Once you make this perfectly seared + tender Air Fryer Tri-Tip roast you will never go back to grilling this fantastic cut of meat. It is so amazing that we stopped everything to make another one and we wanted to tell you about it! It is air-fried in just a few minutes. Add garlic mashed potatoes for a no-fuss 30-minute dinner that’ll please everyone!
This recipe is proof that quick and easy doesn’t have to mean bland or boring! We got a little excited about air frying tri tip so we made it twice in one week. And we have no regrets!
Pair it with a heaping pile of creamy garlic mashed potatoes for a foolproof family favorite! Sometimes we like to lighten it up with mashed rutabaga, or roasted rutabaga fries. This less popular veggie is a low-carb alternative to potatoes and it’s quite delicious!
The best part? You only need THREE ingredients for the tri tip rub: salt, pepper, and garlic powder. It’s so simple, yet packed with flavor. Nevertheless, you can use whatever homemade or storebought rub you prefer – the air fryer method works like a charm every time.
🥩 Ingredients
All you need is a quality air fryer and a few ingredients to make this delicious dinner idea. You can use a basket or a tray air fryer. You will find that there are some things the air fryer does really, really well. Tri-tip is one of those things.
🛒Tri-Tip Roast – This is a juicy and delicious piece of meat. Made popular in California, it is sometimes considered a leftover scrap and in the old days it was discarded. In fact, this delicious cut of meat works perfectly in the Air Fryer, as well as on the grill, in the oven, broiled, or even smoked.
Tri-tip is a cheap and lean portion of the sirloin, so it will not be as tender as a ribeye, but don’t let that deter you! This cut of meat has beautiful marbling. For a beautifully tender cut of meat, tri-tip is substantially lower in cost than its neighbor – the ribeye.
The one we cooked today was a small 1.5-pound cut that was perfect for the three of us.
🛒Salt, Pepper & Garlic Powder – Use equal parts for the classic SPG seasoning that never failed a roast or a steak!
🛒Olive Oil Spray – It’s okay if you don’t have it in spray form. Just apply a thin layer of oil on the tri-tip to help the seasonings stick.
📌Note on air fryer: This cut will fit into all types of fryers so pull out those Cosori, Ninja basket, Ninja Foodi, Instant Vortex 7 in 1 or the 10 in 1. The Chefman 2 Qt might be a bit too small but if you cut up the roast, it can be done.
If using a tray version, start by putting it in the bottom tray as you may already know that the upper one heats stronger and faster. Save that for getting a crust.
🍽️ Air Fryer Tri Tip Instructions
Allow the tri-tip to come to room temperature before you begin. This will allow the meat to retain moisture as it cooks and it will also absorb the rub more effectively. Set it out on the counter for about 20-30 minutes for a 1½ pound steak.
👉Step 1 – Heat the air fryer for about 10 minutes at 400ºF so it is piping hot.
👉Step 2 – Mix equal amounts of salt, pepper, and garlic powder to make the SPG rub. I used one tablespoon of each for a 1.5-pound cut. You might need to make more or less depending on the size of your tri-tip.
👉Step 3 – Spray or rub olive oil in a thin layer all over the roast and cover it with the SPG seasoning.
👉Step 4 – Place the seasoned tri tip in the air fryer basket and cook for 5 – 7 minutes. Turn it over and set the time for another 5-7 minutes. Check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer so you don’t overcook it. I always aim for medium-rare to medium (135-140ºF).
👉Step 5 – Do you see the juicy meat in the finished photo? That is accomplished by allowing it to rest for 10-15 minutes after you remove it. Don’t skip this step. Allowing it to rest is essential as the juices will redistribute inside the meat, ensuring it stays juicy.
👉Step 6 – Slice AGAINST the grain for maximum tenderness.
👨🍳 Other Cooking Methods
Don’t have an air fryer? You can smoke your tri-tip, cook it on the grill, or even sear it off in a very hot skillet and bake it in the oven for about 12 – 14 minutes (for 1½ pounds of meat) at 400ºF.
If you have a convection setting on your oven, it works exactly like the air fryer but on a larger scale.
🥔🧄 Garlic Mashed Potatoes Instructions
This is a favorite side for roasts and steaks in my house. Simple, quick, tasty, and just a handful of ingredients.
- Russet Potatoes
- Butter
- Garlic Powder (minced garlic also works in a pinch)
- Heavy Cream (or half and half)
- Black Pepper
👉Step 1 – Peel the russet potatoes and cut them into cubes. Boil them over high heat in a large pot (make sure they are fully covered with water). It should take about 15-20 minutes for the potatoes to become fork-tender.
👉Step 2 – Once they’re cooked, discard 3/4 of the water. Keep the potatoes and remaining liquid in the pot.
👉Step 3 – Add one stick of butter, one teaspoon of garlic powder (or 1/2 teaspoon if using fresh minced garlic), 1/2 cup of heavy cream, and one teaspoon of black pepper.
👉Step 4 – Mash the potatoes with a potato masher to your preferred texture.
⏲️ How to Cook Tri-Tip Perfectly
At 400ºF, it should take 5-7 minutes per side to get a nice medium temperature for the steak. Here are the temperatures to watch for depending on your desired level of doneness.
| Medium Rare | 130-135ºF |
| Medium | 140ºF |
| Medium Well | 155ºF |
| Well Done (not recommended for tri-tip) | 165ºF |
The best option when cooking beef is to start with the shortest time and work up, testing the temperature of the meat as you go. I always suggest testing, as everyone’s air fryer is slightly different and not everyone likes a medium-rare piece of meat.
For perfect doneness, you want to watch the internal temperature using a thermometer probe. Remove the meat before it comes fully up to the temperature you want since it will continue to cook for a little bit as it rests.
🔄 Substitutions
🥩Tri Tip – You can use another, larger cut of steak to replace the tri-tip roast in this recipe (top sirloin, flank steak, or a picanha cut are great substitutes). You will need to adjust the cooking time a bit. Just keep an eye on the temperature of the meat for your desired doneness.
🧂Seasoning – Change out the seasonings in the rub to change the flavor. You could try a simple blend of garlic, salt, and black pepper such as the Kinder’s rub from Costco to season steak. We also love this Yucatan Dry Rub for a little Mexican flavor.
An all-purpose rub like this one is also an excellent choice. Reach for the all-purpose Montreal Steak Seasoning to use as a rub as well.
Change it up by serving it with some horseradish sauce like we did for air fryer teak tips. The horseradish sauce is amazing. Heck, go for your favorite steak marinade as well. Marinades are great for tri tip!
👩🍳 Recipe FAQs
Tri-Tip is a sirloin cut of beef originally made popular in California in the Santa Maria market. It gets its name from its triangle shape. It is low in fat and very flavorful. It’s also inexpensive.
Sirloin butt and Santa Maria cuts are other names you might encounter. Sometimes it is called a triangle cut or a California cut. Newport steak or bottom sirloin tip are other popular names for this cut. If you can’t find it, just ask the butcher at the store or meat shop.
Place some bread on the bottom of your air fryer. As the meat cooks and the fat drips, it will land on the bread. This prevents your air fryer from becoming smoky.
🥔 Serving Suggestions
If you want a complementary type of meat for a party, try this Air Fryer Jerk Chicken.
You have a lot of options for sides. We love the creamy garlic mash combo but we also like to switch things up – so many delicious side dishes you can serve with tri tip. Some of our favorites are:
- Oven Roasted Honey Gold Potatoes
- Smashed Potatoes
- Tomato Cucumber and Onion Salad
- Sheet Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts Stalk
Make sure to snag your {FREEBIE} Air Fryer Cooking Times Printable, Deep Fryer to Air Fryer Conversion Printable and Oven to Air Fryer Conversion Printable.
🍽️ Related Recipes
Don’t miss out on the other Air Fryer recipes we have created. They are becoming a hot passion of ours and we can’t wait for you to try them all!
Air Fryer Tri Tip Roast
Ingredients
Air Fryer Tri Tip
- 1 lb Tri Tip
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Pepper
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- Olive Oil Spray
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- 3 lbs Russet Potatoes cut into chunks
- 8 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream use half and half if you have that as a substitute
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
Air Fryer Tri Tip
- Combine the salt, pepper and garlic powder and stir together.
- Heat the Air Fryer to 400ºF.
- Spray the tri-tip with olive oil spray and coat it with a dry rub, making sure to cover both sides.
- Add the meat to the air fryer tray. Note that I added a couple of pieces of bread to the drip pan to catch any drippings. I find that it stops any unwanted smoking and makes cleanup a lot easier.
- Cook the tri tip for 5-7 minutes on each side. Each air fryer is different, so check it early and often to avoid overcooking.
- Remove the tri-tip when you reach the desired temperature and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Cut against the grain for maximum tenderness.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Peel 3 lbs of russet potatoes, and cut them in chunks. Place the potatoes in a large pot, and cover them with cold water. Turn the burner on high, and boil the potatoes until fork tender – about 15 – 20 minutes.
- When the potatoes are done, pour off all but about 1/4 of the water, and leave the potatoes in the pan.
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher, and add one stick (8 oz) of butter, one tps garlic powder, 1/2 cup of heavy cream (or half n half), and one teaspoon of coarse ground black pepper to the potatoes.
- Serve with the air fryer tri tip as a base or as a side dish.
Notes
- Medium Rare 130-135 degrees
- Medium 140 degrees
- Medium Well 155 degrees
- Well Done 165 degrees
Nutrition
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
So tender and juicy! Cleanup was easy because of the air fryer
I have cooked this using the rub from Trader-Joes a number of times. Yesterday we were out of the rub so I used the recipe for the rub from scratch. Both ways are equally delicious. This has become my new favorite tri-tip recipe. Absolutely perfect everytime I cook it. Thank you for such an easy recipe to follow.
What about a 3# tritip? Thanks.
Your timing is quite confusing. The recipe calls for a 1 lb tri tip and the instructions say to cook it for five to seven minutes per side. That would make for a total cook time of 10 to 14 minutes for a 1 lb tri-tip. But in your “How Long to Cook” section below the recipe it says you recommend 7-8 minutes per pound. Needless to say I am very confused about how long I should cook it for.
Kay! Thank you so much! Darn me for typing too fast the day I wrote it. It was to say PER SIDE on the second one. I fixed my error and can’t thank you enough for seeing that which will help future readers. Cheers! Ginny
Love tri tip. (did 4 for our family 4th celebration)
Your heat and times are right on.
Thank you for this simple method to have perfectly cooked tri tip. :O)
Thank you so much! We love the tri tip as well!!
cleaning is not a breeze
Margaret, how was the tri tip? Can you share what caused a 1 star review? Any thoughts besides you not enjoying the clean up? I’d love to help so let me know. Cheers! Ginny