How Long to Cook Asparagus in the Air Fryer

Try asparagus in the air fryer this week. Tender and sprinkled with parmesan cheese, it’s the perfect vegetable side dish ever. Healthy and the perfect texture when done you can use fresh produce like we did here or we have how to cook frozen asparagus this way too.

Air Fryer Asparagus

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 though for sure!

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 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?

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.

Ninja Foodi Asparagus

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.

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.

• 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.

Parmesan at the entire is totally optional but a must in our house.

Here are quick step by step directions but I also have a printable recipe card below: 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.

1. Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees F for 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle on all seasonings and lay in air fryer basket in a single layer.
3. Try to avoid overlapping pieces.
4. Close drawer and cook for a total of 7 minutes.
5. Use tongs to move around at minute 3.
6. 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.

Asparagus in Air Fryer

If you just have an Instant Pot with a CrispLid you could use that. The basket is rather small though so you’d probably need to cut each piece in half to fit.

• Bunch of fresh asparagus
  • if it’s out of season you can cook frozen asparagus this way but the texture will be different
• Knife
• Paper towels
• Olive oil or avocado oil
• Seasonings you love
  • salt and pepper at least
• Shredded parmesan cheese is delicious to add at the end

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! Some of our favorite easy air fryer recipes to pair with air fried asparagus are:

• Marinated chicken in air fryer is great, teriyaki is our favorite to use. This is easy to make gluten free with your own marinade.

Our air fryer chicken thighs with our dry rub, or just salt and pepper on top is great. Serve it with these veggies and air fryer cornbread for a great meal.

Try our air fryer steak bites. They have a TON of flavor to them and really quick to throw together. If you love asparagus recipes give this a whirl. There’s a printable recipe card below as well as nutritional information. That will vary depending on the weight of your bunch, but ever so slightly.