Weeknight veggies get a delicious flavor boost with these air fryer green beans! A quick toss in oil and they transform from plain to incredible with sweet, nutty edges. This dish is so simple to make, and a great way to get your daily dose of veggies!
Why you’ll love air fryer green beans
- Easy prep, just trim and season beans
- Hand-off cooking that beats stovetop sautéing
- Delicious tender beans bursting with fresh flavor
Scroll down for the printable card for this green bean air fryer recipe, or read on for all the details.
What do you need?
Quantities for all ingredients are given in the recipe card below.
Green beans
You can use any variety of fresh green beans for this recipe.
Green beans, string beans, snap beans, wax beans, and haricot vert are ideal. They just need a wash, and a quick trim of the ends.
Longer-length beans like Romano beans, Italian green beans, flat beans, or runner beans (different names, same bean) will need to be cut into pieces around 6 inches/ 15cm long.
Seasoning
This recipe is simply seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper.
I used garlic granules for this recipe, but you can use freshly crushed garlic cloves (4 cloves), or minced garlic from a jar (2 teaspoons), or garlic powder (1 teaspoon).
You can add other seasoning if you like. Try adding ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
Oil
The recipe below specifies light olive oil, but you can substitute any other cooking oil that you would normally use in your air fryer. Try corn oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil.
Choose a cooking oil with a high smoke point to reduce the chance of your air fryer smoking.
Optional: almond slices
Transform this side dish into something special by making air fryer green beans almondine. It is as simple as adding a handful of flaked or sliced almonds to the beans before air frying.
How to cook green beans in the air fryer
This recipe is very simple to make, but there are a few key steps to getting it just right.
- Prepare the green beans by rinsing them, then pat them dry with paper towels.
- Season the beans. Place the green beans in a large bowl, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic granules. Toss to coat.
- Place the green beans in the air fryer basket, and try to spread them out in the basket so they are an even thickness, this will help them to cook evenly.
- Then air fry green beans for around 6-10 minutes until they are bright green and starting to go crispy at the ends.
Serving ideas
Air fried green beans have a nutty, roasted flavor that works well with many different flavors. For some delicious ways to serve them up, try:
- Sprinkling with freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Drizzling with soy sauce and sesame oil
- Topping with crispy bacon pieces and diced red onion for a sweet, salty crunch.
- Serving with lemon wedges on the side for your guests to squeeze lemon juice over them
- Drizzling with sweet balsamic vinegar
Storing and reheating
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and use within 4-5 days.
To reheat the green beans, place them in your air fryer basket and heat for 5 minutes at 400°F/ 200°C until hot.
Air Fryer Green Beans
Ingredients
- 12 oz / 350 g fresh green beans (Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil (Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic granules (Note 3)
- ¼ cup sliced almonds (optional)
Directions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F/ 200°C.
- Trim ends off the green beans, then rinse and pat them dry.
- Place beans in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil, add the garlic, salt, and pepper, then toss to coat. If using almonds, add them at this stage.
- Place green beans in air fryer basket. Spread them out so they are an even thickness in the basket.
- Air fry green beans for around 6-10 minutes until they are tender, bright green, and just caramelized at the edges. Shake the basket once or twice during cooking so that they cooked evenly. [Note 4].
- Remove the beans from the air fryer and serve immediately.
Notes
- Any variety of green beans can be used. If using long green beans cut them into pieces around 6 inches long.
- Or substitute another cooking oil with a high smoke point (e.g. corn oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil).
- Or use 4 garlic cloves finely chopped or crushed, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Cooking times will vary with a few factors. Air fry beans for additional 2-minute intervals until they are cooked to your liking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.
Fiona
Tuesday 27th of February 2024
This is a great way to cook beans,. Very convenient and much better than boiling as it is easier and they are yummier.