Fried mantou is one of my favorite Chinese desserts. It is usually served with a side of condensed milk but you can also eat it plain. Recently I tried deep-frying them at home, but they turned out way too greasy. My second attempt was in the air fryer and they were much better and less oily.
Can't get enough of Chinese Air Fryer Recipes? Try my Air-Fried Shrimp Toast next!
🥡 About This Recipe
I really like deep-fried mantou, but they are a real pain to make at home. Not only do you have to heat up a pot of oil, but after it is done cooking, you have to figure out how to deal with the leftover oil. If you don't deep-fry much at home, this usually means it goes in the trash and that is a lot of money down the drain.
Queue the air fryer! Air-frying mantou is the easiest, least greasy, and cheapest way to make fried mantou at home. Deep-frying any type of bread usually gets excessively oily because bread naturally has a porous structure, but air-frying helps reduce the amount of oil absorbed by a lot.
👨🍳 Cooking From Frozen
If you are cooking frozen mantou, you will need to lower the temperature and cook for a couple minutes longer.
For refrigerated buns, I recommend 400℉ for three minutes. For frozen buns, I recommend 350℉ for 5 minutes. This is so the outside does not burn before the inside is heated up.
🧂 Ingredients
- Mantou: You can make these yourself or buy them at an Asian market. I've found that older buns starting to go stale actually get even crispier than fresh ones. So if you have leftover mantou, this recipe is perfect for you.
- Oil: For brushing on the outside of the buns.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: I LOVE dipping fried mantou in sweetened condensed milk. I don't know who invented it, but it is genius. By the way, if you have leftover condensed milk, you can freeze it. I can never finish a whole can, so this has been a lifesaver for me. Just put some tin foil on the top and freeze it for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that it won't actually turn solid because of the high sugar content, but don't worry, it is not going bad.
🔪 Instructions
STEP 1: Preheat your air-fryer to 400℉ for fresh buns or 350℉ for frozen buns. Brush a thin layer of oil on the buns and arrange them in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
STEP 2: Air-fry fresh buns for three minutes and frozen buns for five minutes. Flip them once in between so both sides get browned. Finally, serve with a side of condensed milk for dipping.
📋 Recipe
Best Air Fryer Mantou w/ Condensed Milk
Ingredients
- 4 steamed mantou
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (for dipping)
Instructions
- Preheat your air-fryer to 400℉ for fresh buns or 350℉ for frozen buns. Brush a thin layer of oil on the buns and arrange them in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Air-fry fresh buns for 3 minutes and frozen buns for 5 minutes. Flip them once in between so both sides get browned. Finally, serve with a side of condensed milk for dipping.
Leave a Reply