It is easy to make air fryer shishito peppers! All you need are three simple ingredients and about 10 minutes! Shishito peppers make a delicious appetizer or side dish with their mild and sweet flavor.
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The air fryer is my favorite way to prepare vegetables! It’s so much faster than heating the oven. Plus, the veggies get perfectly crisp on all sides with just a little oil! This recipe makes an easy vegan appetizer.
Want to know more about air fryer cooking? Check out my post: Can you put aluminum foil in an air fryer?
Or try some of my other popular air fry vegetable recipes: air fryer squash, air fryer potato wedges, and air fryer buffalo cauliflower.
💗 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy Appetizer
- Only 3 Ingredients Needed
- It uses less oil than roasting in the oven!
- Low Carb and Keto
- Vegan and Dairy-Free
- Gluten-Free (use Tamari)
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Shishito Peppers: These small long green peppers are in found near the other peppers in your grocery store. You’ll need about 6 ounces.
Olive Oil: You don’t need too much olive oil, but enough to help create a nice blistered look. If you leave out the oil because you’re oil-free, use a bit of water or vegetable broth. You can also substitute olive oil for sesame oil or coconut oil.
Soy Sauce or Tamari: The soy sauce adds a touch of saltiness. If you are gluten-free, use tamari, or sprinkle with sea salt.
🛠 Tools and Equipment
You’ll need your handy air fryer for this recipe! There are so many on the market to choose from. I recommend getting one with a large basket so you can spread your veggies in a single layer without making multiple batches.
You’ll need a large bowl to toss the peppers in oil and soy sauce. A typical kitchen mixing bowl will do!
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Air Fryer Shishito Peppers
- Rinse and pat your peppers dry.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and soy sauce.
- Add the peppers to a large bowl, and pour the olive oil and soy sauce over the top. Using your hands, toss them together to coat evenly.
- Place the peppers in the air fryer basket in a single layer. This is very important. Do not try to overcrowd your air fryer. This will ensure they get crispy on all sides and have that gorgeous char look!
- Set your air fryer cooking temperature to 400° Fahrenheit and the cooking time to 5 minutes. There’s no need to toss the peppers halfway through cooking.
- If they aren’t quite charred to your liking, after 5 minutes, toss and cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until you get your desired char.
📝 Expert Tips
- Leave the stems intact, providing a convenient way to hold and eat the peppers.
- If you want an extra char on the peppers, switch to the broil setting for the last few minutes.
- Shishito peppers are best enjoyed right after roasting while they are still hot and crispy.
- While most shishito peppers are mild, there can occasionally be a spicy one in the bunch. It’s part of the fun to discover the occasional surprise!
🍴 How to Serve
- Transfer the air fryer shishito peppers to a serving dish. If you desire, sprinkle them with sea salt or a touch of cracked black pepper.
- You may also like to serve these with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or lime juice for a touch of acidity.
- Top them with a few sesame seeds.
- A simple dipping sauce might also be nice! I recommend something cool and creamy, like this vegan sour cream.
🫙 How to Store
- Allow the air fryer shishito peppers to cool to room temperature before storing them.
- Transfer the cooled shishito peppers to airtight containers. Glass containers with secure lids or resealable plastic bags are good options.
- Cooked shishito peppers can generally be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
❓ Recipe FAQS
They are Japanese peppers! Rather than having a lot of heat, they are mild and sweet in flavor. Although, every once in awhile you’ll get a surprise, and bite into a hot one! They have become more and more popular in the United States over the last few years, and when in season, you can often find them at your local farmers markets, or grocery stores.
Yes, you can eat the seeds! Simply take the pepper, eat the flesh and seeds, in a few bites, and discard the stem.
One serving of shishito peppers (8 peppers) have 170% of your daily recommended vitamin C.They also have 80% of your daily recommended vitamin A. When use use less oil, this snack, side dish, or appetizer is very low in calories!
😋 More Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes!
🎥 Video
⚖️ Serving Size
Depending on how many shishito peppers each person eats, the serving size is 4-6.
Recipe
Air Fryer Shishito Peppers
Equipment
Instructions
- Rinse and pat your peppers dry.
- In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil and soy sauce.
- Add the peppers to a large bowl, pour the olive oil and soy sauce over top. Using your hands, toss them together to evenly coat.
- Place the peppers in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
- Set your air fryer cooking temperature to 400 F, and the cooking time to 5 minutes. If needed, add 1-2 additional minutes.
Notes
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. Place the peppers in a single layer. This will ensure they get crispy on all sides and have that gorgeous blistered look!
- You don’t need to toss halfway through cooking time.
- Add 1-2 additional minutes if the peppers aren’t blackened enough to your liking.
- Serve with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and a creamy vegan dip if you like.
- Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Biana
Love shishito peppers and they look perfect cooked in the air fryer! Such a great appetizer.
Bintu | Budget Delicious
I am definitely giving these a go in my air fryer! I love shishito peppers, they taste so good so popping them in the air fryer is such a great idea!
Michelle
Always love ordering shishito peppers in the restaurants, so I can’t wait to try this at home with the air fryer! Yum!
Jeri
Wow! These peppers look so appetizing! I can’t wait to try them!