Green beans are one of our favorite vegetables to air fry. Air frying is very similar to fan-assisted oven baking. However, air fryer green beans are faster to make than oven-baked ones. They are also crunchier on the outside and tender on the inside.
Ingredients
Green Beans: use fresh or frozen green beans. Air-fried fresh green beans turn out a little drier and crispier. Frozen green beans turn out juicier but less crispy. They are both delicious.Olive oil: best if extra virgin. Extra virgin olive oil is the healthiest oil to use in an air fryer because its high antioxidant content makes it more stable at high temperatures. We add little oil (1 teaspoon or 2) to help the green beans cook. We tried without oil, but the green beans tend to burn and dry out too much. If you want to eat green beans without oil, we recommend boiling them or microwaving them.Vinegar: use balsamic vinegar for this recipe. Its sweetness goes well with the beans. You can replace it with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Some people like to replace vinegar with soy sauce, but we prefer to stick to vinegar for this one. Garlic: add a clove of crushed garlic after air frying the green beans. Crushed garlic releases a mild garlic flavor that goes well with the green beans. You can replace garlic with garlic powder.Mint: this is optional, but we love adding some finely chopped fresh mint leaves to green beans when we have it at hand. If you don’t have mint, you can replace it with basil or parsley or just leave it out.Salt: we add salt to the green beans before air frying them.Black pepper: the aroma of freshly ground black pepper goes well with air-fried green beans.
Variations
Did you know that green beans go extremely well with Italian basil pesto? That’s a popular recipe in the north-western region of Liguria. Try tossing your air-fried beans in a store-bought or homemade basil pesto. They are super delicious this way. You can even add boiled potatoes to make a delicious potato salad with green beans and pesto.
Fresh Green Beans
Trim your green beans if not already trimmed. Trimming green beans means removing the end tips of the bean. You can do so with scissors, a knife, or simply snapping them with your hands. Rinse the green beans under running water and drain well. Give them a quick dry with a kitchen towel. Transfer them to a bowl and season with extra virgin olive oil and salt. Toss till fully coated in oil. Transfer them into the air fryer basket and air fry at 390F or 200C for about 12 minutes, shaking the basket two or three times. Cooking time might vary based on your air fryer model, so keep an eye on them. You can overlap green beans in the air fryer basket as long as you move them around halfway through cooking. Taste to check if they are done. If not, keep air frying them in increments of 2 minutes.
Frozen Green Beans
Add frozen green beans to a bowl and season with olive oil and salt. Transfer them to an air fryer basket (no need to use cooking spray) and air fry at 390F or 200C for about 12 to 15 minutes. Cooking time may vary based on the air fryer model, so taste them to check for doneness. Shake the air fryer basket two to three times. Transfer cooked green beans to a serving bowl, season with freshly chopped mint, a crushed clove of garlic, freshly ground black pepper, an extra pinch of salt, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Tips
Preheat the air fryer: for best crisping results, always preheat your air fryer for 3 minutes.Shake often: this is especially true if you layer/pile green beans on top of each other in the air fryer basket. You can also move the beans around with tongues.Add a little oil: Most of us get an air fryer to reduce oil. But tossing the green beans in as little as 1 teaspoon of oil before air frying them makes a huge difference. The oil heats up and cooks the green beans evenly without burning them. If you don’t put oil, your beans will burn before cooking.
Questions
Serving suggestions
Air fryer green beans are perfect as a side dish for most meals. You can eat them for lunch with a vegan tuna sandwich or with a vegan egg salad sandwich.For dinner, try them with our tofu dishes. Among our favorites with green beans on the side are tofu curry, tofu cacciatore, orange tofu, and tofu with mushrooms. If you are looking for a super easy yet delicious meal, try these air fryer green beans with our marinated tofu on rice. You can put together this meal in 20 minutes; it’s healthy, simple, and packed with nutrients and protein.
Tofu Cacciatore
Marinated Tofu
Tofu Curry
Tofu Scramble
Storage
Store leftovers in the fridge, directly in the serving bowl, covered with a plate, or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. On the second day, they won’t be as crisp. Warm them up in the microwave.
More green bean recipes
Get more green and bright inspiration from these green bean recipe ideas:
Sauteed green beans (green beans, garlic, olive oil, lemon).Vegetable soup (potato, carrot, white beans, cauliflower, diced tomatoes, rosemary).Green bean salad (green beans, cherry tomatoes, shallots, mustard, maple syrup).Vegan potato salad (potatoes, parsley, hazelnuts, scallions, mustard).
For many more side dish ideas, check out our sides category page.
Sautéed Green Beans
Green Bean Salad
Vegetable Soup
Vegan Potato Salad
40 Best Vegetable Sides
25 Vegan Salads
35 easy dinners
Green Bean Salad
