Air Fryer Mushrooms

These easy air fryer mushrooms are a delicious side dish, made with just a few simple staple ingredients. Cooking mushrooms in the air fryer in so easy, and they come out tender, crispy, and bursting with flavor.

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Close up of cooked air fryer mushrooms in a white dish, garnished with sliced green onions.

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Air Fryer Mushrooms Recipe

It’s official, cooking mushrooms in the air fryer is the best way to prepare them. Why? Because air frying mushrooms is faster than oven roasting or making stovetop sauteed mushrooms. There’s less cleanup, and they use less oil which is why it’s a favorite recipe of mine.

It’s for these same reasons I absolutely love cooking eggs, zucchini, sweet potato fries, and even pork tenderloin in my air fryer!

And did I mention these air fryer garlic mushrooms are vegan, Whole30, Paleo, gluten free, Keto, and low carb?

Basically, the simple ingredients in this recipe works for so many different diets and create a tasty and flavorful healthy side dish. Maybe the best thing about this recipe though, is that it’ll turn even mushroom skeptics into mushroom lovers!

Before you rule out the idea of air-fried mushrooms, give this recipe a try. It’s a great way to make an easy side dish that pairs well with any quick dinner. You’re going to love it!

If time is on your side, add these next to bbq chicken drumsticks!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

What’s not to love about buttery mushrooms cooked in the air fryer? This simple recipe is great because:

You only need three simple ingredients to make the best mushrooms. Just buy fresh garlic and mushroom and make sure you have oil on hand, then you’re good to go!
Air fryer mushrooms in just under a half hour. So easy, and perfect for a busy weeknight when you need a side dish to go with your favorite quick dinner.
This cooking method works for all different types of mushrooms. No matter which mushroom is your favorite, you can throw them in the air fryer and create crispy edges and a soft tender inside!

Ingredients

I always pick up a package of baby Bella mushrooms on my weekly grocery run. The other basic ingredients are staples of most households, so there’s usually not another trip to the grocery store required. Here’s what you’ll need:

mushrooms
garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Substitutions and Variations

I typically use baby bellas or white button mushrooms. However, you can use cremini mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, or any other whole mushrooms that you like.

Fresh or frozen garlic is my preference, but garlic powder works too, if you prefer that or it’s all that you have on hand.

Depending on what type of dish I’m serving this with, I like to use either olive oil or sesame oil in this recipe. If the main dish is Asian-inspired, I’ll use sesame oil. If it has Italian or American influences, I go with olive oil. You can also use avocado oil!

Add a little sprinkle of fresh herbs like green onions or parsley to elevate the flavor of this air fryer mushroom recipe. You can also add flavor by adding some coconut aminos or balsamic vinegar!

How to Make Air Fryer Mushrooms

The air fryer cooks with convection, making it a fantastic tool to cook anything you prefer to get a little crispy without the use of a lot of oil. I just love finding healthier ways to cook my favorite things, don’t you? Learn more about air frying and print my Air Fryer Cook Times Chart!

Here’s instructions on how to air fry mushrooms:

Preheat the Air Fryer

The first thing you need to do is preheat your air fryer to 400°F (204°C).

Even if your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat setting, don’t skip this step. You still need to preheat your air fryer, you just won’t be alerted when it reaches temperature. Turn it on and wait five minutes or so.

Two hands holding a glass bowl filled with sliced mushrooms tossed with oil and garlic.

Prep the Mushrooms

While you wait on the air fryer to preheat, prepare the air fryer vegetables. Use a sharp knife and slice the mushrooms in half. If they’re especially large, cut them into quarters. Then mince the fresh garlic.

Transfer the mushrooms and garlic to a medium sized bowl, and use a large spoon to toss together with the oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Close up of the raw mushrooms in the air fryer basket.

Air Fry the Garlic Mushrooms

Once the preheat is complete, pour the mushrooms into the basket of your air fryer.

Under normal circumstances, you’d want to cook in batches, making sure you left plenty of room between each piece of food cooking. However, since mushrooms shrink down so quickly, it’s totally okay if they’re touching a little bit.

Top down of the mushrooms cooked inside the air fryer basket.

Close the air fryer and cook for 5 minutes, then stop to gently shake the basket or use a spatula or tongs to turn each one of them.

This helps to make sure any pieces that are still touching get an adequate amount of time exposed to the circulating hot air. But even by the halfway point, the mushrooms will have shrunk down quite a bit, leaving plenty of space for the air to circulate.

Air fry the juicy mushrooms for another 5-7 minutes, checking near the end of the cook time to make sure they aren’t overcooking.

Once the tender air fryer mushrooms are cooked through and getting crispy on the outside, they’re done.

Pour them onto a plate, and serve!

Collage with the mushroom served beside a piece of grilled chicken and a close up of a fork with one cooked mushroom on it.

What to Serve with Air Fryer Mushrooms

These is the perfect side dish for any of your favorite meals. Garlic mushrooms pair beautifully with air fryer tilapia, grilled marinated chicken, a juicy steak or garlic butter steak bites, or even jammy boiled eggs!

You can add these to a hearty bowl of homemade ramen or a delicious beef and broccoli stir fry too.

Adding these as a burger topping would be so yummy too. Serving some mushrooms with grilled bruschetta chicken or a beef marinade is always so flavorful!

How to Store Air Fried Mushrooms

Transfer any delicious air fried leftovers to an airtight container, or a bowl and tightly covered with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing leftover cooked mushrooms.

Tips for Success

To ensure you have the best success with this easy air fryer mushrooms recipe, here’s a few tips:

Larger mushrooms need more cooking time than small mushrooms, so make sure that you cut them into evenly sized pieces so that they all finish cooking at the same time. Otherwise, you may have some garlic mushrooms that are over-done and others that are underdone.
The amount of mushrooms your air fryer can fit will depend on the size of your air fryer, so just don’t layer them too thick! As a general rule of thumb, just make sure the mushrooms are in one single layer. You want to avoid overfilling your basket.
The more fresh the mushrooms, the better! Make sure you are grabbing fresh mushrooms at the grocery store so that they have the best flavor and texture.

FAQ

Should I wash mushrooms?

Many people say not to wash mushrooms because they absorb water and will get soggy. Not true! Well, not completley true. Mushrooms were built to reflect water, but their gills (the underside of the mushroom cap) do absorb water. Compared to other mushrooms, portabella (or baby portabella in this case) mushrooms will absorb a moderate amount of water, but only when submerged in water.
I recommend giving your mushrooms a quick brush with moist paper towels, or rinse quickly under a stream of water, then pat them dry. Alternately, you can use a mushroom brush to gently brush and wash them! Whichever you prefer is A-okay!

How do I reheat leftovers in the air fryer?

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F, then add leftovers to the air fryer basket. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until heated through and beginning to crisp up again.

More Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

Making this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom!