Air fryer green beans

Affiliate links in this post will be clearly marked with a *. Clicking one of these links means I earn a discount or receive payment.

When you’re looking to eat healthier the air fryer can be a HUGE help. I have made around 100 air fryer recipes now and it is fair to say that this is one of the most simple ones EVER. Air fryer green beans take just minutes in the air fryer and require very minimal prep time and effort.

What I love about making green beans in the air fryer is I can choose whether I want crispy green beans or whether I want soft green beans, just by increasing the cooking time a little.

Green beans (or string beans/French beans, whatever you want to call them!) are super healthy, packed full of Vitamins A, C, and K as well as fibre and even folic acid too.

Best of all this recipe adds VERY minimal calories to the green beans themselves and they are a very healthy addition to any main meal.

If you’re wanting to cook a full dinner in the air fryer these green beans are fantastic as they can even sit under the air fryer basket and just cook in any liquid that comes from your main meal or side dishes.

Ingredients for making green beans in the air fryer:

80g of green beans per person

Spray oil

Salt and pepper

Optional: Garlic butter or other items to add at the end (see below for some ideas!)

Method for making air fryer green beans:

Wash your green beans thoroughly.

Top and tail your green beans.

Dry completely. (I like to use a clean tea towel for this)

Add to a bowl.

Use a few sprays of spray oil.

Add salt and pepper.

Toss gently to ensure even coverage.

Pre-heat your air fryer to 200C (390F).

Add the green beans to the air fryer basket.

Air fry for 6 minutes. Stirring at least once during cooking.

If you want extra crispy green beans then you can increase the cooking time to 8 minutes, but do check back at 7 minutes to ensure the beans aren’t overcooking.

Optional items that add to the flavour of this dish:

This is quite a healthy dish, so you may not want to add lots of additional items, however, if you want to bring some extra flavour then I love to use avocado oil. It just has a little more flavour for me than the regular spray oil I use.

Also, sesame oil is tasty, but I add this right upon serving, as it isn’t really ideal for use in the air fryer on higher temperatures.

Nutritional yeast is a great addition, especially if you’re vegan and already enjoy the taste, sprinkled on right upon serving, or even grated parmesan or cheddar cheese.

Lemon works super well to bring some extra freshness to this dish. Garlic works well with the lemon flavour too.

What meals to serve green beans with?

We love to enjoy green beans with a variety of dinners but some of our absolutely favourites are air fryer hunters chicken, slow cooker vegetarian lasagne, bacon mac and cheese pasta bake, air fryer pasta bake, cajun chicken pasta and a slow cooker whole chicken.

What else can you cook alongside green beans in the air fryer?

I often cook air fryer green beans underneath the air fryer basket while I’m cooking other items. My air fryer has a pot AND a basket in, which is really handy for cooking multiple items. Especially when they take up minimal space like these green beans do.

When you’re wanting to cook some other vegetables or accompaniments at the same time then I would recommend asparagus, broccolini, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes or even some chopped air fryer bacon. All have similar cooking times, and as long as you can stir and check them a couple of times you should be fine. Air fryer vegetables are so tasty!

I also like to cook air fryer roast potatoes, carrot fries or roasted tomatoes, although the cooking times for these dishes are a little longer, so just set a timer to remind you to add your green beans in.

Can you use frozen green beans in the air fryer?

Yes, absolutely! I would recommend starting with an extra 2-3 minutes of cooking time, or perhaps even defrosting them in a bowl of cool water first, and then following the cooking method on this post.

You can also use canned green beans, they’re similar to canned potatoes. Ensure that you thoroughly wash them, and dry them too, before following my cooking instructions.

I love that this recipe is healthy, gluten free, low carb, easy, takes just minutes and can even make a fantastic snack too. Also, using the air fryer saves time as I can cook my whole meal by adding different elements on a timer and then making sure it is all ready to serve at the same time.

If you’re looking to add some more spice/flavour to this be sure to check out one of my homemade seasonings: fajita seasoning, peri peri seasoning, cajun seasoning. My homemade garlic butter works SO well on these too! Delicious melted and poured over once served. Red pepper flakes added upon serving work really well for a punch of flavour too.

Something to note about air fryer recipes is that all air fryers have different sizes, depths and as such the cooking times can vary. All air fryer recipes on this website are intended as a guide, and not a guarantee that the timings will be perfect. Enjoy!

Why not check out some of my other delicious air fryer recipes while you’re here?

• 20+ air fryer tips and tricks
• Frozen fish pie in air fryer
• Air fryer roast potatoes
• Air fryer french toast
• Air fryer parmentier potatoes
• Air fryer frozen roast potatoes
• Air fryer chicken tenders
• Chicken mini fillets in the air fryer
• Air fryer chocolate protein oats
• Air fryer smores

How to cook green beans in the air fryer:

Note: All calorie information is for demonstration purposes only and is based on the specific uncooked ingredients that I used when creating the recipe.

If you enjoyed this post I’d love it if you could pin it on Pinterest!