Air Fried Lobster Tail Recipe

This Lobster Tail Recipe is easy and delicious and quickly made in your Air Fryer. It’s also coated with a  delicious garlic buttery sauce and air fried to perfection.

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Full Recipe/Instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips/tricks in the blog post.

When I first became obsessed with my Air Fryer a few years ago, a friend of mine mentioned that I should try lobster tails in it. I was intrigued yet cautious. Lobster tails aren’t cheap and I wasn’t sure if it would work. 

Traditionally, I was taught to boil lobster tails in water. The same with crab legs. But I gave it a try and I’m hooked. Now any time I can find lobster tails on sale, I grab a few and we eat them for dinner. 

For this recipe, you will want to do the following:

• Butterfly your lobster tail
• Make garlic butter
• Air Fry your lobster tail with butter on top
• Have extra butter for dipping if you like

How to cook lobster tail

I use the Air Fryer to cook my lobster tail. You could also use the broil function on your oven if you need to make multiple lobster tails. 

First, create your garlic butter mixture. I combine butter, minced garlic, freshly chopped chives, salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice and microwave until melted. You could also use this garlic butter mixture I use in this steak recipe. 

Then butterfly your  lobster tails. Cut the top of the shelf, pry it open, slide your finger under the shell to remove the meat, lay it on top of the shell. 

Here’s a step by step tutorial on how to butterfly a lobster tail.

Then I place my lobster tails in my Air Fryer and spread some garlic butter over the lobster. Then I close my air fryer and cook for 4 minutes on 380 degrees Fahrenheit. After 4 minutes, I open the air fryer basket and spread some more butter on top and cook for another 3-4 minutes. 

The size of your lobster tails will determine how long you need to cook them for. At a minimum, they will need 6 minutes if they are on the smaller side. The ones as pictured here took me the full 8 minutes to be done. 

A see through Air Fryer, like this Mealthy CrispLid would be perfect for making these lobster tails as you can watch them through the glass lid while they cook. 

I hope you enjoy these lobster tails as much as we do. I’m so thankful to have friends who give great ideas when it comes to Air Fryer cooking. 

Looking for more Seafood Recipes? Try these out:

• Air Fryer Lemon Garlic Shrimp
• Air Fryer Salmon
• Pressure Cooker Shrimp Boil
• Air Fryer Fish
• Pressure Cooker Shrimp Paella
• Ninja Foodi Fish and Grits