These air fryer frozen green beans are the perfect side for busy people looking to get a healthy dinner on the table as fast as possible! They're crispy, simply seasoned and pair well with your favorite protein. Have these ready in 20 minutes or less.
As much as I love fresh produce, frozen produce can be very helpful when throwing together a last-minute weeknight dinner. Over the past couple of months, I've been testing the best way to make frozen veggies crispy and delicious in the air fryer. This air fryer green beans recipe makes the perfect side dish for a busy weeknight dinner with the whole family.
Check out my other freezer-friendly air fryer recipes: Air Fryer Frozen Brussels Sprouts and Air Fryer Frozen Seasoned Fries. You may also like my Air Fryer Butternut Squash, Roasted Garlic Air Fryer Carrots, or Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Real quick and simple - Cooking real food at home doesn't mean you can't help yourself out with frozen vegetables every now and then. They're just as nutritious as fresh vegetables but require no prep, and can be on the table in 20 minutes flat.
- Pairs well with almost any dish - Crispy green beans go well with just about any protein, potatoes, grains, beans, and more. Serve these alongside Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta.
- Affordable - Eating a healthy diet made from scratch can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Make this gluten-free side dish with pantry staples and a $3 bag of green beans!
- Never goes to waste - Unlike fresh green beans, frozen green beans really don't have a time limit on when they need to be used by. If you regularly feel guilty for allowing your produce to go bad before you use it, go for frozen produce instead!
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- Green beans - This recipe uses frozen green beans straight from the freezer. They're pre-washed, trimmed and ready to go. I was capable of fitting a 12-ounce bag of green beans in my air fryer basket. Feel free to adjust the number of green beans you cook for your air fryer or personal needs.
- Oil - A tablespoon of olive oil coats the green beans and sticks the spices to the green beans as well as makes them nice and crispy.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
📖Variations
- Olive oil substitutes: Another high smoke point oil will work great here. Try avocado, canola, or vegetable oil. You could also use melted unsalted butter.
- Spice substitutes: I kept the spice blend neutral to allow this healthy side dish to pair well with several meals. Feel free to add in your favorite seasonings such as onion powder, chili powder, and paprika or use the seasoning I used on my Air Fryer Argentine Red Shrimp.
🔪How to Air Fry Frozen Green Beans
- Season the green beans. Place the green beans in a large bowl and add the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix everything to combine.
- Air fry. Add the green beans to the preheated air fryer in a single layer and cook for 10-15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Serve and enjoy.
💭Recipe FAQs
It depends on the air fryer, but often times preheating is not required. Preheating can be helpful, however, if you're looking to get your string beans or other recipes extra crispy. To preheat, set the air fryer to the temperature you'd like to cook at and start it. Wait for it to alert you that it is preheated, then cook as usual!
In most cases, it is safe to use foil in an air fryer, but it is really not necessary or helpful. Lining it with foil will prevent the air from circulating and won't crisp up your food well.
Not needed! Toss the green beans in oil and seasonings and air fry them directly from the freezer.
Fresh and frozen green beans have very similar nutrients and are equally healthful. Frozen green beans may be even slightly more nutritious than fresh because frozen vegetables are harvested and frozen at optimal ripeness whereas fresh vegetables are picked early to prevent over-ripening in grocery stores.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- Less oil is more. Using more than 1 tablespoon of oil is more likely to make your green beans soggy, not crispy. Less is more here!
- Adjust the cooking time as needed. Depending on your air fryer, your green beans may need more or less time. Use the 10-15 minutes of cook time as a guide and adjust to your appliance.
- Don't let the green beans defrost before air frying. This will cause them to become more soggy than crispy.
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket as this is an easy way to get soggy green beans. Cook in batches if needed.
- Shake the green beans halfway through cooking to prevent them from sticking together.
🥣Storage & Reheating
- Store leftover green beans in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days.
- Reheat the air fryer green beans in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 2-3 minutes until warm.
🥗Serving Suggestions
This green bean recipe is great served as is or you can add flakey sea salt, red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese or a squeeze of lemon juice before serving at your dinner table.
If you're looking for ways to make these air fryer frozen green beans part of a complete meal, check out some of my favorite quick and simple protein pairings and additional side dish recommendations. I love to serve them with my Air Fryer Ham, Air Fried Orange Chicken or turkey pot pie with puff pastry.
More Side Dishes You May Like
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating & comment below to let me know how it came out. Thanks for visiting!
🍳Recipe
Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (12 ounce) bag frozen green beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese for serving, (optional)
Instructions
- Place the green beans in a large bowl and add the olive oil and spices. Mix everything to combine.
- Add the green beans to the air fryer and cook at 375 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- Remove from the air fryer and toss with parmesan cheese if desired.
Video
Notes
- Less oil is more. Using more than 1 tablespoon of oil is more likely to make your green beans soggy, not crispy. Less is more here!
- Adjust the cooking time as needed. Depending on your air fryer, your green beans may need more or less time. Use the 10-15 minutes of cook time as a guide and adjust to your appliance.
- Don't let the green beans defrost before air frying. This will cause them to become more soggy than crispy.
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket as this is an easy way to get soggy green beans. Cook in batches if needed.
- Shake the green beans halfway through cooking to prevent them from sticking together.
- Store leftover green beans in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days.
- Reheat the air fryer green beans in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 2-3 minutes until warm.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Cathy says
What temperature? I might just be missing it, but I don't see it listed anywhere.
Sarah Holt says
Hi Cathy, the temperature is 375 degrees F. You didn't miss it, that was my mistake but I just added it. So sorry about that!