Crispy air fryer green beans are a quick and easy side dish to pair with all of your favorite entrées. Try this healthy recipe for a simple and delicious way to eat more greens!
Table of Contents
- ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- ♨️ Air fried vs baked
- 🌱 Best green beans for air frying
- 🧊 Can you cook frozen green beans in an air fryer?
- 🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
- 📝 Instructions
- 🥗 What to serve with green beans
- 🌡️ Storage & reheating
- ♻️ Variations
- 🧑🍳 Top tips
- 💬 FAQ
- 🍴 More recipes like this one
- 📋 Recipe
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
After you make this air fryer green bean recipe, it will become your next go-to dish! It's:
Quick & easy — Anyone can make this tasty recipe. Plus it only takes 10 minutes of cook time!
Customizable — With tons of flavors to try (more down below), these beans can be switched up to suit any palate.
Diet-friendly — Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and low-carb, green beans meet almost every dietary preference.
Budget-conscious — Green beans are a widely available and cost-effective vegetable for most people to enjoy on a daily basis.
Healthy — Green beans are low FODMAP, heart-healthy, protein-rich, and a great source of vitamins and minerals.
♨️ Air fried vs baked
We prefer making green beans in an air fryer over the oven, and here's why:
It's faster — Green beans are ready in half the time compared to the oven.
Requires less oil — If you want to save on calories or prefer oil-free cooking, you can use less (or none at all) by opting for an air fryer!
Crispier — Not only can you use less oil, but the air fryer makes green beans even crispier than the oven!
More energy efficient — Statistics show that using an air fryer is almost 50% more energy-efficient than a standard electric oven. That means more money in your pocket!
🌱 Best green beans for air frying
With over 130 different types of green beans, you may be wondering which one is best for air frying.
Quick answer — Any of them work perfectly well. Just choose the one that's most convenient and available near you.
Long answer — We have easy access to string beans, which are typically our number one choice. However, French green beans, long beans, or Romano beans are all great choices too.
Note: The cook time in this recipe is for standard green beans, and other varieties may vary in cook time.
🧊 Can you cook frozen green beans in an air fryer?
Yes! Frozen green beans cook just as well in an air fryer. However, it's important to preheat it and add 2-3 minutes to the total cook time.
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
Green beans — For this recipe, we're using regular green beans. If you use another variety (like French green beans), your cook time will vary.
Olive oil — Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil to really enhance the beans. You can also switch things up by using infused olive oil like chile, garlic, lemon, rosemary, basil, etc.
Garlic — We love keeping things simple with just a pinch of garlic powder. But, you can also season your green beans with other herbs and spices like red pepper flakes, thyme, cumin, paprika, or cayenne.
Salt, pepper — Just a pinch of each is all you need!
Lemon — To serve with your finished air fryer green beans. The tart flavor of lemon helps bring out the freshness of the green beans.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 Instructions
Step 1 — Wash, drain, and trim the ends off of the green beans (we usually leave the pointy end intact).
Step 2 — Add them to a mixing bowl with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat the beans.
Step 3 — Transfer the green beans to your air fryer basket, being careful not to add too many at a time (it may take a few batches for this recipe).
Step 4 — Cook at 380 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, removing the basket halfway to toss and rotate the green beans.
Step 5 — Serve immediately as a side dish or snack with lemon wedges on the side. Happy eating!
If you have questions about these air fryer green beans, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🥗 What to serve with green beans
Air-fried green beans are the perfect side to accompany dishes like these:
Potato cakes — Mashed potato patties mixed with dairy-free cheese.
Espagueti blanco — Mexican-style white spaghetti made with a rich and creamy cashew crema.
Lentil bolognese — A hearty, flavor-packed bolognese starring fiber-rich brown lentils.
Lentil loaf — Meatloaf made with savory vegetables, seasonings, and lentils instead.
🌡️ Storage & reheating
Follow these green bean storage tips to get the most out of your recipe:
Fridge — Once the beans have cooled completely, transfer them to an airtight container and store them in your fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezer — We don't recommend freezing cooked green beans as they'll end up turning mushy.
Reheating — Add them to a preheated air fryer and cook for 2-3 minutes at 380 degrees F. You can also heat them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds at a time (although they won't crisp up quite as nice).
♻️ Variations
Panko — For a crunchy texture, coat your green beans with panko bread crumbs.
Spicy — Toss the beans in cayenne, ancho chile powder, or sambal oelek for a little heat.
Cheesy — Top your green beans with cashew parmesan or nutritional yeast for a savory and umami flavor.
Oil-free — Air fry the green beans tossed in lemon juice for an even healthier version.
🧑🍳 Top tips
Preheat your air fryer — For the most consistent results, heat your air fryer while you wash and trim the green beans.
Avoid overcrowding — Cook the beans in a single layer so heat can better circulate, ensuring a perfectly crispy result.
Multiple batches — If you have a smaller air fryer, cook the green beans in multiple batches.
Toss halfway — For an even cook, remove the green beans and mix or rotate the trays at the halfway point.
💬 FAQ
We prefer setting our air fryer to 380 degrees F to cook green beans. If you find this temperature too hot, reduce the heat to 375 degrees F.
Yes, it's always recommended to preheat air fryers for the most consistent and accurate cook times.
When air frying green beans, you do not need to soak them. Just wash and drain them before adding the oil and seasonings.
🍴 More recipes like this one
If you enjoyed this air fryer green beans recipe, be sure to check out some of these dishes:
- Air fryer pizza rolls — Mini plant-based pizza bites cooked in the air fryer.
- Air fryer zucchini — A quick, easy, and delicious zucchini side dish or snack.
- Elotes — Grilled corn on the cobs topped with vegan mayo, cheese, chile-lime seasoning, and more!
- Calabacitas — Tender zucchini served with other summer vegetables and dairy-free cheese.
- Totopos — Homemade crunchy corn tortilla chips.
📋 Recipe
Best Air Fryer Green Beans
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans ($1.10)
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder ($0.02)
- Salt & pepper to taste ($0.02)
For serving optional
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 380°F. Wash, drain, and trim the ends off of the green beans. Add them to a mixing bowl with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat the beans.
- Transfer the green beans to your air fryer basket, being careful not to add too many at a time (it may take 2-3 batches for this recipe).
- Cook at 380°F for 8-10 minutes, removing the basket halfway to toss the green beans. Serve immediately as a side dish or snack. Happy eating!
Notes
- Preheat your air fryer — For the most consistent results, heat your air fryer while you wash and trim the green beans.
- Avoid overcrowding — Cook the beans in a single layer so heat can better circulate, ensuring a perfectly crispy result.
- Multiple batches — If you have a smaller air fryer, cook the green beans in multiple batches.
- Toss halfway — For an even cook, remove the green beans and mix or rotate the trays at the halfway point.
- 8 minutes will yield more tender green beans. Cook for 10 minutes for a crispier texture.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe to recipe. All prices are in USD.
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