Air Fryer Green Beans with garlic and lemon is the best air fryer vegetable side dish to serve with any meal! The texture and flavor of these beans complement everything from steak and salmon to chicken, shrimp, or pork. I love that the ingredients are simple, yet enhance the naturally sweet flavor of fresh green beans. Air fried green beans have a crisp exterior and tender inside for just the right texture balance that other cooking methods can’t duplicate.
Air fryer recipes are an easy way to add a vegetable to any meal because they cook efficiently and cleanup is quick. Serve this recipe anytime as a side or appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce! For more air fryer recipes, try my air fryer salmon, air fryer turkey breast, or air fryer cheesecake.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Green beans – fresh green beans offer amazing flavor and a more vibrant color compared to frozen beans. French green beans are a great choice and fairly easy to find at the grocery store throughout the year, but this recipe works for any green bean variety. Wash the beans well and trim the ends if needed.
Spices – a simple mix of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder add flavor that pairs with all main dishes.
Lemon – my favorite way to serve this recipe is with fresh lemon wedges. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice after cooking brightens the flavor of the vegetables and gives them a restaurant-style appearance.
How to Air Fry Green Beans
1. Preheat your air fryer to 375°F if the manufacturer recommends preheating. Place the trimmed green beans in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil.
2. Add the salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and toss so that the seasoning evenly coats the beans.
3. Place half the beans in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
4. Air fry the beans for 4 minutes, stop the air fryer, and shake the basket. Continue cooking for 4 more minutes or until crisp-tender. Repeat with the remaining green beans. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, if desired.
Why are my Green Beans Tough After Cooking?
Most likely, if your green beans are still hard after air frying, they weren’t cooked long enough. Continue cooking them in the air fryer in 1 to 2 minute increments until they are crisp tender, or soft enough to your liking. Tossing the beans occasionally during initial cooking and after each added cooking time will help them cook more evenly.
Can you Cook Frozen Green Beans in the Air Fryer?
Yes! No need to thaw frozen green beans before cooking them either. You can toss them with the oil and seasonings as directed. Increase the cooking time by 2 minutes and then check them for doneness, adding additional time by a minute or two as needed until they are tender. Frozen green beans tend to be a bit softer after thawing and cooking than fresh, so keep that in mind.
How to Store Green Beans
For fresh green beans, rinse them in cold water, then pat them dry. Refrigerate in a sealed plastic bag or container with a paper towel or tea towel in the container to help absorb extra moisture. Use within a week or before brown spots begin to appear.
What to pair with Green Beans
Air fryer green beans make an excellent side dish for so many meals. Any kind of protein like air fryer chicken breast, meatloaf, or baked chicken legs. They also make an excellent and super easy holiday side dish alongside honey baked ham, glazed carrots, and mashed potatoes.
Pro-Tips For Making This Recipe
- Wash and dry the beans before seasoning. Rinse the green beans in a colander to remove any dirt or debris from harvesting. Pat them dry with a tea towel because excess moisture creates steam and prevents them from crisping in the air fryer.
- Air fry green beans in batches as needed. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to divide the beans into three or more batches. Make sure the beans are in a single layer, or they won’t crisp evenly.
- Shorten the cooking time for thin beans or firmer texture. If your beans are thin or you prefer a less tender, more firm bite, shorten the cooking time to 6-7 minutes total.
- Serve immediately. The beans will have the best texture when served hot. If the beans cool to room temperature, they will lose some of their crispiness, so air fry the beans just before serving.
- Change up the seasoning. You can easily swap out the garlic powder for onion powder, or chili powder, or add fresh or dried herbs to this recipe to vary the flavor. If you like heat, add some red pepper flakes or a drizzle of hot honey or hot sauce just before serving.
- Scale the recipe. It’s easy to make this recipe for 1! Just scale the recipe down as needed. Air frying is a great method for cooking a single serving if you just have a handful of beans in your fridge or your garden has just started producing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For crispy green beans, reheat leftovers in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes, shaking halfway through.
There are many seasoning options to make green beans the perfect side dish to serve with your favorite entree. This recipe uses a combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon juice which blends well with steak, fish, or chicken.
For additional flavor, you can add fresh parmesan cheese, soy sauce, chili oil, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes, or fresh herbs after cooking green beans in the air fryer. You can also swap in 2 cloves of grated fresh garlic for garlic powder.
Soaking is not necessary before cooking fresh green beans in the air fryer. There is also no need to blanch the beans in boiling water. Soaking or pre-cooking the beans will cause them to absorb extra moisture and can hinder them from crisping well during cooking.
If you’ve tried this air fryer green beans recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Air Fryer Green Beans
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans trimmed (450g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
- Toss together the green beans, oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Place half of the beans in a single layer in air fryer basket.
- Cook for 8 minutes or until crisp-tender, shaking the basket halfway through cooking. Repeat with the remaining green beans. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Wash and dry the beans before seasoning. Rinse the green beans in a colander to remove any dirt or debris from harvesting. Pat them dry with a tea towel because excess moisture creates steam and prevents them from crisping in the air fryer.
- Air fry green beans in batches as needed. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to divide the beans into three or more batches. Make sure the beans are in a single layer, or they won’t crisp evenly.
- Shorten the cooking time for thin beans or firmer texture. If your beans are thin or you prefer a less tender, more firm bite, shorten the cooking time to 6-7 minutes total.
- Serve immediately. The beans will have the best texture when served hot. If the beans cool to room temperature, they will lose some of their crispiness, so air fry the beans just before serving.
- Change up the seasoning. You can easily swap out the garlic powder for onion powder, or chili powder, or add fresh or dried herbs to this recipe to vary the flavor. If you like heat, add some red pepper flakes or a drizzle of hot honey or hot sauce just before serving.
- Scale the recipe. It’s easy to make this recipe for 1! Just scale the recipe down as needed. Air frying is a great method for cooking a single serving if you just have a handful of beans in your fridge or your garden has just started producing.