Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Asparagus

This Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Asparagus recipe takes just a few minutes and four ingredients. It can be spruced up with air fryer bacon, garlic Parmesan butter, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Enjoy air-fried asparagus with air fryer steak, cajun shrimp, or roasted chicken legs to make this a complete air fryer meal.

Why Make Ninja Foodi Asparagus

There are so many reasons to air fry asparagus. Here are my top three:

• Requires just a few simple ingredients: which keeps this recipe simple and allows you to spruce this up if you wish with things like garlic butter and bacon.
• Easy recipe for all levels of cooks: make asparagus in the Ninja Foodi by seasoning the asparagus and tossing them midway through. This simple recipe couldn’t be any easier.
• Roast asparagus in less time compared to roasting it in the oven.

Ingredients Needed

Cooking asparagus in your air fryer is easy. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Fresh Asparagus: I used a fresh bunch that weighed about 1 pound. You can prepare your asparagus by adding them to a cutting board and cutting off the woody ends or by buying trimmed asparagus spears
• Avocado Oil: I use this to help the cooking process, but also to help the spices stick to the asparagus. You can use olive oil or your favorite cooking spray. While you can use other oils like coconut oil, it is not the best oil for air frying because of it’s low smoke point.
• Sea Salt: you can add this to taste. I’m using fine sea salt.
• Herb Seasoning: this is one of my favorite simple mixes. I use it to roast chicken legs in the air fryer and make air fryer boneless chicken thighs. I love it because it has 24 herbs and spices like garlic powder, black pepper, sage, savory, and rosemary. It gives everything a slow roasted, meaty flavor without either of those things.

You can get the full list of ingredient amounts and instructions from the full recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Air Fry Asparagus in the Ninja Foodi

1. Add the asparagus, oil and seasoning to a large bowl
2. Toss the asparagus to coat
3. Add the asparagus to your air fryer basket. Don’t worry about them being in an even single layer.
4. Air fry the asparagus until tender, being sure to toss midway through.

Top Cooking Tips & FAQs

• Adjust the cook time: thicker asparagus have a longer cook time than thinner asparagus. So, be sure to add extra time if needed to help your asparagus become tender. You should also adjust the cook time if you have a smaller air fryer.
• Switch the seasoning: you can add extra flavor to your air-fried asparagus with any spice mix. Some other options are cajun seasoning, everything bagel seasoning, and more. Just be sure to read the label on the spice mix to decide if it is meant to be a replacement for sea salt or kosher salt. It is, you can omit the salt in this recipe.

Garlic Parmesan Asparagus

This recipe already has flavors of garlic. But, for more of a garlic Parmesan flavor, you can top your asparagus in melted garlic butter and a tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

How do you trim asparagus stalks?

There are two ways to trim the ends of the asparagus: cut them with a sharp knife or bend them.

To cut them, simply cut off the hard wooden part. But, I find that you can accidentally leave some of the inedible part on the stalk.

To bend your asparagus, just hold the center of the stalk and bend from wood-like end. The asparagus will trim itself by breaking at a natural point.

Can you make asparagus in the air fryer with butter?

Yes – one of my favorite ways to make this is by substituting the avocado oil for melted butter. One option is to use my herb butter.

You can also make this healthy side dish with my cajun garlic butter sauce or lemon garlic butter sauce.

Storage & Leftovers

You can store your leftover asparagus in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Recipes to Enjoy this with

If you need some main dish ideas, try these:

• Roasted Chicken Legs
• Air Fryer Steak
• Cajun Shrimp
• Air Fryer Roasted Whole Chicken

More Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes

If you enjoy a healthy vegetable side dish, try these delicious vegetable air fryer recipes:

• Air Fryer Cauliflower
• Air Fryer Broccoli
• Crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
• Air Fryer Mushrooms
• Roasted Radishes in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Green Beans
• Air Fryer Eggplant

If you try this recipe, please stop back and leave it a star rating and/or a review in the comments. Stay connected & share photos of your creations with me & others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!