Air Fryer Turkey Legs: Full of flavor, perfectly tender and moist on the inside, and crispy on the outside, and they’re great to serve alongside any side dish you like!

AIR FRYER TURKEY DRUMSTICKS
Craving a turkey leg but don’t feel like making an entire turkey? Then these turkey legs are the perfect solution. With the help of the air fryer, they take less than an hour to cook. This recipe will let you have turkey legs any night of the week and not just on special occasions.
In addition, the ease of the recipe makes them super simple to make and will quickly become a staple in your meal rotation. Serve them with mashed potatoes, honey mustard sauce, and gravy for a complete meal. I also like to serve them with potato wedges or steamed broccoli.
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THE MARINADE
The highlight of this recipe is the marinade. The marinade combines both dried spices and fresh herbs, creating bright and bold flavors. Combining all these ingredients imparts a nice tang and freshness to the turkey and makes them even more flavorful.
However, the real star of the marinade is the lemon. It helps balance out all of the flavors and truly brings out the best in the meat.
The lemon not only adds a distinctive taste to the meat but also helps to tenderize the meat.

THE AIR FRYER IS A GAME-CHANGER FOR THIS RECIPE
The air fryer is a game-changer for this recipe. It works faster than the oven and keeps the meat very tender and super moist. Plus, the convection heat helps create a nice and satisfying crisp on the outside of the skin. It allows you to cook a piece of meat just the way you like it without adding in tons of unnecessary oil plus, and the clean-up couldn’t be simpler.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE THESE AIR FRYER TURKEY LEGS?
The turkey legs take about 45 minutes to make. The first 15 minutes will be for prepping the marinade and the turkey legs. Once the marinade is ready, and on the turkey legs, the legs are ready to cook in the air fryer, which will take about 30 minutes.

WHAT GOES IN THE MARINADE FOR THE TURKEY DRUMSTICKS?
The marinade is a wonderful combination of herbs and spices, which includes:
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Paprika
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Onion
- Seasoning and spices
DO I NEED TO SCORE THE TURKEY LEGS BEFORE ADDING THE MARINADE?
Yes, this will allow the marinade to penetrate deep inside the meat, which helps to give the legs a rich flavor and moist texture.

HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER TURKEY DRUMSTICKS?
- Make the marinade: In a large bowl, combine all of the herbs and spices and blend with a stick blender or small food processor to combine. It should be like a paste when done.
- Score the legs: Using a knife, add three deep cuts to your turkey legs so the marinade can reach all of the meat.
- Marinade time: Cover the meat with the marinade and set it in the refrigerator. Preheat the air fryer while the meat is marinating.
- Cook time: Add the turkey legs to the air fryer basket and cook for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through. I recommend checking the internal temperature of the turkey leg for 165F to check for doneness.
WHAT SHOULD I SERVE WITH THESE AIR FRYER TURKEY LEGS?
These turkey legs pretty much go with anything. They have Thanksgiving flavors, but that doesn’t mean they cannot be made all year round. Serve them alongside green beans, baked potato wedges, or mashed sweet potatoes.
MORE TURKEY RECIPES
Turkey is one of my favorite proteins to cook with, especially in the air fryer. Here are some of my top recipes to make when you’ve completed this recipe.
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Air Fryer Turkey Wings
- Perfect Juicy Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast
- Crispy Oven Roasted Turkey Wings
- Smothered Oven-Baked Turkey Wings
- Easy Oven Roasted Turkey Thighs With Vegetables
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast – How to Cook Turkey Breast in an Air Fryer

Note:
- The secret ingredient in this marinade is the lemon; it helps bring out a balance of flavor in the meat. Therefore, it should not be skipped.
- You can reserve a bit of the marinade for basting the drumsticks when they are done cooking.
- I use the COSORI smart wifi air fryer. You can get it on Amazon.

Air Fryer Turkey Legs:
Ingredients
- 2 Turkey Legs
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
Instructions
- Use a stick blender or a small food processor to blend all the ingredients.
- Make about three deep cuts on the Turkey legs. This will allow the seasoning to penetrate deep inside the legs.
- Coat the legs with the marinade and leave to marinate in the refrigerate
- Preheat the air fryer for about 3-5 minutes.
- Set the air fryer to 390°F to preheat for 5 minutes then place the legs inside the basket of the air fryer and cook for 30 to 40 minutes (depending on how big the turkey legs are) turning halfway between.
- The turkey legs are ready when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Notes
- The secret ingredient in this marinade is the lemon; it helps bring out a balance of flavor in the meat. Therefore, it should not be skipped.
Nutrition
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