the turkey legs are pretty dry, season them to your liking with salt and pepper.
    1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper
  • Next, use a small bowl and stir in the remaining seasonings with the softened butter, combining them well.
    1 tbsp butter, 1/4 tsp rosemary, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp thyme
  • Following that, take the seasoned butter and rub it generously on each turkey leg, making sure to get under the skin if you can as well.
    1 tbsp butter, 4 turkey legs
  • Next, be sure to preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Finally, place as many turkey legs as will fit without touching into your air fryer and cook for about 30 minutes.
  • Lastly, make sure each turkey leg reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Add more cooking time if needed to reach the proper temp.
  • After cooking, let your turkey legs rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Dairy Free Sub: Use vegan butter or olive oil in place of the butter.

Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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FOOD SAFETY

  • Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
  • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
  • Wash hands after touching raw meat
  • Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
  • Never leave cooking food unattended
  • Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
  • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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5 from 1 vote

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