Here is how to get perfectly cooked green beans in the air fryer. Air Fryer Green Beans are tender and crispy and ready in under 10 minutes. Serve them plain, or give them something extra with a sprinkling of Parmesan. The perfect easy side that goes with anything, or even eaten as a snack.
We love cooking vegetables in our air fryer and air fried green beans might just be one of our favourites. If you are bored of boiled green beans, then this will make you fall in love with them again. The texture is incredible.
If you are looking for other ways to serve green beans, then why not try our Green Bean Salad, Garlic Green Beans or Slow Cooker Green Beans?
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Why you will love them
- Quick and easy - These are ready in just 10 minutes, and no reason to preheat the oven. One of the many reasons we love the air fryer.
- The best way to cook green beans - If you are bored of green beans, then this is an easy way to make them more exciting. Air frying green beans totally changes the texture.
- Versatile - These crispy green beans go with almost anything. Such a versatile side dish that we love serving with chicken or fish.
- Adaptable - You can keep them plain, or add some extra flavour with chilli flakes or parmesan.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Green beans - The star of the dish. Always use fresh green beans, not canned, as they will go too mushy. You can save yourself some time by buying them already trimmed. We keep them as long green beans, but you can cut them in half if you prefer.
- Olive oil - Use a good quality olive oil.
- Salt and pepper - Generously season.
- Parmesan and lemon juice - This is optional for serving.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to air fry green beans - Step by step
One: Put the beans into the air fryer. Drizzle over the oil and add the salt and pepper. Mix well so that the beans are coated.
Two: Cook at 190°C for 8-10 minutes. Shake twice during cooking.
What to serve with air fryer green beans
This is such a versatile side dish, and there are so many meals that you can serve them up with. For the air fryer green beans themselves, we added a squeeze of lemon juice to freshen them up and then sprinkled them with grated Parmesan. Delicious!
You can serve these as a side dish, or even as a snack. If you are snacking on them, then we recommend a dip like our Healthy Ranch, Healthy BBQ Sauce or Homemade Ketchup.
If you want to serve these crispy green beans up as a side dish to a main, then we have lots of suggestions for you. Why not try them alongside one of these:
- Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken
- Roasted Harissa Chicken
- Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Lemon and Rosemary Salmon.
- Slow Cooker Roast Beef
- Honey Roast Duck
- Pesto Salmon
Variations
Air fryer green beans is a pretty simple recipe, which is what we love about it. But, there are a few ways you can adapt the basic recipe to make it a little more exciting.
Cheese - Make green beans with Parmesan by grating over some Parmesan just before serving. You could crumble over feta instead, which would give more of a fresh flavour.
Spice - We love anything with a bit of chilli. Why not sprinkle some red chilli flakes over air fried green beans just before serving?
Bacon - Everything is better with bacon, right? Add some chopped bacon into the air fryer at the same time as the green beans, and it will all cook at the same time. If you are doing this, then I wouldn't add any extra salt.
Seasoning - We kept it simple with some salt and pepper, but you could add garlic powder, or your favourite seasoning mix like Cajun or Fajita.
Storage
Store: If you have any leftovers, then once cooled you can store them in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Freeze: We wouldn't recommend freezing air fried green beans as the texture isn't great when they are defrosted.
Reheat: You can reheat them in the air fryer for about 4 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Air fryer green beans take between 8 and 12 minutes, depending on your air fryer. Check them after 8 and cook them up to 12 minutes if they need it and if you want them really crispy.
If you want air fryer frozen green beans, then we suggest doubling the cooking time. They won't get as crispy, because of the liquid, but it's a good way to cook them.
If you want your air fryer green beans more tender, then you can cook them a little longer. But be careful that they don't burn. They should still have a little bite to them. This could also be because your green beans weren't very fresh.
Green beans aren't really one of those vegetables that you immediately think of when you think of a nutrient dense food, but they are bursting with health benefits.
Not only are green beans low in calories, but they are a great source of iron, vitamin C and K, dietary fibre, folate and silicon, which is needed for healthy bones, skin, and hair.
We really can't rate our Ninja Foodi Max Dual highly enough. It has a huge 9.5 litre capacity, it allows you to cook two different things at once and it has 6 different cooking functions. It is 65% more efficient than an oven and uses 75% less fat than traditional cooking. It is also dishwasher safe.
Extra tips
• Try not to put too many green beans in the air fryer basket at one time, as they won't get as crispy because the air won't be able to circulate round them.
• You may need to cook this recipe in batches depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
• Try to enjoy them whilst they are hot. They will lose some of their crispiness as they cool.
• Pine nuts can be added before serving to add a nice crunch.
More air fryer recipes
Now you know how to air fry green beans, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Air Fryer Green Beans
Ingredients
- 450 g (1 lb) Green beans - trimmed
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Put the beans into the air fryer. Drizzle over the oil and add the salt and pepper. Mix well so that the beans are coated.
- Cook at 190°C for 8-10 minutes. Shake twice during cooking.
Recipe tips
- Try not to put too many green beans in the air fryer basket at one time, as they won't get as crispy because the air won't be able to circulate round them.
- You may need to cook this recipe in batches depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
- Try to enjoy them whilst they are hot. They will lose some of their crispiness as they cool.
- Pine nuts can be added before serving to add a nice crunch.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Savita
It was a very easy recipe to make and went so well with my weeknight dinner.
Stephanie
I'm like a little kid when it comes to green beans, and the only way I will eat them is from the air fryer. After they were done, I added even more salt and pepper. They were so good! Finally, I eat my green beans like a big girl lol.
Kathryn
I wasn't a fan of green beans until I tried this recipe! They couldn't be any easier to make too! So much YUM!
Gina Abernathy
These are fabulous right out of the air fryer. Delish!
TAYLER ROSS
I made these green beans with dinner last night and they were delicious! Love that they're made in the air fryer!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
These were perfectly cooked and so crisp too. The lemon really takes the flavour to the next level.
Beth
It's my favourite way to cook green beans now! And a bonus is the kids love them.
Jacqueline Debono
This is an excellent way to cook green beans. I usually boil them but after making them in the airfryer, I won't be boiling them any more!
Ned
I love using my air fryer but didn't know you could make green beans in there! These were awesome and so easy to make! Thank you for the recipe!