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Air Fryer Tri-Tip + VIDEO

This air fryer tri-tip is inspired by the famous Santa Maria tri-tip. Make this healthy & flavorful tri-tip recipe in under 20 minutes!

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I just had some delicious tri-tip from the Santa Maria region so I’m feeling inspired. I’m also not much of a griller so my version is being made in the air fryer. The air fryer has been my go-to grill replacement so far this summer.

What Is Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip?

Tritip is a triangular cut of beef from the bottom sirloin sub primal cut. It gets its name from its triangular shape. Tri-tip is a staple in Santa Maria (Central California) BBQ but outside the region. Tri-tip became a Santa Maria, CA specialty back in the late 1950s. It’s seasoned with basic spices and then usually grilled over red oak wood or smoked. Outside of Central California, tri-tip can sometimes be hard to find. If you don’t see tri-tip in your local grocery store, you should be able to find it at a butcher.

A Simple Seasoning

A traditional Santa Maria style tri-tip only contains simple seasonings  like salt, pepper, & garlic powder so that’s what I used as my base. I  then added a pinch of onion powder & paprika. If you have a favorite tri-tip seasoning you want to use, feel free to substitute it in place of this homemade seasoning blend.

homemade seasoning blend

What Is An Air Fryer?

What is an air fryer exactly? The name air fryer is a little bit confusing, because when you cook food in your air fryer you aren’t actually frying it. An air fryer cooks your food by circulating hot air around the food at a very high-speed, cooking the food and producing a crispy ‘fried’ layer. This is called convection so your air fryer is actually a small countertop convection oven. An air fryer can help you cook your food faster while still getting a nice baked or fried texture on the outside, all with a very small amount of oil. Air fryers come in a variety of different sizes and styles. What you see here in the pics is a 5.8-quart air fryer.

before

Air Fryer Recipes

Steaks

Kofta Kebabs

Pork Chops

Caprese Stuffed Chicken

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

after

How Long To Cook The Tri-Tip

How long you cook this air fryer tri-tip depends on a few factors. The main things to keep in mind when air frying tri-tip are: how well you like your beef cooked, how thick your tri-tip is, and how hot your your air fryer heats. At 400 degrees, the cook time should be anywhere between 14 to 18 minutes. If you have a food thermometer, this is a good time to use it.

Beef Internal Temperatures

Medium Rare: 130 degrees
Medium: 140 degrees
Medium Well: 150 degrees
Well: 160+ degrees

I used a 5.8-quart air fryer  for this recipe.

Print
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Air Fryer Tri-Tip

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Total Time: 28 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 pounds tri-tip
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

  1. Rinse & pat dry the tri-tip. Rub the oil all over both sides of the meat.
  2. In a small bowl mix together the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and paprika. Rub the seasoning evenly on both sides of the meat and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before placing in the air fryer.
  3. Set air fryer to 400 degrees and cook approximately 14-18 minutes (see note below).

Notes

You may need more or less cooking time, depending on how thick your tri-tip is.

Beef Internal Temperatures:

Rare: 130 degrees
Medium: 140 degrees
Medium Well: 150 degrees
Well: 160+ degrees

  • Author: Shannon Epstein
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 18 minutes

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 219
  • Sugar: 0.1 g
  • Sodium: 857.5 mg
  • Fat: 8.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 0.9 g
  • Fiber: 0.2 g
  • Protein: 32.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 89.2 mg

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on one of the product links, I’ll might receive compensation. For more about my disclosure policy see heres: https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/about/disclosure-policy/.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”Y7DcoixI” upload-date=”2021-07-09T01:30:44.000Z” name=”Air Fryer Tri Tip” description=”Make this flavorful air fryer tri-tip recipe cooks in under 20 minutes! Inspired by the famous Santa Maria style, this tri-tip is cooked in the air fryer instead of on the grill.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Top 10 cooking tri tip in a air fryer That Easy To Do - Món Ăn Ngon

Monday 21st of November 2022

[…] Source: https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/air-fryer-tri-tip-low-carb-paleo-whole30/ […]

Lorenzo

Thursday 8th of July 2021

I would never think to air fry some tri tip, but yours looks amazing!

ron

Thursday 26th of October 2023

@Lorenzo, Nothing beats a good grill, but air fryers are great when you don't want to heat your whole house with a broiler oven.

Donna

Wednesday 4th of October 2023

@Lorenzo, I thought the same as you a while back, but the air fryer is perfect for this. Don't be apprehensive...try it , you will never do it any other way. Quick, easy and tasty