What is bang bang sauce made of?

Mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, and sriracha, plus a little honey. Creamy, sweet, and gently spicy.

How long do salmon bites take in the air fryer?

7–8 minutes at 400°F for 1.5-inch cubes in a single layer, shaking once.

Can I use frozen salmon?

Yes — thaw completely and pat extra dry before coating so the edges crisp.

Is bang bang salmon spicy?

Mildly as written. Skip the sriracha for no heat or double it for more.

Home › Air fryer recipes › Bang Bang Salmon Bites

Air fryer bang bang salmon bites

By Ami · July 25, 2026 · ★★★★★ 4.8 from 21 reviews · Jump to Recipe · Print

These air fryer bang bang salmon bites are what happened when the most-made recipe on this site — our crispy air fryer salmon bites — met a creamy, sweet-heat bang bang sauce: crispy edges, tender centers, 15 minutes, 34 grams of protein.

Air fryer bang bang salmon bites glossed in creamy bang bang sauce with scallions and sesame

The sauce does the heavy lifting; the air fryer does the rest.

Bang bang sauce is three pantry ingredients — mayo, sweet chili sauce, sriracha — whisked in the time it takes the air fryer to preheat. Creamy, sweet, gently spicy, dangerously dippable.
Salmon cubes are the perfect air fryer shape. Maximum crispy surface, seven minutes flat, no flipping fish fillets and losing half the skin — the same logic that made the original salmon bites a reader favorite alongside our air fryer chicken tenders.
34g of protein disguised as a snack. Rice bowl, lettuce cups, or straight off the sheet pan with toothpicks — check what a serving does for your day on the protein calculator.

Here's what you'll need.

One decision to make at the counter: skin-on salmon crisps better, skinless cubes cleaner — both work, and everything else is pantry.

Ingredients for air fryer bang bang salmon bites portioned into small bowls

Here's how it all comes together.

Step 1 — Cube and dry the salmon

Cut the salmon into 1½-inch cubes and pat them thoroughly dry — dry fish is what lets the edges crisp instead of steam.

Cutting fresh salmon into cubes and patting them dry

Step 2 — Toss in the crisping coat

Toss the cubes with oil, then with cornstarch, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until evenly dusted. The cornstarch is the secret to shatter-crisp edges without breading.

Salmon cubes tossed in seasoned cornstarch coating

Step 3 — Air fry hot and fast

Arrange in a single layer with space between cubes and air fry at 400°F for 7–8 minutes, shaking once. No flipping, no fuss — done when the edges are golden and the centers just flake.

Salmon bites crisping in a single layer in the air fryer basket

Step 4 — Whisk the bang bang sauce

While they cook, whisk the mayo, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and honey until smooth. Taste it — more sriracha if you like heat, more honey if you don't.

Whisking creamy bang bang sauce in a small bowl

Step 5 — Toss and finish

Toss the hot bites gently in half the sauce so they're glossed, not drowned, and save the rest for dipping. Scallions, sesame seeds, a squeeze of lime — done.

Folding crispy air fryer salmon bites into bang bang sauce

Bang bang salmon bites served over steamed rice with lime and scallions

Things I learned while testing this recipe.

Cut bigger cubes than feels right. 1½ inches survives the air fryer juicy; 1-inch cubes race past done while the edges crisp.
Sauce after cooking, never before. Bang bang sauce is mayo-based and will burn and slump in the air fryer — crisp first, gloss second.
Toss with half the sauce, serve the rest. Fully drowned bites go soft in minutes; a light gloss plus a dipping bowl keeps the crunch.
Frozen salmon works — thaw fully and pat extra dry. The cornstarch coat is very forgiving of thawed fish.

Weeknight-fast, macro-friendly, kid-negotiable.

34g protein per serving with the sauce included — see where that lands you on the protein calculator.
Meal-prep smart: cook the bites and keep the sauce separate; they re-crisp in the air fryer in 3 minutes and sauce like new.
Heat is adjustable to zero: skip the sriracha entirely and it's a honey-chili mayo that spice-averse kids will dip anything into.

Here's what I'd serve with this.

Steamed jasmine rice and quick-pickled cucumbers — or make it a full spread with tonight's other new recipe, the one-pot garlic parmesan chicken pasta, if you're feeding a divided table.
Broccoli done the honey garlic chicken bowls way, glazed and all.
Charred peppers and onions from the sheet pan chicken fajitas for a low-carb bowl base.
More air fryer favorites on the same night: the chicken tenders share the same 400°F window.
Browse all the easy recipes on the homepage for the rest of the week.

Just in case you have leftovers.

Storing: refrigerate up to 2 days, ideally with sauce and bites in separate containers. Sauced leftovers are still delicious — just softer, more rice-bowl than appetizer.

Reheating: 3 minutes at 380°F in the air fryer brings unsauced bites right back to crispy. Microwave only if you've made peace with soft edges — 60–90 seconds at 70% power.

More easy air fryer recipes...

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Garlic butter steak bites — 15 min, 44g protein

Air fryer bang bang salmon bites

★★★★★ 4.8 from 21 reviews — crispy cornstarch-coated salmon cubes tossed in creamy sweet-chili bang bang sauce. 15 minutes, 34g protein, endlessly snackable.

Prep 8 min · Cook 7 min · Total 15 min · Serves 4 · Category: Air Fryer · Cuisine: Asian-American

Ingredients

1.5 lb salmon, skin removed, cut into 1½-inch cubes and patted dry
1 tbsp neutral oil
1½ tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp each garlic powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
⅓ cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
1–2 tsp sriracha (to taste)
1 tsp honey
2 scallions, sliced · 1 tsp sesame seeds · lime wedges, to serve

Instructions

Prep. Cube the salmon into 1½-inch pieces and pat very dry.
Coat. Toss with the oil, then with cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper until evenly dusted.
Air fry. Single layer at 400°F for 7–8 minutes, shaking the basket once, until the edges are golden and the centers just flake.
Sauce. Meanwhile whisk the mayo, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and honey until smooth.
Toss. Gently fold the hot bites into half the sauce; reserve the rest for dipping.
Finish. Top with scallions and sesame seeds; serve with lime wedges.

Notes: Skin-on works — crisp skin-side down, don't shake until minute 5. No air fryer? 475°F oven on a preheated sheet pan, 8–10 minutes. Heat scales with the sriracha, down to zero.

Nutrition (per serving, estimated): 430 calories · 34g protein · 12g carbs · 27g fat

Made in the Ninja Crispi — and built for it.

These bites come straight from the testing kitchen behind our Ninja Crispi Cookbook: 150+ air fryer recipes with the exact times and temps that make fish crispy and chicken juicy, every time.

Get the cookbook on Amazon

FAQ

What is bang bang sauce made of?: Mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, and sriracha — plus a teaspoon of honey to round it out. Creamy, sweet, and gently spicy, and it takes under a minute to whisk.
How long do salmon bites take in the air fryer?: 7–8 minutes at 400°F for 1½-inch cubes in a single layer. They're done when the edges are golden and the thickest cube flakes with light pressure.
Can I use frozen salmon?: Yes — thaw it completely, then pat it extra dry before coating. Moisture is the only thing standing between thawed salmon and crispy edges.
Is bang bang salmon spicy?: Mildly, as written. The sriracha is fully adjustable — skip it for a kid-friendly honey-chili mayo, or double it if you want real heat.