Air Fryer Garlic Mushrooms – Keto, Whole30, Vegan

These easy Air Fryer Garlic 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’re come out tender, crispy, and bursting with flavor.

Why We Love It

It’s official. Cooking mushrooms in the air fryer is the best new way to make them. Why? Well, air frying mushrooms is faster than oven roasting, there’s less cleanup, and they taste absolutely perfect!

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

And did I mention these air fryer garlic mushrooms are Vegan, Whole30, Paleo, Gluten Free, Keto, Low Carb, and WW friendly?

I know that’s a long list, but basically all I’m saying is that this recipe works for lots and lots of different ways of healthy eating. So whatever diet your family is following, this is a side dish that would work for pretty much everyone!

Maybe the best thing about this recipe though, is that it’ll turn even mushroom skeptics into mushroom lovers! Yup, it’s really that good!

Recipe Ingredients

I always pick up a package of baby Bella mushrooms on my weekly grocery run. The other 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. Use baby bellas or white button mushrooms.
• Garlic. Fresh or frozen garlic is my preference, but garlic powder works too, if you prefer that!
• Oil. I like to use either sesame oil or olive oil, depending on what type of dish I’m serving this with. If the main dish is Asian-inspired, I’ll use sesame oil. If it has Italian or American influences, I go with olive oil.
• Salt and Pepper
• Green onions or parsley, optional. A little sprinkle of fresh herbs go a long way to elevating the dish.
• Coconut aminos or balsamic vinegar, optional. It goes a long way to adding rich flavor to the mushrooms, but it’s totally up to you and what you have in your pantry.

Like I said, easy and simple, and since it’s all real food, this recipe is Keto friendly, Whole30 compatible, and Vegan. It’s also really low in calories and fat!

Recipe Variations

• Asian-style mushrooms: Use sesame oil, add a tablespoon of coconut aminos, and garnish with sliced green onions.
• Italian-style mushrooms: Use olive oil, add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and garnish with fresh minced parsley.

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Step by Step Process

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 foods, don’t you?

👉 Learn more about air frying and print my Air Fryer Cook Times Chart!

Step 1: Preheat the Air Fryer

So 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, that doesn’t mean you should 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.

Step 2: Do the Prep Work

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Slice your mushrooms in half. If they’re especially large, cut them into quarters. Mince the 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.

That was ALL the prep work you need to do, yay! I told you it was easy, didn’t I?

Step 3: Cook the Dish

Once your air fryer is hot, pour the mushrooms into the basket. Under normal circumstances, you’d want to cook in batches, making sure you left plenty of room between each piece of food cooking.

But because mushrooms shrink down so quickly, it’s totally okay if they’re touching a little bit.

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!

Use the photo above for reference, and as a general rule of thumb, just make sure the mushrooms are in one layer. You want to avoid overfilling your basket.

Close the air fryer and cook for 5 minutes, then stop to gently shake the basket or use a spatula to turn 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 mushrooms for another 5-7 minutes, checking near the end of the cook time to make sure they aren’t overcooking.

Once you see the mushrooms are cooked through and getting crispy, you’re done! Just pour out the mushrooms and dig in!

Expert Tips & Notes

More Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

• Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes
• Air Fryer Beets
• Air Fryer Prosciutto Egg Cups
• Air Fryer Carrots
• Air Fryer Broccoli

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