We’ve all seen air fryer courgette fries, aubergine fries, but how about air fryer green beans? The natural shape of a green bean takes out so much of the prep when creating ‘vegetable fries’.
They’re already in the perfect shape, so all we have to do is add our cheesy, crispy batter and pop the green beans in air fryer.
If you’re looking for a healthy snack that is packed full of nutrients, while being equally comforting and delicious, these fried green beans are the recipe for you.
I’d almost compare it to being a vegetable calamari substitute – which is the highest of compliments, as calamari is my favourite side.
Panzanella salad with halloumi
I use fresh, untrimmed green beans as these are more affordable than trimmed. I also prefer the shape of these when battered as the trimmed beans can look a bit too perfect.
For the cheapest green beans, you could buy a large frozen bag and defrost the suggested amount, ensuring that you pat them dry before following the method.
Panko is a type of Japanese breadcrumb which is larger in size than your standard golden breadcrumb. The result is the crispiest texture to our air fryer green beans.
I love the way that the parmesan not only flavours this recipe but also fries and crisps up once cooked. This in combination with our panko breadcrumbs is so so good.
To bind the green beans with the crispy, cheesy batter.
This is optional but I think it adds a summery brightness to the recipe, as if it were crispy calamari or something.
To season/flavour the crispy layer of our fried green beans.
We use this to help bind the green bean to the egg.
Start by washing the green beans.
Once golden brown, serve the beans with mayonnaise/alioli.
Roasted
If you don’t have an air fryer, preheat your oven to 190°C FAN. Place all of the green bean fries onto a parchment lined tray, ensuring they are well spaced/not overlapping. Pop in the oven for around 20 minutes or until golden brown, after coating with oil spray.
Pan fried green beans
You could also shallow fry the green beans in batches in 1 cm of oil over the hob. Fry for 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked/golden and crispy.
Bear in mind, this method is slightly less healthy, as we use a lot more oil than when cooking the green beans in the air fryer.
To make this recipe vegetarian/vegan – substitute parmesan with equal parts nutritional yeast. Substitute the egg with unsweetened almond milk or another unsweetened plant-based alternative.
To make this recipe gluten-free – substitute panko breadcrumbs with a gluten-free alternative such as almond flour for these air fryer green beans.
Can I meal prep this recipe?
For maximum crispiness and enjoyment, I wouldn’t meal prep these air fryer green beans. You want to eat them fresh, as reheating them could lead to the batter being soggy. That being said, they would still be delicious!
Is this recipe freezable?
Sadly not!