Air Fryer Asparagus with Garlic Seasoning

This easy Air Fryer Asparagus is simply seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper, and comes out perfectly cooked and crispy in minutes.

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My husband loves asparagus! When spring comes and asparagus is in season suddenly I find asparagus appearing in my refrigerator week after week.

I have a long history with asparagus. My dad was a big fan of it too when I was growing up. He didn’t do much cooking but there were a handful of recipes prepared, one of which was steamed asparagus.

Now, I love my dad, but his asparagus left little to be desired. He boiled it until it was completely soft, and served it topped with melted butter, salt and pepper.

He assumed this was the way to enjoy asparagus since the ends of the stalks can be quite tough. Never to be wasteful, he barely trimmed it.

He served it to us kids proclaiming how it melted in your mouth. Needless to say I was not a big fan of asparagus.

As I grew older and enjoyed this fresh spring vegetable in restaurants I realized what I had been missing my whole life! It was not meant to be boiled to mush! Instead it was to be lightly steamed, or roasted to retain its texture and flavor.

This Air Fryer Asparagus is my new favorite way to prepare it. It’s fast, easy, and comes out perfectly seasoned and cooked every time. It has a nice texture, and is never overcooked!

Why You’ll Love this Air Fryer Asparagus…

• Quick and easy preparation
• 12 minutes to prepare
• No need to preheat an oven
• Crispy and perfectly cooked
• Kid-friendly
• High in vitamins and nutrients

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 1 pound asparagus
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

This asparagus is vegan, but does use a small amount of oil. If you are avoiding oil you can eliminate it from the recipe and substitute a teaspoon of water, vegetable stock, or soy sauce. If using soy sauce do not add additional salt.

Equipment You’ll Need

• Cutting board
• Chopping Knife
• Mixing Bowl
• Air Fryer

You’ll need a cutting board and knife to trim the asparagus. A medium mixing bowl to combine the ingredients, and your favorite air fryer to roast.

How to Make Air Fryer Asparagus – Step by Step

Step 1: Trim asparagus ends.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, toss trimmed asparagus with minced garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil (optional). Use your hands to be sure that the seasoning is coated around each stalk evenly.

Step 3: Add asparagus in the air fryer in a single layer. Set the temperature to 400 F for 10 minutes. Toss at 5 minutes, and complete the cooking process.

Why use an air fryer?

For the longest time I did not own an air fryer. Since I am vegan don’t prepare fried food, I didn’t think I needed one.

As I learned more about what an air fryer could do, I thought I’d give it a try. I love how it frees up the oven when I’m preparing dinner for larger groups. It roasts vegetables in record time, and they come out perfectly cooked and crispy with much less oil, or no oil at all.

It quickly became one of my favorite appliances.

I use a compact Dash Air Fryer that I bought after the holidays with a gift card. It’s works well for small jobs, but if you’re looking for something that can handle larger jobs I suggest the Cuisenart Air Fryer Convection Oven or the Go Wise 5. 8 Qt.

How do you trim asparagus?

The ends of an asparagus stalk are tough and difficult to eat. Trim before preparing. There are a few methods you can use when trimming asparagus. One of my favorites is to take the asparagus between your fingers in both hands and bend until the asparagus snaps. It will bend and break at the point in which the asparagus is too tough.

Another option is to cut the spear at the point where the stalk turns from white/light green to darker green. This is a less precise way of cutting it then the first method.

Top Tips and Variations

• Use fresh organic asparagus.
• Trim the tough ends before adding to the air fryer basket.
• If you do not want to use oil substitute with water, vegetable stock or soy sauce. If using soy sauce do not add additional salt.
• Add your own favorite herbs or seasoning. Dill and oregano are a few of my favorites.

How to Serve and Keep

Serve warm with a squeeze of fresh lemon. This spring time side dish pairs nicely with a fresh spring main dish like this Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup, Lentil Ragu or my Chickpea Meatless Meatloaf.

Enjoy fresh and straight from the oven. I doubt you’ll have leftovers, but if you do they will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to reheat, you can place them back in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 400 to crisp back up.

Alternatively, you can reheat in the microwave until warmed or sauté in a pan until reheated, about 3 minutes.

Looking for more air fryer recipes? Give these a try!

• Air Potato Wedges
• Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
• Air Fryer Butternut Squash
• Air Fryer Tofu
• Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
• Air Fryer Squash

If you’ve tried this Air Fryer Asparagus, please rate the recipe and let me know how they turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more vegan plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!