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With only a couple ingredients and a fraction of the time, you are going to fall in love with air fryer asparagus!
If you’re making this Air Fryer Asparagus recipe, you should try serving it with Blackened Shrimp, Pesto Chicken, or Salmon Cakes.
Air Fryer Asparagus Recipe
Asparagus is a favorite of mine because it’s a SUPER healthy option and one of the best vegetable side dishes. It goes with just about anything!
It takes about 20 minutes to roast asparagus in the oven. However, using an Air Fryer cuts down the time dramatically.
In under 10 minutes you can cook incredible asparagus that is lightly crispy on the ends, perfectly tender, and ready to devour!
Air Fryer Asparagus Ingredients
- Asparagus: a spring vegetable, full of nutrients, and the star of this recipe!
- Wet ingredients: olive oil and lemon juice.
- Spices: for this recipe you will need: garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.
How Do I Cook Asparagus?
1. Preheat the air fryer to 450° F.
2. Prepare the asparagus. Snap the ends off of each asparagus stalk. You’ll want to remove 1-2 inches from the bottom.
3. Season the asparagus. Place the trimmed asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with: olive oil and season with lemon zest, minced garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.
4. Cook the asparagus. Place the seasoned asparagus in the air fryer basket and cook for 5-6 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a plate, squeeze lemon juice and serve.
Is Asparagus Healthy?
Asparagus is low in calories and an excellent source of nutrients. It’s packed with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
There are many benefits to eating asparagus:
- It may improve your digestive system.
- Asparagus helps support a healthy pregnancy (it’s an excellent source of Folate (B9)).
- Can help lower blood pressure.
- Might help fight bloat.
How Does an Air Fryer Work?
I have talked about air frying a lot in the past, but essentially, an air fryer is an amped-up countertop convection oven (and more depending on your air fryer’s capabilities!).
Its compact space facilitates even faster cooking. But what makes it so fast?
Depending on your particular model, the unit holds a heating mechanism and a fan. Hot air gets pushed around the food placed in a fryer-style basket.
The rapid circulation of hot air mixed with the tiniest amount of oil makes the food crisp, much like deep frying, but much healthier!
Learning to use an air fryer is so easy and hardly takes any time to get used to. This is the one I have.
Questions You Might Have
Can you put aluminum foil in the air fryer?
I typically don’t put aluminum in my air fryer, but I know people do. If you are going to put foil in your air fryer, there are a few rules to follow:
- Keep it small – allow air to flow by not covering the entire basket
- Never use it without food on top of it to keep it in place
- Poke holes in it to let the air flow through
What is the most nutritious way to cook asparagus?
It’s been said that sautéing is the most nutritious way of cooking asparagus.
The fact is, if you are looking for the most nutrient rich vegetable, eat it raw. All cooking will/can can destroy some of the nutrients a veggie has to offer.
However, there are bonuses to cooking your asparagus and veggies in general.
Cooked vegetables supply more antioxidants, including beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene, than they do when raw.
The take away: you can’t go wrong eating a veggie – cooked or raw; it’s always healthier than a french fry.
How do you know when asparagus in done cooking?
There are a few different ways to tell if your asparagus is done cooking.
Note: “Done-ness” is also based on preference! Below are the most common ways to tell if your asparagus is done:
1. The asparagus is a beautiful bright green – not dull.
2. It has a crunchy bite to it. You don’t want it mushy, but again it’s not in a raw state.
3. Cooking (any method) should have eliminated the bitter flavor. Uncooked/Raw asparagus has a grassy, bitter, nutty flavor.
4. When cut, the asparagus should no longer be tough/hard to cut through.
Do you eat the entire asparagus?
The entire asparagus stalk is edible, even the tip! To be honest, I don’t really like the tips, but some people only eat the tips. It’s all about personal preference.
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Air Fryer Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 lb Asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lemon, juice + zest
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 450° F.
- Snap the ends off of each asparagus stalk. You'll want to remove 1-2 inches from the bottom.
- Placed the trimmed asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with lemon zest, minced garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Place the seasoned asparagus in the air fryer basket and cook for 5-6 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a plate, squeeze lemon juice and serve.
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