Air Fryer Char Siu

Enjoy the flavors of Chinese BBQ pork with this easy Air Fryer Char Siu recipe. Tender, sweet, and savory, it's perfect with rice, veggies, or in your favorite noodle or fried rice dishes.

Air Fryer Char Siu is a surprisingly easy way to recreate the flavors of the classic Chinese BBQ pork right at home. This air fryer char siu recipe requires only a few minutes of prep time and eliminates the need for a traditional roasting setup.

Perfectly tender and packed with sweet and savory flavors, this air fryer recipe will have your kitchen smelling like your favorite Chinese restaurant!

Char Siu is known to be a staple in Hong Kong and is traditionally served with rice and a side of blanched leafy Chinese veggies. Any leftovers can be repurposed in so many delicious ways: you can dice it and stir it into fried rice, stuff it into steamed buns for Char Siu Bao, or simply slice it and add it to noodle dishes.

If you're looking to make Char Siu in a conventional oven instead of the air fryer, you can find that recipe here

Got leftover Char Siu? Char Siu Fried Rice is the answer!

Ingredients for Air Fryer Char Siu

• Pork: You can use just about any cut of pork to make Char Siu, but I recommend using either pork tenderloin, pork shoulder (or pork butt) even fattier cuts like pork belly. Personally, I love pork tenderloin for this recipe because the meat remains so tender, but I recommend experimenting with all three types to determine your favorite.
• Hoisin sauce: Often described as a Chinese BBQ sauce, hoisin sauce adds a sweet and savory depth that forms the base of the marinade. 
• Honey provides that characteristic sweet and sticky glaze on the Char Siu
• Light Soy sauce adds a salty depth of flavor for umami. You may also use coconut aminos as a substitute.
• Dark soy sauce is used to add some color and just a bit more sweetness to the marinade
• Shaoxing wine provides a rich aromatic flavor that is essential to Chinese cooking. If you don't have Shaoxing wine on hand, dry sherry is a good substitute
• Garlic: Freshly minced garlic adds a sharp, aromatic punch that complements the sweet and savory marinade
• Chinese Five Spice Powder: This blend of star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds forms the backbone of many traditional Chinese dishes, including Char Siu.
• Salt: Just a pinch of salt brings out the natural flavors of the pork and balances the sweetness of the marinade.
• Red food coloring (optional): While this is not essential, red food coloring gives Char Siu its signature vibrant red color. Traditional alternatives like red yeast rice powder or fermented red bean curd can also provide this color, but these ingredients may not be readily available outside of specialized Asian grocery stores.

How to Make Air Fryer Char Siu

This recipe calls for just a few minutes of prep time, but it's important to marinate the pork for at least 4 hours (overnight, if possible), for the best result.

First, you will want to ensure that your pork is cut into large strips, following the grain as much as possible. The cuts of pork you use and how large the pieces are will depend on your preference, but I recommend using pork loin (or pork tenderloin), pork shoulder, or pork belly.

To ensure that the cuts of pork are cooked all the way through, keep the thickness of your pork under approximately 3 or 4 inches. If they are half that size, I recommend reducing the cooking time by a couple of minutes so the pork does not overcook.

Mix the marinade ingredients in a small bowl:

• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 drops of red food coloring (this is optional)

After thoroughly mixing the marinade ingredients, place 2 tablespoons of the marinade into a separate small bowl, and mix with 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of honey, and set this aside.

This will serve as your glaze. It is important that the glaze be kept separate from the marinade and that you do not use the marinade to glaze the pork as it has been in contact with the raw meat. 

Place the pork pieces in a large Ziplock bag, then pour the prepared marinade (not the glaze!) on to the pork. Seal the Ziploc bag, then gently massage the char siu marinade into the pork till all of the pieces are coated evenly. 

Allow the pork to marinate for at least 4 hours in the fridge, or overnight if possible. 

Take the marinated pork out of the fridge about an hour before you are ready to air-fry to get it closer to room temperature. 

Preheat your air fryer to 400F. 

Place the pork pieces in your air fryer basket, then cook for 6 minutes.

Baste the pork with the glaze on both sides, then cook (on the other side) for another 6 minutes. Baste again just before removing. 

Remove the cooked Char Siu pork from the air fryer and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing. 

I hope this recipe becomes a new favorite in your home kitchen, just as it has in ours.

If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Feel free to leave a comment below, share any tips or tweaks you made, or tag me on social media with your delicious creations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Jumped straight here to the recipe? Please consider coming back to read the whole post when you have the time as I have included step-by-step instructions with photos.

Other Pork Recipes You May Enjoy

• Roasted Pork Belly
• Char Siu Burger
• Chinese BBQ Pork Meatballs
• Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Bahn Mi Burger
• Soy Sauce Braised Pork Belly (Tau Eu Bak)
• Pork Belly Adobo