Learn how to make crispy green beans in your air fryer. We will show you how long to cook them and how to make them with French beans and frozen green beans as well. If you have a bag of Birds Eye Crispy Green Beans we included instructions on how to air fry those too.
There is more than 1 way to cook green beans. I think they are a veggie that most of us just think about throwing in a pot to boil or steam. There are other cooking methods that I think produce a more tasty vegetable. One that you will want to eat time and time again.
If you got an air fryer, then it's time that you throw some green beans in it. Let us show you how.
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🛒 Ingredients
You can start by keeping it simple and then as you get the hang of it, add some additional flavors. Trust me you'll want to make these over and over again.
- Green beans
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracker pepper
- Spray oil (such as avocado oil)
Those are your basic ingredients. And they will make for some delicious beans. Here are some additional ingredients you might consider
- Bacon (Pre-cooked)
- Sesame seeds or Everything Seasoning
- Soy & toasted sesame oil (to make Asian flavored beans)
- Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese
- Lemon juice and/or zest
- Chopped garlic
- Garlic powder
- Chopped shallots or onions
- Pepper flakes
- Toasted almonds
If you want to use garlic, shallots, or onions chop them up and mix them in with the green beans and then air fry. Make sure you don't chop them so small that the pieces fall through the basket of your air fryer.
🏆 Best Way to Air Fry
Don't overcrowd the air fryer. You want the heat to be able to hit each bean. It's the way to give crispy edges. It's better to work in multiple batches than to cram them all in.
Wax or yellow beans will work for this as well. Depending how thick they are, you may have a different timing for cooking them.
📋 Instructions
Start by removing any stems that are still attached to the green beans.
Add them to the basket of your air fryer. Spray with some oil. Then sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
How long to air fryer them?
- Air fry for 5 minutes at 375 degrees.
- Shake and go another 4 minutes. They will be cooked through at this point.
- If you want to crisp them up more turn up the heat to 400 degrees and go for another 2-4 minutes until crispy.
🇫🇷 French Beans
I experimented with different types of green beans to see how they would do. French beans also called Haricot Verts are thinner green beans. As it turned out the cooking time wasn't any different. The beans got more crispy than regular green beans.
The downside of the French beans is that I think they are less sweet tasting and less flavorful in general. Unless you get them freshly picked from your garden or at a farmer's market. Typically the ones you find in the store are actually grown in Guatemala, along with most of your snow or snap peas (another veggie that's good in the air fryer).
🧊 Frozen Green Beans
Want to put frozen beans directly from the freezer into the air fryer? You can totally do that. They do take more time. After about 9 minutes of cooking they were cooked through, however they were not very crispy at all. They need at least another 5 minutes to start to get crispy.
They were pretty good. Not quite as good as the fresh beans, but really close. A lot of people probably wouldn't be able to taste the difference.
If you are going to make this with frozen green beans, I recommend whole green beans like these Birds Eye ones. Smaller cut green beans are on the small side and would be easier to burn. Plus I think for frozen green beans, Birds Eye are among the best.
🦅 Birds Eye Crispy Green Beans
I have had some people asking about the Crispy Green Beans from Birds Eye - can you air fry those? Yes that would be a good idea if you buy them to air fry them! They give instructions on the bag. Here are them in my own words:
- Arrange beans in a single layer in your air fryer basket. Work in batches if neeed.
- Air fry at 400 degrees for 6 to 7 minutes until the beans are brown and hot. You don't need to thaw them before hand.
You also could make a better version yourself by setting up a station of 3 containers, one with flour, one with egg, and one with a mix of Panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. This is what I do when I making homemade shrimp.
Dunk the beans through each "station". And then air fry them at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes until golden brown. I would use fresh beans for this, not frozen.
🍽️ More Air Fryer Recipes
Here are some additional air fryer recipes for you to check out. Our newest recipe is our Air Fryer Ground Chicken Crunchy Tacos. Here are some others.
- Delicata Squash
- Sesame Encrusted Chicken
- Asparagus
- Baked Potato Fries
- Leek Rings
- Cornmeal Onion Rings
If there is anything you would like to see us make, leave a comment below.
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
- fresh green beans any stems removed
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- spray oil (like avoacdo) for a thin coat
- Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees.
- Make sure all the stems are removed from the green beans
- Add beans to air fryer. Work in batches if you need to in order to not overcrowd the basket.
- Spray with a thin coat of oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook in the air fryer for 5 minutes. Then shake the basket. Cook for another 4 mintues.
- If you want crispier beans, raise the temperature to 400 degrees and cook for another 2-3 mintues.
- Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you like.
Notes
- You can use French beans instead. Cook them for the same time.
- If you use frozen beans, you will need to add about another 5 minutes of cooking time.
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