This air fryer bok choy has a flavorful sticky honey, sesame and ginger marinade that's zingy and very delicious! Super easy to make, enjoy this air fried bok choy recipe as a tasty vegetarian side dish.
It's always good to have some simple healthy sides up our sleeve, and this air fryer bok choy (also known as pak choi) is perfect with stir-fry meals, meat, fish or plant-based dishes. Made without soy, it has a sticky honey ginger marinade that gives so much flavor and takes minutes to come together!
Love bok choy / pak choi and looking for more tasty dishes? Do check out my tasty ginger steamed pak choi and my refreshing pak choi salad for more ideas!
And for a fun air fryer dessert, have a peek at my air fried pears with maple syrup.
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Full of green goodness. I always think bok choy is a little overlooked, at least where I live, yet it's so beautifully light and refreshing.
Sticky honey sesame marinade. We make a simple but flavorful soy-free marinade with pantry staples that's so easy to do.
Quick air fryer vegetable side. Don't we all love our air fryers for their ease of use?! Just set up your timings and you can get cooking your main dish while the bok choy does it's thing!
🥬 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Bok choy - this is also known as pak choi, and is fairly easy to find in stores now. Be sure to pick fresh unbruised produce and give it a good wash between the leaves.
- Honey - you want to use runny honey rather than set honey.
- Ginger - I do suggest using fresh ginger root that you grate or mince for better flavor.
📖 Swaps and variations
Add soy sauce or coconut aminos. While the core recipe is made without soy to be suitable for my low histamine readers, you can add a teaspoon if it works for you. Some readers may also like to use coconut aminos as a swap.
🔪 Step by step instructions
The full instructions are in the recipe card below, and these images are here to guide you.
Making this air fryer bok choy is very simple, with just a few steps:
Step 1
Prepare the bok choy. Wash the bok choy, making sure to remove any dirt from between the leaves. Slice lengthways through the bulb to halve, then slice each half lengthways so you have quarters (image 1).
Step 2
Make the honey ginger marinade. Combine the sesame oil, honey, garlic powder and ginger in a mixing bowl and stir well (image 2).
Step 3
Brush the bok choy with marinade. Add the bok choy to your bowl, then use hands or a silicone brush to coat with the honey ginger marinade (image 3).
Step 4
Air fry the bok choy. After preheating your air fryer, add parchment paper to the basket (optional, but means less clean up!). Then lay the bok choy in an even layer, brush on any remaining marinade and air fry for 6-7 minutes (image 4).
Check the bok choy halfway through cook time and flip with tongs if needed. Be careful when removing from the air fryer as they will be very hot.
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Dry off the bok choy after washing them so the honey ginger marinade sticks to the leaves more easily.
- If your bok choy is smaller in size, cut into halves rather than quarters.
- For a more spicy marinade, add more garlic and ginger.
- Be very careful when removing the bok choy from the air fryer as it will be very hot.
- Using parchment paper is optional, but does make clean up easier!
- The base of the bulb of the bok choy is a little tough, so you may not wish to consume this. Personally I don't cut it off to air fry as it holds the bok choy together.
📋 Frequently asked questions
Bok choy is also known as pak choi, pok choi, bak choi and Chinese cabbage.
The texture of your bok choy will vary slightly depending on how long you air fry it for. Air fried bok choy that has cooked for around 6 minutes will be slightly soft and tender with wilted leaves.
Of course! Just add more ginger and garlic powder to the marinade (and increase oil and honey to preference).
Yes, this is a gluten free recipe as well as being a low histamine vegetable side dish.
🍽 How to serve air fryer bok choy
As a very versatile side, there are lots of ways to serve this bok choy:
- Enjoy with chicken dishes such as my pan fried panko chicken or my lemon balm chicken.
- Pair with fish dishes such as my almond crusted cod, baked cod with panko or with plain baked fish.
- It's great with Asian-style dishes such as a stir-fry meal or plant-based rice or couscous dishes.
🥣 More tasty side dishes
Find so many more ideas on my sides page, including my popular herbed cauliflower rice and my creamy cauliflower mash. And do check out my air fryer frozen butternut squash and air fryer broccoli and cauliflower too! Some recent recipes to enjoy:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And if you loved the recipe, please do leave a 5 star rating ⭐⭐⭐ in the recipe card below!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Bok Choy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 bok choy quartered, lengthways
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced or grated
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- Wash and dry the bok choy, and slice lengthways twice so they are in quarters (or halves if they are smaller in size).
- Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes at 360F / 180C.
- Combine the sesame oil, honey, ginger, garlic powder and salt in a bowl. Add the bok choy and use your hands or a silicone brush to coat in the marinade. You may need to do this in two stages if you have a smaller bowl!
- Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper if you like (for easier clean up!), then place the bok choy in the basket. Brush on any remaining marinade. Air fry at 360F / 180C for 6-7 minutes. Check the bok choy halfway through and flip if required. For crispier bok choy, air fry for a further few minutes.
- Carefully remove the bok choy from the air fryer and place on your serving plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Notes
- Dry off the bok choy after washing them so the honey ginger marinade sticks to the leaves more easily.
- If your bok choy is smaller in size, cut into halves rather than quarters.
- For a more spicy marinade, add more garlic and ginger.
- Be very careful when removing the bok choy from the air fryer as it will be very hot.
- Using parchment paper is optional, but does make clean up easier!
- Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be considered to be an estimate.
- sesame oil is not rated.
- sesame seeds, garlic and ginger score 1. Please note that sesame is a potential allergen.
Marie says
Looks delicious 😋
Do you have any cooking suggestions on how to make this without an air fryer?
Thanks!
Claire says
Hi Marie! You can pan fry or stir fry bok choy as an alternative to using an air fryer. There's also a steamed bok choy recipe here on the site that you may like. Hope you enjoy!
Marie says
Thanks Claire 😊
Claire says
You're welcome!