Air Fryer Green Beans
Air fryers are great for cooking green beans (fresh or frozen!).
Serves4 to 6
Prep5 minutes
Cook8 minutes to 16 minutes
The air fryer has become the latest indispensable appliance and is now a staple in many home kitchens. Besides making your favorite foods perfectly crisp without using much oil, air fryers are also incredibly handy for quickly roasting vegetables in a matter of minutes. It is a great tool for when the stovetop and oven are occupied with other dishes, or for those times when you just don’t want to heat up the kitchen. Plus, cleanup is a breeze!
This recipe for air fryer green beans can be easily halved for a small dinner or doubled to serve a crowd. In addition, this side dish can be personalized with your favorite spices and seasonings that you already have on hand in the pantry.
Should I Soak Green Beans Before Cooking?
When preparing fresh green beans in the air fryer, there’s no need to soak them before cooking. Simply washing the beans, drying them, and tossing them with a light coating of olive oil is all you need for perfectly cooked green beans.
Why Are My Green Beans Still Hard After Cooking?
If you find your green beans are still hard after cooking, feel free to continue to cook in two-minute increments until the desired tenderness is achieved. You can also toss the beans in the air fryer basket periodically throughout the cooking time to redistribute them and make sure the heat circulates around the surface of all the beans.
Can You Cook Frozen Green Beans in an Air Fryer?
Yes, you can! There are two ways to approach air frying frozen green beans.
- Rinse the beans in a colander under cool water until they’re almost thawed. Thoroughly dry them with paper towels before tossing with oil and seasonings, then follow recipe as instructed. You may need to add an additional two minutes.
- Another way to cook from frozen starts with placing the frozen green beans directly in the air fryer basket without any oil or seasoning. Cook in five-minute increments, tossing the basket each time to distribute the beans. (Check for any accumulated water from the frozen beans each time you stop to toss the basket and drain if necessary.) Once the desired tenderness is achieved, remove the green beans from the basket and toss with oil or butter and your desired seasonings.
Air Fryer Green Beans
Air fryers are great for cooking green beans (fresh or frozen!).
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 8 minutes to 16 minutes
Serves4 to 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 pound
fresh green beans
- 1 tablespoon
olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Heat an air fryer to 375°F. Meanwhile, trim the stem end from 1 pound green beans. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and toss to combine.
Air fry in batches if needed: Add the green beans to the air fryer basket and arrange into a single layer. Air fry until the green beans are crisp-tender, 8 minutes. If you prefer your green beans a little more tender, give the basket a toss to redistribute the beans, then cook for 2 minutes more.
Recipe Notes
Shopping: When shopping for green beans, look for green beans that are bright green and unblemished. They shouldn’t be flimsy or limp. Fresh green beans should snap when broken in half.
Storing: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.