This air fryer romaine lettuce is a tasty and healthy side dish that takes just 10 minutes to make! Enjoy this hot cooked lettuce with main meals, or to accompany summer salads.
Now we all know that lettuce is good for us, but sometimes plain leaves can be a little dull don't you think? Air frying this romaine lettuce with a pinch of herbs and garlic gives it so much flavor. This version gives us a similar texture to grilled romaine, which is really quite delicious!
Love easy air fryer sides as much as my family does? Have a peek at my air fryer broccoli and cauliflower, air fryer mini peppers, air fryer bok choy and air fryer butternut squash for more healthy dishes!
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Elevates the lettuce flavor! Cooked hot lettuce is so tasty, and makes a nice change from cold in salads. Add my seasoning for even more flavor.
Minimal ingredients. Aside from the romaine, we use just a few pantry staples for this recipe.
Quick and easy. No complicated steps, no need to turn the oven on and no hanging around - this air fryer romaine lettuce is a fast recipe!
🥬 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Romaine lettuce - pick fresh produce and slice the head of romaine lengthways through the stem.
- Olive oil - I suggest not using too much as it can make the lettuce overly greasy.
- Mixed herbs - use a herb mix such as herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning for a quick recipe!
📖 Swaps and variations
Swaps mixed herbs for a single herb. If you prefer, use a single herb such as dried thyme or parsley. More ideas on my herbs and spices post!
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making this air fryer romaine lettuce is super simple, with just a few steps:
Step 1
Season the romaine lettuce. Cut the romaine head lengthways through the stem. Mix the olive oil, herbs, garlic powder, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Use a silicone brush (or your hands) to lightly brush the oil herb dressing over the lettuce (image 1).
Step 2
Air fry the romaine lettuce. After preheating the air fryer, use tongs to place the lettuce halves in the basket (image 2). They are larger in size, so you may need to work in batches if you have a smaller air fryer, or a dual basket air fryer as I do.
Air fry for 3 minutes, then check the basket. This gives minimal charring, which is how I like it. But if you like a little more char, air fry for a further minute or two.
💭 Expert recipe tips and notes
- Slice the romaine lengthways through the stem. If you trim the stem be careful not to cut too far or the leaves will break off.
- Brush the oil fairly lightly onto the lettuce. You want enough to help the herbs and seasoning stick to the lettuce, but not too much that it becomes greasy. If your romaine is on the smaller side, you may not need to use all the oil dressing.
- Make sure to check the lettuce after 3 minutes. It will cook fast in the air fryer and we don't want burnt leaves!
📋 Frequently asked questions
It has a slightly sweet flavor, and a good crunch!
Yes, air frying lettuce gives it a lovely taste and texture and makes a nice change from cold lettuce!
You can air fry individual salad leaves, but they will cook very fast so only do so for a few minutes then check them for doneness.
Air frying lettuce is very quick and will only take 3-4 minutes to get a nice char.
🍽 How to serve air fryer romaine lettuce
- Enjoy as a romaine salad by itself for a quick and very healthy snack.
- Pair with hot main meals such as my rosemary chicken fillets or my coconut herb chicken skewers - perfect for summer I think!
- If you are all about the air fryer, then serve this romaine with my air fryer chicken thighs, air fryer cod or my air fried turkey burger and a side of my air fryer sweet potato wedges.
- Add to fresh salads such as my beet broccoli salad and my butternut and beetroot salad.
- If it works for you, make an air fryer salad with other vegetables, or perhaps add some fresh cheese for a faux caesar salad!
🥗 More fun salad ideas
Whether it's for a main meal in the summer months, or as a side dish, you'll find so many ideas for salads here, including my popular kale apple slaw and cucumber beet salad. 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 I love to hear from you - so please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ or comment if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Romaine Lettuce
Ingredients
- 1 romaine lettuce head
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon mixed herbs optional
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 390F / 200C for 3 minutes.
- Combine the olive oil, herbs, garlic powder and black pepper in a small bowl. Use a silicone brush (or your hands) to lightly coat the romaine lettuce. You may have some of the oil dressing left over.
- Place the romaine lettuce in the air fryer and air fry for 3 minutes at 390F / 200C. For extra char, continue to air fry for a further 1-2 minutes, but be careful not to overcook.
- Use tongs to remove the romaine lettuce from the air fryer basket, as it will be quite hot.
Notes
- Cut the romaine lettuce head lengthways, through the stem. You can trim the stem slightly, but be careful not to cause the leaves to fall away from it.
- Brush the lettuce fairly lightly with the oil herb dressing.
- I suggest checking the air fryer after three minutes, as you don't want to overcook the lettuce.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be considered to be an estimate.
- romaine isn't specifically mentioned, but lettuce scores 0.
- garlic, which scores 1.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
- check your herb mix for suitable ingredients.
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