Best Damn Air Fryer Asparagus

This quick and easy air fryer asparagus recipe is absolutely awesome. The combination of the air fryer and the simple ingredients brings the asparagus to new heights of vibrant, delicious flavor. It’s my favorite way to make asparagus and I know you’ll love it too!

Air Fryer Perfect for Roast Asparagus

Air fryers are perfect for so many great recipes. They do a lot more than just “air fry”. In fact, they’re basically small convection ovens which work by rapidly circulating hot air around the food while being close to the heating element. This allows us to use a cooking process similar to broiling or roasting. And for asparagus, it gives us perfectly “roasted” asparagus in just a few minutes.

What Size Asparagus and How Much?

For this recipe, we start with a standard sized bunch of asparagus. The average bunch in going to be around 1lb – 1.25lbs. Of course it can vary by grocer. Depending on the season, asparagus may be anywhere from very thin – a diameter smaller than a pencil; to very thick – about the diameter of your finger. No worries though, thick or thin, we can cook them to perfection in our air fryer.

How To Season Asparagus?

Asparagus can be seasoned any number of ways. The natural flavor of asparagus is very deep and earthy – and quite wonderful. We don’t want to completely cover up the natural flavor. Rather, we want to accentuate the flavor. Lemon juice is so perfect because it really brings out a vibrancy in the flavor profile. The garlic powder and minced garlic then adds a layer of flavoring that also perfectly compliments the asparagus. We’ll actually use a small amount of both garlic powder and minced garlic. This allows us to better cover all the asparagus with just the right amount of garlic flavor without overwhelming it. By using both we get just the right balance to go with the lemon and the natural flavors that occur during the air fryer process.

How Long to Air Fry Asparagus and What Temperature?

Start by cutting about 2-3 inches of the thick woody stems from the asparagus. Then place the asparagus in a large ziptop bag with some olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, minced garlic and a little salt to taste. Get the asparagus good and well coated by shaking them in the bag, then place them into the air fryer. For very thin asparagus, 5-6 minutes at 400° should be good. For thicker asparagus it may take closer to 7-8 minutes.  Generally, I find 7 minutes to be perfect.

Ready to Serve!

Once the air fryer cycle is complete, your asparagus is ready to serve. Add some additional kosher or sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, or some grated Parmesan cheese for additional flavor.

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