15-Minute Easy Air Fryer Mushrooms with Garlic
Mushrooms are available all year round, but from late autumn through early spring, they’re in season and at their best. Holiday tables around the world suddenly feature sauteed mushrooms with roasted meat dishes. But as much as you may love them cooked that way, this recipe for air fryer mushrooms may convince you to change.
Want to save this post?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox.
Just toss fresh mushrooms in a savory soy sauce with Parmesan cheese and garlic powder, and air fry for a few minutes. This dish’s simplicity and fabulous flavors are ideal for those busy weeknights when you need something quick and easy but still special enough for your holiday table.
Why You Will Love These Air Fryer Mushrooms
Fast: These air fryer mushrooms are ready in 15 minutes.
Easy: Very little prepping is required before popping them into the air fryer.
Simple Ingredients: All you need to make this recipe is a handful of ingredients you may already have in your pantry.
Deep Savory Flavor: Combining soy sauce and Parmesan cheese with mushrooms gives this dish a satisfying umami, savory flavor.
Flexible: Use whatever seasonings you and your family like in place of, or in addition to, the garlic powder.
Make Ahead: These air fryer mushrooms can be made ahead, stored in the refrigerator, and reheated when needed.
Tons of Uses: Serve as a delicious side dish or add to pasta, casseroles, or your next grilled cheese sandwich.
Ingredients
This section lists the ingredients and notes needed to make this recipe. See the Recipe Card for specific measurements.
Baby Bella Mushrooms: Several varieties of mushrooms air fry beautifully, but for best results, they should be fresh mushrooms. See “Best Types of Mushrooms to Use” below for more ideas.
Avocado Oil: Always use a high heat cooking oil when air frying at high temperatures. Grapeseed and safflower oils are also good choices, but save your olive oil for other uses.
Soy Sauce: This ingredient adds a punch of umami, providing all the salt you’ll need to make this dish. If you prefer a less salty flavor, use a low-sodium soy sauce.
Parmesan Cheese: Grate the cheese yourself for better flavor. Pre-grated cheeses add a cellulose coating to keep the cheese from clumping together. This coating mutes the flavor and inhibits melting characteristics.
Garlic Powder: Don’t be tempted to substitute garlic salt in this recipe. It will make the mushroom too salty.
Thyme: Both dried thyme and fresh thyme are called for in this recipe. The fresh thyme is a garnish before serving.
Ground Black Pepper: Freshly ground pepper is best.
Best Types of Mushrooms to Air Fry
This easy air fryer mushroom recipe works well with different types of mushrooms, so have some fun with it! Here are my favorites.
Baby Bella Mushrooms: Also called cremini mushrooms, baby bellas are the same plant as common white mushrooms, also called white button mushrooms. Baby bellas are just a little older than white mushrooms, with a richer mushroom flavor.
Maitake Mushrooms: Also called hen-of-the-wood, maitake mushrooms have a strong earthy flavor and grow in large clumps easily separated for air frying. Their caps are more feathery than baby bella mushrooms. These air-fried mushrooms are tender and juicy, as with the baby bellas, but with some crispy edges of intense flavor that’s fantastic. But they tear easily and are best for salads or a topping for steaks.
Shiitake mushrooms: Many believe these are the best-tasting mushrooms with their earthy flavor and touches of smoke. Shiitake mushrooms air fry beautifully and take less cooking time than baby bellas.
Equipment
Air Fryer: There are a lot of air fryers available today, ranging from stand-alone models to toaster ovens that offer an air fryer function. Air fryers roast food using less oil than traditional roasting or frying and in less time, thanks to a high convection fan speed and a perforated air fryer basket.
Chef’s Knife: Be sure your knife is sharp so you don’t tear or squish the mushrooms.
Whisk: Any small or medium-sized whisk works well as long as it thoroughly mixes the sauce.
Cheese Grater: Parmesan is a hard cheese, so a strong grater perforated with small holes for finely grated cheese is best instead of a rotary grater or one with larger holes.
Note: For more information on air fryers, check out this article on air fryer advantages, disadvantages, and top models.
Instructions
This section summarizes the directions for making this easy air fryer mushrooms recipe. See the Recipe Card for specific instructions.
Prep the mushrooms. Clean the mushrooms following the instructions in the How to Clean Mushrooms section. Trim any stem bottoms that are dried out or split. Then, slice them into 1/4″ slices.
Whisk together the sauce ingredients. Whisk together the avocado oil, soy sauce, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and dried thyme in a medium bowl. Toss with the prepped mushrooms to thoroughly coat them.
Air fry the mushrooms. Arrange the mushrooms in a single layer in the basket of the air fryer and cook them in the preheated air fryer. Halfway through air frying, toss the mushrooms around by shaking the basket. If some mushrooms stick to the air fryer basket, use a metal spatula to remove them. Then, re-arrange them on the basket using tongs before sliding the basket back into the air fryer.
Sprinkle with fresh thyme. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and, if desired, with additional grated Parmesan cheese.
How to Clean Mushrooms
There are a lot of opinions on the best way to clean mushrooms. The issue is that they absorb a lot of moisture, affecting their texture. But cut mushrooms should never be treated like whole mushrooms.
- It’s safe to rinse whole mushrooms. Gently wash the mushrooms and completely dry them. Or use a damp paper towel to remove dirt on the caps and stems.
- Rinse whole mushrooms only right before using them. If you rinse them too far in advance, they may turn slimy.
- Use a salad spinner to dry mushrooms. Line the inner salad spinner basket with a paper towel and place the mushrooms on top. Spin until dry. The paper towel helps to protect any tender mushrooms.
- Never rinse sliced mushrooms. Any exposed surfaces absorb liquids like a sponge. Instead, gently brush any dirt from all surfaces using a dry paper towel.
15-Minute Easy Air Fryer Mushrooms with Garlic
Ingredients
- 16 Ounces whole baby bella mushrooms
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 Teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 Teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400˚F.
- Clean the mushrooms by rinsing them or using a damp paper towel to remove loose dirt. If you rinse them, the best way to dry them is in a salad spinner lined with a paper towel.
- Slice the mushrooms into 1/4″ slices. Keep the slices as consistent as possible so they’ll air fry evenly. Transfer them to a large bowl or spread them out on a baking sheet.
- Whisk the avocado oil, soy sauce, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, dried thyme, and ground black pepper in a small bowl. Pour the sauce over the sliced mushrooms and gently toss to coat them completely.
- Arrange the mushrooms in the basket of the air fryer in a single layer. They can overlap a little, as they shrink quite a bit during the air frying. You may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your basket.
- Air fry for 8 – 10 minutes, tossing the mushrooms after the first 5 minutes. If the mushrooms stick to the air fryer basket, gently loosen them with a silicone spatula and spread back out in the basket. The mushrooms are done when they turn a golden brown with some crispy edges.
- Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves and additional Parmesan cheese before serving. Serve warm.
