Air fryer asparagus is a quick and easy side dish. Air-frying brings out the sweetness of the asparagus, and since it only takes 10 minutes to prepare, it’s perfect for weeknight vegetables.
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I love roasting vegetables, but I only make them when I’m roasting the main course. why? I feel like it would be a waste to turn on the oven just to bake vegetable side dishes. This is what I find to be one of the great benefits of the air fryer. An air fryer is just a small convection oven. It heats up quickly and is perfect for quickly sautéing vegetables without using too much energy.
Ingredient notes and variations
Asparagus bunch size: The asparagus bunches at my grocery store are about 12 ounces, sometimes up to 1 pound.
Asparagus spear size: Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the spears. My “medium” asparagus is about the width of a pencil and takes 10 minutes at 400°F. (This is usually what’s available at the grocery store, but not always.) If it’s significantly smaller than that, call it “small” asparagus and cook it at 400°F for 8 minutes. If it’s obviously large, about the width of a Sharpie marker, call it a large asparagus and cook it for 12 minutes. To check if your asparagus is cooked, remove it from the air fryer and nibble on the end of the stalk. The center should be completely cooked. (In fact, you should only check for doneness on large asparagus after 12 minutes. I’ve seen jumbo asparagus in season at local farmers markets, but they take even longer to cook.)
Fancy variations:
French style: Mix up a simple vinaigrette and drizzle over the cooked asparagus. Italian style: After cooking, squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the asparagus and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese. (Bonus points for shredding it at the table and showing it off to dinner). Greek style: After cooking, squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the asparagus and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. (If you want to splurge a bit, use Mediterranean herb feta crumble to add a little flavor). Sichuan style: Use vegetable oil instead of olive oil, use Sichuan pepper salt instead of all-purpose seasoning, and also sprinkle with red pepper flakes. After cooking, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto: If you have thick asparagus, this is a very fancy way to present them. (I love serving this as an appetizer; a single spear wrapped in prosciutto makes a great finger food). Do not blend oil and seasonings. The fat in the prosciutto will replace the oil. Purchase one thin slice of prosciutto for every two asparagus ears. Cut the prosciutto in half lengthwise. Wrap each asparagus spear in half of the prosciutto, wrapping in a spiral from the bottom of the spear to the top, leaving the tips of the asparagus uncovered. (When wrapping, think of a candy cane or a barber’s pole.) Gently place the wrapped asparagus ears in a single layer in the airfryer basket. Air fry for 8 minutes or until the prosciutto is brown and slightly crispy.
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air fryer asparagus
author: Mike Vrobel
Total time: 15 minutes
yield: 4 asparagus 1×
explanation
Air fryer asparagus is a quick and easy side dish. Air-frying brings out the sweetness of the asparagus, and since it only takes 10 minutes to prepare, it’s perfect for weeknight vegetables.
Instructions
Prepare the asparagus: Place the cut asparagus stalks on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning (or salt and pepper), and stir-fry until the asparagus stalks are coated with the oil and seasonings. Air fry the asparagus at 400°F for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness. Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Place the asparagus in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cooking time varies depending on thickness. For thin asparagus, air fry for 8 minutes. Cook for 10 minutes for medium-sized asparagus and 12 minutes for thick asparagus. Shake the basket halfway through cooking. Plate and enjoy: Remove the asparagus to a platter, drizzle with a little olive oil (optional), plate and enjoy.
Preparation time: 5 minutesCooking time: 10 minutes
nutrition
Serving Size: 4 oz
calorie: 48
sugar: 1.6g
sodium: 156.8mg
fat: 3.6g
carbohydrates: 3.5g
fiber: 1.9g
protein: 1.9g
cholesterol: 0mg
Trim or snap asparagus
Asparagus has a hard, woody base that needs to be cut off. The traditional way to do this is to break off the hard end of each asparagus spear by grabbing the middle and root ends of the asparagus spears and bending them until they break. The spear will naturally break at the end of the hard part, leaving the good part of the spear. It takes too much time to photograph a whole asparagus plant on a weekday night, so I take a shortcut. Take one spear from the bundle and fold it as a guide. Then cut off the remaining root end where the spear broke off. (This works best if you keep the rubber band holding the bunch together near the tip, which will hold it all in place while you slice.) See step-by-step photos below for trimming asparagus.
FAQ
scaling
A bunch of asparagus from my grocery store is about 12 ounces. You can get up to 1 pound before overfilling the 6-quart air fryer basket. When putting the asparagus in the basket, you want to put it in a layer 1-2 spears deep. When cooked, it will shrink to about 1 layer. Deeper than that and the asparagus will take longer to cook because the extra spears block the middle layer from the air fryer’s convection heating. If you need to double the recipe in a 6-quart air fryer, add 5 minutes to the cooking time, then check the asparagus and continue cooking if the spears are not fully cooked. (Alternatively, use a toaster oven-sized air fryer with a large cooking area in the rack. Alternatively, use a convection oven. See “No Air Fryer” below.)
Don’t have an air fryer? no problem
If you have a convection oven, it’s basically a jumbo air fryer. Preheat the asparagus to 400°F, place on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet, and follow instructions. If you don’t have a convection oven, a regular oven preheated to 400°F will work, but increase the cooking time to 15 minutes for thin asparagus, 20 minutes for medium asparagus, and 25 minutes for thick asparagus.
If you prefer to make asparagus on the stove, another easy recipe is steamed and sautéed asparagus.
After eating asparagus, my urine smelled strange…
This may be a bit terrible for a food blog, but I can’t resist. It’s chemistry! Asparagus contains asparagus acid, a sulfur-containing compound unique to asparagus. Asparagus breaks down during digestion, which is why it smells so bad the next time you go to the bathroom. Don’t worry! It’s just asparagus. (Source: Why asparagus causes urine odor | University of Utah Health)
Can I use frozen asparagus?
Not recommended. This recipe is perfect with fresh asparagus.
Do you really need to preheat your airfryer?
yes. You want to start baking the asparagus as soon as you put it in the basket, so preheating the air fryer will keep the basket hot.
Related articles
For more air fryer recipes, try Air Fryer Frozen French Fries, Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Thighs and Potatoes, or Quick Air Fryer Tilapia with Spice Rub.
If you’re looking for other asparagus options, try our Grilled Asparagus with Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette or our Shaved Asparagus and Parmesan Salad. Or, if you want to get fancy, try sous vide asparagus or Instant Pot asparagus risotto.
If you’re looking for something else, check out our Air Fryer Recipes Index and All Recipe Index.
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