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 the way your air fryer works, you’re able to 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 for Air Fryer String Beans
- 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.
Wash and trim. It might be tempting to skip washing or trimming the ends of the beans. Trust me, there is nothing more frustrating than biting into a woody end!
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.
- 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 the recipe. - Onion Powder, Salt & Pepper – Short, sweet, and to the point! These seasonings go well with any veggie.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, however, check out the sections below for some other seasoning combos you can try!
Tips For Air Fried Green Beans
To cook every veggie evenly and quickly, the beans should be lined in a single layer – no overlapping! Fry in multiple batches if necessary.
My string bean recipe can be made with either fresh or frozen – just know that cooking time will vary.
You’ll need at least 18 minutes for the frozen guys, with a good stir halfway through.
The only thing you really want to avoid is canned green beans. They’re soggy, mushy, and way too moist to get the same crispy, crunchy result.
But if you’re really trying to get those cans out of your pantry, then lower the air fryer temperature to 350°F and fry for just 4 minutes.
Keep in mind that this will be a very different dish!!
Double or triple the recipe! Feeding a crowd? No problem, you can easily double or even triple the dish.
If you have a small air fryer, you may need to work in batches to ensure they cook evenly.
Don’t overcrowd the basket. It’s important with anything you make in an air fryer to leave space around the food.
The air needs to be able to flow around the food to cook it.
Ways To Dress Up Your String Bean Recipe!
- 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 string bean recipe, the sky’s the limit.
Storing Leftover Air Fryer Green Beans
Wait for the beans to cool before storing in an airtight container. They can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Reheat in the air fryer until warmed through – this shouldn’t take longer than 5 minutes or so. Use a slightly lower heat, around 350°F.
Air Fryer Green Beans 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 green beans still hard after cooking in the air fryer? Give them a couple more minutes! Every air fryer is different, and honestly green beans also differ from crop to crop, so 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.
They’re pretty similar, actually! French beans, or haricot verts, are thinner and generally longer than string beans. The French bean also has a stronger flavor and is relatively tender.
Then there’s French cut green beans which actually refers 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 green bean recipe!
Nope! Save yourself a step and cut it short with a simple rinse and trim.
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 November 2022
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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.