Our family is loving this Air Fryer Asparagus recipe. This method takes just 10 minutes and results in perfectly cooked asparagus with a crispy Parmesan coating.
Springtime and early summer means there are tender asparagus spears popping up in gardens, farmer's markets and of course, the grocery store.
This is one of the best times to learn into healthy side dishes like Roasted Parmesan Asparagus, and this Asparagus Green Bean Salad.
And of course, this easy recipe, which is why you're here in the first place!
The air fryer is one of my favorite new ways to cook vegetables like Air Fryer Zucchini Fries, Air Fryer bacon wrapped asparagus and Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges.
Air Fryer recipes are the perfect side dish because it’s fast, healthy and doesn’t heat up the whole kitchen.
In an air fryer, hot air circulates around whatever you're cooking, making it cook up in less time than in the oven. This means it's a great way to use less oil in your recipes, making it a tasty way to enjoy your favorite vegetables.
Shhh, you don't have to tell your family it's healthy. It'll be our secret.
Ingredients
All you’ll need at a minimum is fresh asparagus, butter, salt and pepper and garlic powder.
We're gonna amp things up with a little extra layer of flavor, but again...you could do a very basic asparagus.
The recipe card below includes the directions to make your asparagus with a light coating of panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, but you can play with all sorts of combinations.
It’s delish!
How to make asparagus in the air fryer
Melt the butter and drizzle it over your asparagus on a plate or immerse your asparagus in the butter.
Make the coating by mixing the parmesan cheese, panko, garlic powder, salt and pepper together.
Toss the asparagus in the coating. The butter acts as the glue and the coating will stick to the asparagus spears.
Add the asparagus to your air fryer basket, keeping it in a single layer. Set it to air fry for 10 minutes at 400°F.
Halfway through, give the basket a shake or gently toss the asparagus. Remember, asparagus is delicate so use a light hand.
Depending on different air fryers, different quantities of asparagus will fit into the basket. You may have to make this recipe in more than one batch. For best results, don't crowd the tray.
How to trim asparagus
Rinse the asparagus in cold water.
If you get the more mature asparagus, sometimes the lower ends are thicker or a little woody or fibrous.
If you’ve ever tried to bite into asparagus and it was super chewy or stringy, you know what I’m talking about.
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Yum, right? Not so much.
So we'll trim off the tough part with a sharp paring knife before you get started prepping your asparagus for the air fryer.
You can usually see where to cut because the color changes from the base color of white to a greener shade of asparagus.
Alternatively, you could snap the asparagus to break of the woody pieces of the stalk, but I often find this takes off more asparagus than necessary.
You can throw away the woody ends of asparagus or keep them for a vegetable stock. Totally up to you!
Substitutions
If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can make your own breadcrumbs and use them for this recipe., but as for me, the store bought panko works just fine.
To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free breadcrumbs or panko.
Tips
If you have particularly large asparagus, it may require additional cooking time.
And if the asparagus is very thin, you’ll need to reduce the cooking time.
I bet you knew I was going to say that last part…
FAQS
Can I make asparagus ahead of time?
The asparagus tastes best when it’s warm, but it can also be eaten at room temperature.
I don’t recommend freezing the cooked asparagus. It tends to get a little bit mushy if you freeze it after it's cooked.
So get it while it’s hot!
How to store leftovers:
Honestly, air fryer parmesan asparagus tastes best fresh, but you can store the asparagus spears in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat it, simply add it to the air fryer again for a few minutes to warm everything up.
More Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes:
This crispy asparagus would be amazing served up with some Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad!
And hey, if you don't have an air fryer, I bet you'd love this Instant Pot asparagus recipe!
If you make this asparagus recipe, leave a recipe review or comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
Air Fryer Asparagus Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus trimmed and washed
- 2 Tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup Italian panko breadcrumbs
- ½ Tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
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Instructions
- 1. In a large bowl, coat trimmed asparagus in melted butter
- 2. in a small bowl mix together the parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- 3. Pour over the buttered asparagus and toss them together to coat them thoroughly.
- 4. Place asparagus in your air fryer basket and bake at 400°F for 10 minutes. Toss asparagus halfway through.
Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Imd says
Love them