Air Fryer Green Beans
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Air Fryer Green Beans are an any-occasion kind of side dish! Simple seasonings and a flash air fry work together to highlight the naturally sweet and juicy flavor of these air fried green beans.
Air Fryer Green Beans
Don’t think for a second that vegetables can’t be over-the-top tasty!
With classic seasoning combinations and minimal oil, you can really appreciate the fresh, grassy taste of air fried green beans while getting your daily serving of veggies.
With how the air fryer works, you can enjoy every veggie from corn to carrots without cooking away all of their health benefits.
Or how about air fried turkey breast? Talk about a life hack!!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- String Beans – Also known as regular green beans or snap beans.
The freshest, best beans are firm and solid in color — not at all limp or yellow-brownish in color.
- Oil – Any oil will do! I like to use olive oil with this combination of seasonings, but you could also use vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- Minced Garlic – You can swap fresh garlic out for garlic powder if preferred. Because the powdered stuff has a stronger flavor, just add ½ teaspoon.
Garlic salt is great, too! Just leave out the additional salt in this air fryer green beans recipe. - Onion Powder, Salt & Pepper – Short, sweet, and to the point! These seasonings go well with any veggie.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, check out the sections below for some other seasoning combos to try when you air fry green beans!
How To Prep Green Beans for Air Frying
- Wash and trim.
It might be tempting to skip this step, but there is nothing more frustrating than biting into a woody end!
Simply give your beans a good rinse, then line them up on your cutting board.
Tap one side until all of the ends are lined up, then chop them off with a sharp knife. Repeat on the other side as well.
- Dry the beans.
Wet beans will end up soggy, so instead after you wash them, be sure to dry them well with a paper towel.
This will also allow the spices and oil to stick to them easier.
Tips to Air Fry Green Beans
- Cook in a single layer. To cook every veggie evenly and quickly, arrange green beans in air fryer in a single layer — no overlapping!
- Avoid overcrowding the basket. It’s important with anything you make in an air fryer to leave space around the food.
Cook air fryer green beans in multiple batches if necessary. - Don’t have fresh? You can air fry green beans from frozen instead! They’ll need to cook for at least 18 minutes, with a good stir halfway through.
- Skip canned green beans. They’re soggy, mushy, and way too moist to get the same crispy, crunchy result.
Flavor Variations
- Try These Toppings! Crumbled bacon is always welcome in my kitchen, and is super tasty alongside fried veggies of all shapes and sizes.
A dusting of freshly grated parmesan cheese, toasted sesame seeds, or even pine nuts can add dimension to flavor and texture. - Brighten Your Plate – Is there ever a bad time for a spritz of lemon juice? Balsamic vinegar also goes a long way toward brightening up these air fryer green beans.
A splash of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar adds some real acidity, too! - Other Seasonings – The seasonings I use here are about as basic as they come. Don’t hesitate to spice things up with paprika or crushed red pepper flakes!
A bit of lemon pepper is yummy, too. Go for an Asian palette and splash on some soy sauce and chili powder!
When you’re working with such a simple air fryer green beans recipe, the sky’s the limit.
Air Fryer Green Beans Recipe FAQ
It takes about 16 minutes to cook 12 ounces of fresh green beans in the air fryer. Much faster than using your oven, grill, or stovetop!
Are your air fryer green beans still hard after cooking? Give them a couple more minutes! Every air fryer is different, and since green beans also differ from crop to crop, I can’t give you an absolute time frame.
And, as I describe above, the cooking time should be adjusted for frozen or canned beans.
Nope! Save yourself a step and cut it short with a simple rinse and trim.
They’re pretty similar, actually! French beans, or haricots verts, are thinner and generally longer than string beans. The French bean also has a stronger flavor and is relatively tender.
Then there are French-cut green beans, which actually refer to a method of slicing the vegetables rather than a specific variation.
They’re cut very thin and end up pretty flimsy. Not my recommended choice for this air fryer green beans recipe!
Storing Leftover Air Fried Green Beans
Wait for the beans to cool before storing them in an airtight container. They can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Reheat green beans in air fryer until warmed through – this shouldn’t take longer than 5 minutes or so. Use a slightly lower heat, around 350°F.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Air Fryer Side Dishes
Air Fryer Green Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced, or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- To a large bowl, add the green beans, oil, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Using a large spoon, toss to coat the beans.
- Place the green beans into the air fryer. Cook at 400°F for 16 minutes, stirring halfway through cook time.
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published October 2021, updated and republished May 2023
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Should I preheat the air fryer? This recipe sounds great!
Sadly couldn’t get the whole recipe,e.g. ingredients and cooking time. These were covered by adverts, nothing to do with the recipe
Thank you for letting us know this, Margaret. We just moved to a new website platform and we’re still working out the ad placements. If you’d like to see the full recipe without distractions, click the “print recipe” button. You can either print it or save it as a file to your mobile device or PC. 🙂
TSRI Team member,
Becca
Air-fryers are so easy. I’ve never really liked green-beans, but I have to say all the seasoning and stuff makes them so much better.