One of my favorite vegetable side dishes is Chinese Garlic Green Beans, which I learned to cook from Mama Lin. The beauty of this dish is the irresistibly soft texture and bright green color of the beans. The green beans are quick fried in oil for a few minutes, which tenderizes the center and slightly wrinkles the skin.
Since posting the Garlic Green Beans recipe in 2019, I’ve received many questions about how to make the dish with less oil. In fact, one of the most asked questions in recent years has been whether the green beans can be air fried. After many rounds of testing, I finally came up with a green bean recipe for the air fryer that actually mimics the texture of my green beans with Chinese garlic!
GET THE RIGHT TEXTURE
I wanted to achieve two things with this recipe: (1) mimic the soft texture of fried green beans; (2) Make sure the color of the beans still looks green and not overly browned after air frying. In other words, I wanted them to be as close as possible to the green beans in the photo above.
In my recipe test, I tried different cooking methods with the air fryer. First I tried cooking them at a higher heat of 400ºF. Although this cooking method wrinkled the skin of the beans, they were too browned and I wanted green beans with a richer color. Also, the edges of the green beans were a bit crispy and chewy.
Next, I tried cooking the green beans at 320ºF and 350ºF for long periods of time. Although the green beans looked greener, the beans weren’t as soft and tender as I wanted. Also, the outer skin didn’t wrinkle quite the way I wanted it to.
After testing a few more times, it suddenly dawned on me: Why not try lightly cooking the green beans before air frying them? This turned out to be the key! Precooking the green beans softens the beans on the inside first, so you don’t have to cook them in the air fryer for so long. Air frying finishes cooking and slightly wrinkles the skin, creating perfectly tender green beans.
One thing to note: these green beans are a little less lively compared to the beans in my original recipe, but they still look very good!
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER GREEN BEANS
PREPARE GREEN BEANS
Break off the tiny stalk of the green beans (if it’s still there). Then cut the green beans in half. Rinse the beans thoroughly.
SAUTÉ GARLIC
Mince several cloves of garlic until you get about 2 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic. Sauté the garlic in a tablespoon of oil for 1 to 2 minutes and place in a bowl.
PAR-COOK GREEN BEANS
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 90 seconds. Using a spatula or slotted spoon, remove the green beans and place in a mixing bowl. You don’t need to submerge the green beans in ice water.
Precooking the green beans is critical to soften the inner flesh and seeds of the green beans. The following air frying step finishes cooking the green beans and lightly bubbles the skin so they look like Chinese restaurant-style green beans.
Transfer the pre-cooked green beans to a bowl and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt or sea salt.
AIR FRYING GREEN BEANS
Preheat air fryer to 175°C. I use this Cosori air fryer (affiliate link). Place half of the green beans in the basket of your air fryer and spread into a single layer. Boil the beans for 5 minutes. I like to stop the air fryer after 3 minutes and shake the beans to make sure they cook evenly.
After 5 minutes of cooking, check if the green bean skins are slightly wrinkled. If the shells don’t look crumpled at all, continue cooking the beans for a minute or two.
Transfer the first batch of green beans to a bowl or large plate. Finish air frying the second batch of green beans. Combine the two batches of green beans together. Scatter the sautéed garlic over the beans, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, chili flakes, and a small pinch of salt (if desired) for garnish. Finally, briefly pan through everything again.
CAN I SKIP THE PAR COOKING?
If you want them to look and taste like my Chinese Green Garlic Beans, no, you can’t skip the par-cooking. However, if you are short on time, you can skip the par-cooking. Air roast the green beans in 2 batches at 350ºF for 7 to 8 minutes. However, the green beans are not quite as tender.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH AIR FRYER GREEN BEANS
rice and noodle dishes
Vegetable protein
Protein from meat and seafood
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Servings: 3
Air Fryer Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 Pound (455 g) green beans
- 2 1/2 tablespoon (19 g) minced garlic
- 2 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt or sea salt, plus more to taste
garnish
- toasted sesame
- Chili Flakes
instructions
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Break off the tiny stalk of the green beans (if it’s still there). Then cut the green beans in half. Rinse the beans thoroughly and let them drain.
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In a skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the minced garlic with 1 tablespoon oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn. Then place the garlic in a bowl.
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Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook the beans for 90 seconds. Remove the green beans from the water with a spatula or slotted spoon. You can also drain the green beans through a sieve. (See note for reasoning about par-cooking the green beans.) You don’t need to submerge the green beans in ice water at this point.
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Place the pre-cooked green beans in a bowl and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
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Preheat air fryer to 175°C. Place half of the green beans in the basket of your air fryer and spread into a single layer. If you can’t spread the green beans in a single layer, cook them in smaller batches. (See note 2)
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Boil the beans for 5 minutes. I like to stop the air fryer after 3 minutes and shake the beans to make sure they cook evenly.
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After 5 minutes of cooking, check if the green bean skins are slightly wrinkled. If the shells don’t look crumpled at all, cook the beans for another minute. Transfer the first batch of green beans to a serving bowl or large plate.
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Finish air frying the second batch of green beans. Transfer them to the serving bowl or plate. Scatter the sautéed garlic over the beans, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, chili flakes, and a small pinch of salt (if desired). Mix everything together lightly. Serve with rice or pasta and your favorite protein! See headnote or blog post for suggested pairings.
Video
Remarks
- Precooking the green beans is crucial to soften the inner flesh and seeds of the green beans. The following air frying step finishes cooking the green beans and lightly bubbles the skin so they look like Chinese restaurant-style green beans.
- Cooking the green beans in a single layer ensures even cooking. That’s why you don’t want to overload the green beans.
Nourishment
Portion: 1portion | Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.9G | Protein: 3.2G | Fat: 12G | Saturated Fatty Acids: 1.7G | Sodium: 110mg | Fiber: 4.2G | Sugar: 5G