Air Fryer Green Beans

December 13, 2023

Fried green beans with parmesan cheese and lemon wedges.

Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

Having a go-to air fryer green beans recipe means a quick crowd-pleasing vegetable side dish is never far from reach. The beauty of cooking green beans in an air fryer is twofold: For starters, it makes quick work of the beans, allowing you to get them on the table in only 20 minutes without making a mess of your kitchen. There’s no need to preheat a large oven or go to the trouble of bringing a pot of water to a boil to blanch them. Secondly, the air fryer blasts the green beans with hot air, transforming them into crisp-tender beans that are gently browned while retaining a subtle snappy texture. In this recipe the green beans are seasoned with a peppy mixture of fresh garlic, lemon zest, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Feel free to adjust the seasonings as you’d like—crushed red pepper flakes, onion powder, or just about any all-purpose seasoning would be great here; just add them in step 1 prior to cooking the green beans in the air fryer.

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What you’ll need

Air Fryer
$100 $80 At Amazon
Microplane
$15 At Amazon
Kosher Salt
$12 $11 At Amazon

Recipe information

Total Time
17 minutes
Yield
4 servings

Ingredients

1 medium lemon

1 lb. green beans, trimmed (about 5 cups)

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

¾ tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more

Finely grated Parmesan (for serving; optional)

Preparation

Step 1
Heat air fryer to 400°. Zest 1 medium lemon into a large bowl. Cut lemon into wedges and set aside. Add 1 lb. green beans, trimmed (about 5 cups), 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 1¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¾ tsp. freshly ground pepper to bowl and toss until beans are evenly coated.
Step 2
Transfer green bean mixture to an air fryer basket, arrange in a single layer, and air-fry, shaking halfway through, until browned in spots and crisp-tender, 5–7 minutes. (If your air fryer is too small to fit all of the green beans in a single layer, cook in 2 batches.)
Step 3
Taste green beans and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle lightly with finely grated Parmesan if desired. Serve with reserved lemon wedges for squeezing over.