How long to cook asparagus in the air fryer or Ninja Foodi is here. Tender and sprinkled with parmesan cheese, it’s the perfect vegetable side dish. Healthy and the perfect texture when done you can use fresh produce or cook Air Fryer Frozen Asparagus too.
Asparagus in the air fryer is a great side dish with any meal. Add a bit of parmesan and seasonings and even your kids will love it. Easy air fryer recipes are the best to serve with dinner, healthy and delicious. (affiliate links present)
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Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Asparagus Recipe
When I find them at the store I buy bunches and make this! Whether I use my Ninja Foodi or Cosori it really doesn’t matter. You get them nice and tender on the inside but a bit of crispy crunchy on the edges and tips. They’re kinda’ like a snack more than a side dish if you ask me.
We have even made this with frozen asparagus too when that is all we could find during the winter months. I will say that fresh is by far better as far as the overall texture when done. Either way using this machine is much better than boiling or microwaving. If you’ve only made pan fried asparagus this is better.
If you love extra crispy food and quick recipes, here are some resources to start with:
- My Favorite models are this Cosori or for a dual machine, the Foodi.
- You can find more Ninja Foodi recipes here as well; bookmark them both!
- It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. this is how to preheat air fryer first.
- Here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
How Long to Cook Asparagus at 400 in Air Fryer
I like a bit lower at 380 F but 400 works too. 5-7 minutes is what it will take. Timing will depend on two things, how thick your stalks are and how browned you want the outsides. I find a bit lower temp gets the insides tender while not browning the outsides too much.
This is my far my favorite vegetables, next to air fryer artichokes. They must be fresh with thinner stems for me to buy. Its just the best green vegetable ever. Love when summertime arrives and the bunches not only look better, but get a lot cheaper too. Let’s talk about this vegetable shall we?
Asparagus in the air fryer is on the top of the list. Why? Because boiling will kill most of the great nutrients. Using hot air to soften each piece maintains the nutritious qualities while giving it a light crisp.
You can saute it in a pan on the stovetop with a bit of olive oil or water. Some like to steam it in a pressure cooker, but I like using my air fryer.
It is a low calorie food with fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, and K. To maintain all of them and not lose them in the cooking process, do not submerge in water.
Heck yes, that is our favorite part. I cut a few inches off the ends and then cook. Choose thinner pieces because thick stalks aren’t as flavorful and are hard to get tender.
Here’s how we made them to perfection at our house recently.
How Long to Cook Thin Asparagus in Air Fryer
You can see the bunch I chose here. If all the store has are very thick stalks I will pass. There is no great way to cook those so they taste fantastic. You don’t want skinny, but on the thinner side like you see here is perfect. 5-7 seems just about right, any wider and you would need to increase that.
- I find that when it is really truly in season, all the bunches look like this.
- Once you get closer to the winter months they get thicker and thicker, and more and more expensive.
- There’s a small timeframe (for us anyway) when they’re a great price and the perfect size.
This isn’t breaded, or a food you want to become really crispy like air fryer zucchini chips. Rather you just want to soften it, and give it a bit of texture on the outside with a tiny bit of crispness.
Tips
- After rinsing you’ll want to dry the outsides off so the oil sticks.
- Paper towels will work wonders for this.
- Then lay them on a plate or cutting board and add the seasonings you normally would when cooking this superfood.
Should you trim the bottoms off?
Yes I love asparagus tops so much that I discard the last few inches. That is totally up to you but I’m picky when it comes to making perfect air fryer vegetables you could say. Yes it is a bit of a waste but if it gets us to eat more then it is a win for me.
For the Foodi will use the lid that is attached with the air crisp button, that is the only difference as far as the directions go. When using your air fryer you’ll need to have olive oil on hand. It will not only help the seasonings stick to it, but it will help soften and then crisp the outsides just a bit.
How to Cook Ninja Foodi Asparagus with Parmesan
- Rinse and cut ends off asparagus. Lay on paper towels and fold over to remove as much water on outside as possible.
- Lay on cutting board or on a plate. Drizzle olive oil on top and rub on so they’re coated.
- Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle on all seasonings and lay in air fryer basket in a single layer.
- Try to avoid overlapping pieces.
- Close drawer and cook for a total of 7 minutes.
- Use tongs to move around at minute 3.
- At minute 6 or when they are tender
- sprinkle on parmesan cheese and air fry for 1 more minute to melt.
The seasonings for air fryer roasted asparagus are listed below but of course use what you love. You can also always wait and just sprinkle salt, garlic powder, and pepper on them at the end once you serve them.
Ingredients
- Bunch of fresh asparagus, if it’s out of season you can cook frozen asparagus this way but the texture will be different
- Olive oil or avocado oil
- Seasonings you love, salt and pepper at least
- Shredded parmesan cheese is delicious to add at the end
Equipment needed
- Knife to trim the ends
- Paper towels to dry after rinsed so seasonings will stick
- Air fryer itself of course
Can you use frozen asparagus instead of fresh?
You can but the texture is different and not as good. We share how to cook frozen asparagus many different ways here to read up on that. Personally if you use that I would choose those that are just the tips and get them crispy!
How to serve
With all air fryer recipes you want to make sure everything is in one layer. This ensures every piece gets hot air circulating around each piece equally. Add this and our air fryer eggplant parm bites to your weekly meal plan with a protein and enjoy!
Jump to recipe card below for air fried asparagus recipe, with nutritional information listed there too for a great side.
Asparagus in the Air Fryer
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus, rinsed, ends cut off
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp lemon pepper, Mrs. Dash
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 3 tbsp parmesan, optional
Instructions
- Rinse and cut ends off asparagus. Lay on paper towels and fold over to remove as much water on outside as possible.
- Lay on cutting board or on a plate. Drizzle olive oil on top and rub on so they're coated.
- Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle all seasonings on asparagus and lay in air fryer basket. Try to avoid overlapping pieces.
- Close drawer and cook for a total of 7 minutes, use tongs to move around at minute 3.
- At minute 6 or when they are tender, sprinkle on parmesan cheese and air fry for 1 more minute to melt.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
There are LOTS of ways to cook and enjoy the thick asparagus! They are actually far more tender than the skinny ones!I wish people would quit assuming they’re going to be tough. They’re not. You can steam them, air fry them roast them, grill them. They are so much better than skinny ones.
I do not know what to say really what you share very well and useful to the community, I feel that it makes our community much more developed, thanks