Find out about some different ways you can prepare leeks using your air fryer from a simple side to making a homemade leek powder to season up other dishes.
📋 What's New In This Post (1/15/25) - Added instructions on how to use an air fryer to make leek powder from the green parts of leeks
The Underrated Leek
I use to never pay any attention to leeks. That is until I started watching Alton Brown on Good Eats. He had a whole episode dedicated to the leek. Of course it included one of the most popular way to use leeks and that is for potato leek soup but he also shared a recipe for leek rings. These rings are made just like onion rings.
I made these leek rings a few times, deep frying them in oil. Once got an air fryer I started using that instead for the crispy leek rings as it was easier.
Since then I have found a few other ways I like to prepare leeks in my air fryer.
- Leeks as a Side Dish - Need another veggie side? These are super easy to make and can be eaten on their own.
- Leeks & Potatoes - You don't need the broth of a soup to enjoy the delightful combo of leeks and potatoes.
- Crispy Leek Rings - Of course below you will find how I turned Alton Brown's Leek Ring recipe into an air fryer version.
- Green Leek Powder - Got an air fryer with a dehydrate button? Save the tough green parts of the leeks and turn them into a powder that you use like garlic or onion powder
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As a Side Dish
The nice thing about leeks is that they can be used as a vegetable, not just something to season your food with. You wouldn't normally just eat onions as a side but leeks are milder and have a more, fresh green flavor than an onion.
Here is what you want to know to make air fryer leeks. You have the option of cooking them on their own or include them with something else, like potatoes.
Here are our instructions:
- Slice the leeks into 2 inch pieces.
- Place them into the basket of your air fryer
- Spray with oil and season with kosher salt
- Cook at 390 degrees for about 7 minutes or until the leeks are softened and browning on the outer layer.
Serving Suggestions - You can eat these leeks as a delicious side dish on their own. If you like serve them with some ranch dressing, maybe a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Or add them to a cheese sauce. Or you could serve them on top of some soup. The sky is the limit!
With Potatoes
Another option is to cook them with potatoes. Potato leek soup is one of our family's favorite soups so I know how well leeks and potatoes go together.
Here is what you will need:
- 2 medium sized or one large leek
- 1.5 - 2 pound bag of small potatoes (I used Melissa's Baby Dutch Yellow potatoes that I got at Trader Joe's)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Here is how to make them:
- Cook for 7-10 more minutes or until the leeks are soft and the potatoes are starting to brown.
- Cut potatoes into cubes.
- Add to the air fryer basket and spray with oil.
- Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
- While they are cooking, slice your leeks into 1 inch rings.
- After the 10 minutes, shake the basket and add your leeks.
The combo is just so define. But we haven't got to my all time favorite way to prepare leeks....
Rings
I got the idea for making leek rings from Alton Brown. There is a huge advantage to leek rings. Leeks don't contain as much moisture as onions. Have you ever had an onion ring and had the batter separate from the onion when you bite in? You won't have that problem with leeks.
Not to mention leeks rings are smaller so they cook faster. The fresher "green" taste (kind of like green onions) of leeks is really nice.
Here is what yo will need in your shopping cart for the leek rings.
- Spray Cooking oil
- Leeks (4 medium sized leeks)
- Flour
- Cornmeal
- Buttermilk
- Salt and pepper
Tip - I like to go with a medium sized leek. A large leek is not going to be as tender. And a small leek is going to have rings that are too small, creating more work for you when it's time to batter them.
For the cornmeal I always reach for a stone ground cornmeal that will have more flavor than the cheap stuff from the store. Bob's Red Mill is always reliable
Cake flour is a better choice than all-purpose as it's finer and I think actually works better for this. You aren't trying to make bread! If you want to make them gluten free, you can sub in a gluten free flour easily.
For the spray oil, I recommend picking one of these oils
- Grapeseed oil (which is also great for salad dressings)
- Olive oil
- Avocado oil
I don't like coconut oil because it tends to clog up the sprayer so you have a hard time getting anything out after several uses. Vegetable and canola oil are cheaper but I don't trust the quality of them.
If you skip the oil the leeks won't brown as well. And they are more likely to dry out. You don't need as much oil at all compared to deep frying them.
How to Make the Rings
In order to separate the rings, start by cutting the leeks into ½ inch slices.
Then take each cut leek section and push the leeks upward to separate like I am doing in this picture.
Any pieces that are too small or aren't rings I just set aside for another use, such as dicing them up for potato leek soup.
How to Air Fry the Rings
You want to use the white part and light green part of the leek. The darker green tops are going to be too tough, but that doesn't mean you have to throw them out.
Cut off the root end.
Soak the leeks in a bowl of water to help remove excess dirt. You may be surprised how much dirt gets stuck in these things.
When time to air fry I recommend - 8 minutes at 375 degrees
Check them after 4 minutes to see how they are progressing. Try not to overcrowd the air fryer basket, they should be in a single layer. You can keep them hot in a 200 degree oven if you need to make them in batches.
Got leftovers? Save them in the fridge in an airtight container. Then just warm them back up in the air fryer for a 1 minute or 2.
If you want to 🖨️ PRINT out this recipe, there is a recipe card for the leek rings at the bottom of the post.
Leek Powder
All of the recipes above don't use the tough green parts of the leeks. But those certainly are still useful. What I like to do is dehydrate them. My air fryer has a dehydrate button that automatically starts off at a lower temperature. I separate the leeks and place them in the air fryer basket.
I set my air fryer for 6 hours at 135 degrees. Yes, it takes a while but it's completely hands off.
When the leeks are completely dried out and brittle and put them through a blender until they are a powder. Store in an air tight jar and use on anything you would use garlic or onion powder for like in pasta on bread, on green beans, anything!
Get my full list of different ways you can use the green parts of leeks. Never just toss those green parts in the trash again!
Create an Air Fryer Meal
Want to make an entire meal using your air fryer? Pick one of the leek recipes above to pair with the recipes below:
Protein
Additional Sides
- Cauliflower
- Zig Zag Butternut Squash
- Whole Potatoes (for Mashed Potatoes)
- Green Beans
- Asparagus
Dessert
In the market for a new air fryer and/or just want to look into upgrading what you got?Take a listen to our podcast episode on air fryers to find what type of air fryer I use.
Crispy Air Fried Leek Rings
Ingredients
- 4 small to medium leeks cut into rings
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ stone ground corn meal any color
- 1 quart frying oil peanut, canola, or vegetable oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Take off the dark green parts of the leeks. Slice the leeks into rings. The rings don't need to be separated.
- Soak the leeks rings in a bowl of water to remove dirt (they should sink to the bottom).
- Soak the leeks in the buttermilk for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Combine the flour, corn meal, and salt and pepper to taste in a mixing bowl.
- Dredge the rings into the flour mixture, Then add to your air fryer basket. Don't overcrowd them. They should be in a single layer. It's better to work in batches.
- Spray each ring with cooking spray and cook for 8 minutes at 375 degrees. Check them after 4 minutes to see how they are progressing.
- Add any additional salt to taste when you remove them from the basket.
Notes
- Heat your oil to 350 degrees in an electric deep fryer or a Dutch Oven with a fry thermometer attached.
- Fry the rings for 60-90 seconds or until golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack and add additional kosher salt if needed.
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