These air fryer leeks have the best sweet onion flavor! Quick and easy to make, enjoy these tasty cooked leeks as a vegetable side dish that comes together in just 15 minutes.
Have you ever grown your own leeks? They are actually a super easy vegetable to grow if you feel like it! Plant late summer and they will work their magic over the winter and give you a tasty spring vegetable. Enjoy them by making these crispy air fryer leeks or use for my chicken leek risotto or celery leek potato soup as tasty meals!
Easy side dishes are always popular here, so pair my air fried leeks with other vegetables by cooking up my frozen riced cauliflower, air fryer celery, air fried cauliflower steaks or my steamed pak choi recipe for your evening meals!
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Full of flavor. Cooked leeks have a delicious mild onion flavor with a hint more sweetness.
Easy vegetable side dish. Pair with meat, chicken, fish or plant-based main dishes as a healthy side or use to top soups, stews or risotto.
Minimal prep. We just need a few minutes to dice the leeks and toss in olive oil and herbs. Then air fry for fun crispy leeks!
🥬 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Leeks - make sure to wash leeks well as they do tend to harbor dirt between their leaves! We use the tender and flavorful white and light green parts of the leek.
- Mixed herbs - I like to use Italian seasoning, but you can also use Herbes de Provence or a single herb such as dried thyme, tarragon or oregano.
- Garlic powder - this is optional, but it gives a lovely extra depth of flavor along with the herbs.
📖 Swaps and variations
Use herbs of your choice. If you like to use a pre-prepared herb mix it will work so well, or grab an individual dried herb from the pantry.
Leave out the garlic. If you're not a fan, simply omit the garlic.
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making these air fryer leeks is so easy, and takes just 15 minutes.
All the instructions are in the recipe card below, but these photos should help guide you.
Step 1
Wash and prepare the leeks. Slice the root and the dark green leaves off the leeks. Wash well, making sure to remove any dirt in between the leaves. Pat dry, then dice into small rounds, about half an inch thick (image 1).
Recipe tip: on a recipe test I diced the leeks a little thicker, about an inch or so. While they were tasty, they became a little overly browned on the edges but not quite tender in the centre. Dicing to about half an inch works best I suggest for lightly crispy frizzled leeks!
Step 2
Season the leeks. Add the leeks to a bowl and drizzle on olive oil. Sprinkle over the mixed herbs, garlic powder, salt and black pepper (if using). Use your hands to coat the leeks in the oil herb mixture (image 2).
Step 3
Air fry the leeks. Tip the leeks into your air fryer basket in an even layer, with a little space between them. Air fry for 6-10 minutes at 375F / 190C, shaking the basket after 4-5 minutes. Check the leeks, looking for crispy light brown edges, and continue to air fry in 2-3 minute intervals to the texture you like (image 3).
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Dice the leeks into roughly similar size pieces for an even cook time.
- Adjust the amount of herbs and garlic powder to taste preference.
- Shake the basket after 4-5 minutes and check for 'doneness'. Air fry further in intervals of 2-3 minutes.
- Air fryers vary slightly in terms of temperature due to the model (also, I have a dual basket air fryer and one basket runs hotter than the other!), so adjust the cook time as needed.
📋 Frequently asked questions
Cooked leeks have a mild sweet flavor, and a hint of onion. They can easily be flavored with herbs, spice or garlic.
The flavorful parts of a leek are the light green and white parts. Use a knife to remove the root and the dark green leaves, which are tougher in texture. You can use the darker green leaves to make vegetable stock if you like.
Wash off any excess dirt, then top and tail the leeks, removing the root and dark green leaves. Hold under the tap and separate the leaves so you remove any dirt in between them. This tutorial on prepping leeks by Abel and Cole is helpful!
You can easily slice the leeks lengthways and air fry. They will likely take a few minutes longer than smaller pieces of diced leek.
The leeks will have slight browning to their edges, be slightly crispy and fork tender when cooked through.
🍽 How to serve air fried leeks
- Love an all-air fryer meal as it's just so easy?! Do check out my air fried turkey burgers and air fried frozen fish recipes for a tasty main dish.
- Pair with my tarragon chicken recipe, skillet chicken with turmeric or my panko baked cod as a healthy vegetable side.
- Serve with a dipping sauce for a fun appetizer!
- Add to a tasty summer salad such as my orzo pesto salad or my turkey vegetable pasta salad.
- Sprinkle over pasta, soups or risotto as a fun topping.
🥣 More tasty air fryer recipes
Find so many delicious air fryer recipes here, including main dishes such as my air fried pesto chicken thighs and my air fried mini peppers. Some recent recipes:
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 please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Leeks
Ingredients
- 1 cup leeks washed, diced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon mixed herbs
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer at 375F / 190C for 3 minutes.
- Slice the root and dark green leaves off the leeks with a sharp knife. Wash well, including between the leaves. Pat dry with paper towel or a clean cloth.
- Dice the leeks into rings of around half an inch thick. If your leeks are thinner (often the case with home grown leeks), you can slice a little thicker.
- Add the diced leeks to a bowl and drizzle on the olive oil. Sprinkle over the mixed herbs, garlic powder, salt and black pepper (if using). Use your hands to coat the leeks in the oil herb mixture.
- Tip the leeks into your air fryer basket and arrange in an even layer, with a little space between them. Air fry for 6-10 minutes at 375F / 190C, shaking the basket after 4-5 minutes. Air fry for longer as required in 2-3 minute intervals if your leeks are larger in size or you like more crispy leeks
Notes
- Dice the leeks into roughly similar size pieces for an even cook time.
- Adjust the amount of herbs and garlic powder to taste preference.
- Shake the basket after 4-5 minutes and check for 'doneness'. Air fry further in intervals of 2-3 minutes until you get the level of crispy leeks you like.
- Air fryers vary slightly in terms of temperature and 'hotness' due to the model, so adjust the cook time as needed.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- leeks score 1 with a ? as a liberator. There is a note, 'In small amounts usually well tolerated'.
- use low histamine herbs for the recipe.
- garlic, which scores 1.
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