Air Fryer Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese

Air fryer asparagus with parmesan cheese is a flavorful, fresh side dish that’s so easy to make! Ready in under 10 minutes so it’s perfect any day of the week.

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I am a huge fan of my basket air fryer.

If I had to pick one life changing kitchen appliance, this little guy would be it. (Sorry Instant Pot!)

Everything that goes into it comes out absolutely delicious in less time than it would take in the oven. Plus, you can use without heating up your house in the summer, which is a good thing for us since we don’t have central air.

This air fryer asparagus with Parmesan cheese is one of our favorite quick and easy side dishes. Because it’s asparagus, it seems kind of fancy but it is so embarrasingly easy to make and full of fresh yummy flavor that you’ll find yourself making it over and over.

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools

To make this you’ll need:

• Asparagus– Trim the ends and cut the spears into thirds.
• Olive oil– Don’t have any on hand? Use any other light oil you have.
• Lemon juice– Go for fresh lemon juice for maximum bright flavor. In a pinch, bottled lemon juice will work or you can omit it all together but it will be missing that brightness.
• Garlic cloves– Fresh, pressed garlic cloves. You can buy a whole head of garlic or use a teaspoon or so (until the ancestors whisper, “That’s enough my child.”) and 
• Parmesan cheese– Grated Parmesan cheese is best for this rather than .
• Salt and pepper– Just to taste. Little tip: if you don’t have lemon juice but do have lemon pepper, you could use that.

You’ll also want to have a few basic kitchen items on hand including:

• An air fryer- We have this one and love it.
• Garlic press 
• Cutting board
• Knife

Do I need to use oil to make air fryer asparagus?

This recipe calls for a tablespoon of olive oil. You can substitute another light oil like canola oil or even coconut oil.

If you want to use less oil, I recommend using a spray bottle and lightly misting the oil over the asparagus..

But don’t omit the oil all together. The oil ensures the seasoning sticks to the asparagus and also helps prevent the asparagus from sticking to the tray.

How to Make

1. Trim and cut the asparagus.
   

   Cut the white, woody ends off of the asparagus

   Cut the woody white end off of the bottom of the asparagus. This will vary from piece to piece. Thicker piece may need the bottom third removed. Thinner pieces often need less than that. Once you have removed the ends, cut the remaining asparagus into equal sized pieces. To read more about selecting and preparing asparagus, check out this post on how to buy good asparagus.

2. Season everything.
   

   Season the asparagus

   Put the cut and trimmed asparagus into a bowl. Toss it with olive oil, lemon juice, pressed garlic, grated Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper until it is evenly coated.

3. Air fry the asparagus.
   

   Air fry the asparagus.

   Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Air fry the asparagus for 6 minutes, turning it once halfway through.

Tips and Tricks

• Feel free to reduce or add to the amount of garlic depending on your tastes.
• Check out this guide on how to buy and cook asparagus for other ways to cook asparagus and more ways to cook it.
• If your asparagus spears are particularly thick, you may need to add an extra minute to the cook time. If they are very thin, reduce the cook time by a minute.
• Don’t overcrowd the fryer!

Storing Leftovers

You can store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can add the leftovers cold to salad or reheat them in your air fryer or in your microwave until warmed through.

What to Serve With

I love serving asparagus with pretty much anything and everything, but we particularly love it with:

• Lobster Risotto
• Crab Risotto
• Pumpkin Risotto
• Shrimp scampi
• Blood orange roast chicken
• Instant Pot Fettucine Alfredo
• Lobster tail

Did you make these AIR FRYER ASPARAGUS WITH PARMESAN CHEESE or any other recipe on my site? Leave me a comment below and let me know how you liked it. And make sure you follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram to see everything we’ve got going on.