You won’t believe how amazing air fryer frozen asparagus turns out, it might even be better than cooking it fresh! 😉 Ready in just 15 minutes, this frozen asparagus in air fryer recipe will be a new go-to in your menu rotation.
Frozen Asparagus in Air Fryer
Truth be told, at our house we cook air fryer frozen asparagus way more than fresh asparagus. No trimming, no washing, plus it’s easy to have a handful of frozen veggies in the freezer for when you need a dinner side dish in a pinch.
While many think of asparagus as a springtime vegetable, cooking air fryer frozen asparagus means you can enjoy it all year long!
We highly recommend having a complete air fryer meal by serving the roasted frozen asparagus in air fryer recipe alongside air fryer thin pork chops or air fryer Italian meatballs, and a starch on the side like air fryer Russet potatoes.
What Makes This Recipe So Good!
- Cooking frozen aspargus needs no defrost and can be cooked from frozen. The BEST way to cook frozen asparagus is in your air fryer!
- Heathly and great tasting, air fryer frozen asparagus makes a fantastic side dish you can serve simple or you can jazz it up with a little lemon juice, parmesan cheese, or balsamic glaze.
- Asparagus is super healthy! It’s low carb, keto, gluten, free, paleo, Whole30 and dairy free (as long as you skip the parmesan).
- You get perfectly cooked and roasted asparagus super FAST and it takes just as good as fresh asparagus!
Key Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to cook frozen asparagus, just a little olive oil, salt, and pepper are all that’s needed for perfectly crispy and golden asparagus.
- frozen asparagus
- olive oil
- fine sea salt
- black pepper
- optional– shredded parmesan, balsamic glaze, lemon
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Equipment
- An Air Fryer- We have a Cosori XL basket style air fryer, an Instant Pot Omni Plus oven style air fryer, and a Ninja Foodi air fryer grill. The Cosori air fryer was used in this recipe.
- Rubber Tip Tongs
How to Cook Frozen Asparagus in Air Fryer
The steps to cook frozen asparagus are as simple as can be! Add the seasoning to the frozen vegetable, add it to the air fryer, and cook until perfect!
Prep Ingredients
Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes.
In a medium sized bowl, add the frozen asparagus, olive oil, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper. Combine the ingredients together in the bowl.
How long to cook frozen asparagus in air fryer?
Spread the asparagus in an even layer in the air fryer basket.
Cook the air fryer frozen asparagus for a total of 8-9 minutes, flipping the vegetable halfway after 5-6 minutes. It’s totally fine to cook it even longer if you prefer it even more crispy.
If you’re adding parmesan cheese, add it in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Enjoy!
Adding lemon wedges on the side or drizzling the asparagus with balsamic glaze is a nice touch before serving.
Variations
fresh asparagus. If you are using fresh asparagus you are going to want to reduce the cooking time to 7-9 minutes depending on the thickness of the stalk. Fresh asparagus takes a little bit of prep work since you need to snap off the hard woody end (approx 2″) and wash the stalks before cooking.
Added flavors – fresh shredded or grated parmesan, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, or a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Cook’s Tips
- Parmesan can really add great flavor. If you choose to add the cheese, only toss it in for the final two minutes of your cook time so that it doesn’t burn. You can also sprinkle the cooked asparagus with parmesan at the very end.
- Flip the asparagus halfway through the cooking time since the air fryer heating element is on the top of the unit.
- Feel free to cut back on the oil for a lower fat version. Or use an olive oil mister to give the asparagus a light coat of oil.
- All air fryer models vary slightly, keep a close eye on the cooking time the first time you go to mke this recipe.
Best way to store cooked asparagus
- Store: Keep the cooked asparagus in an air tight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Freeze: You can also freeze leftover asparagus for up to 3 months. Just reheat it in an air fryer to crisp it up again!
How to reheat asparagus in air fryer
If you have leftovers, here’s an easy to reheat asparagus in your air fryer:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F.
- Add the cold cooked asparagus to the air fryer and cook it for 2-4 minutes until it’s heated through to your liking. Shake the basket halfway through cooking. Enjoy!
Common Questions
Asparagus is a versatile vegetable that pairs well with a protein like pork chops, ham, steak, or chicken breasts. Just add starch like corn on the cob, rice, baked potato, or a roll for a complete healthy meal.
Generally, most vegetables get cooked in an air fryer with a temperature range between 370 F- 400 F. A good rule of thumb is whatever you would’ve cooked an oven-roasted vegetable recipe on, turn down the air fryer 25 F.
You do not need to thaw asparagus before cooking it, whether you’re roasting it in your oven or in an air fryer, cooking it from frozen works best!
More Air Fryer Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Frozen Asparagus
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ lb asparagus frozen
- 2 teaspoon olive oil extra virgin
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon shredded parmesan optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the frozen asparagus, olive oil, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper. Combine the ingredients together in the bowl.
- Spread the asparagus in an even layer in the air fryer basket.
- Cook the air fryer frozen asparagus for a total of 8-9 minutes, flipping the vegetable halfway after 4-5 minutes. It's totally fine to cook it even longer if you prefer it even more crispy.
- If you're adding parmesan cheese, add it in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Enjoy!
- Adding lemon wedges on the side or drizzling the asparagus with balsamic glaze is a nice touch before serving.
Notes
- Parmasean can really add great flavor. If you choose to add the cheese, only toss it in for the final two minutes of your cook time so that it doesn’t burn. You can also sprinkle the cooked asparagus with parmesan at the very end.
- Flip the asparagus halfway through the cooking time since the air fryer heating element is on the top of the unit.
- Feel free to cut back on the oil for a lower fat version. Or use an olive oil mister to give the asparagus a light coat of oil.
- All air fryer models vary slightly, keep a close eye on the cooking time the first time you go to mke this recipe.
Nutrition
© 2023 Whole Lotta Air Frying
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