This delicious and perfectly caramelized, healthy 4-ingredient air fryer honey garlic salmon has a sweet and sticky sauce and cooks in less than 10 minutes.
Today we’re making some air fryer honey garlic salmon which cooks in less than 8 minutes and pairs perfectly with air fryer veggies like broccoli, zucchini, green beans, asparagus, or brussels sprouts. And you can add a side of rice or quinoa for a balanced meal or protein, veggies and carbs. It’s easy to make and uses basic pantry staples but does not skimp on the flavor.
I’ve been making this a couple of times a week and we never get sick of it. With how easy it is to mix the sauce together, marinate it for 30 minutes then let it do its thing in the air fryer, my dinners are usually ready in 10 minutes from start to finish. It’s the perfect answer to those quick weeknight dinners for busy (or lazy) people. Let’s get started.
How To Make Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon (1 Min Video)
AIR FRYER HONEY GARLIC SALMON RECIPE TIPS
‣ Air fryer – I have two types of air fryers. I use the 10 qt. oven-style air fryer for bigger meals with proteins on one tray and veggies on the other and the egg-shaped smaller capacity air fryer for quick meals. I’ve tested this recipe with both types of air fryers.
‣ Salmon – I used about two 5 ounce fillets for this meal but you can go up to 8 ounces without breaking the recipe. You can tell the salmon is done cooking when it is no longer translucent (red or raw) but opaque (pink). If the salmon flakes easily when pressed down gently with your finger or a fork (aka it separates easily along the white lines that run across the fillet), it is cooked! Alternatively, you can use a meat thermometer. FDA recommends cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145° F.
‣ Sauce – Divide the sauce into two. One part is for the marinating and basting just before cooking and the other is for drizzling over the salmon once it’s cooked.
‣ Honey – If you don’t have regular honey sitting in your pantry, you can substitute it with maple syrup.
‣ Soy sauce – Regular or low sodium soy sauce both work. You can also substitute it with tamari or coconut aminos.
‣ Garlic – I went with garlic powder because it was easier for me. You can also use fresh minced garlic.
Customize It!
- Add more flavor – Add more flavor with red pepper flakes, freshly minced or powdered ginger, fresh lime, or lemon juice.
- Add a garnish – Try toppings like black sesame seeds or freshly sliced green onions for texture and crunch.
AIR FRYER VEGGIES
So far, I’ve tested about three different veggies in the air fryer. I use this air fryer model so I’m able to fit in a tray of veggies at the same time as my salmon. The salmon takes about 8 minutes at 400°F so I usually add in the tray of veggies at the 5-minute mark and they’re perfectly done by then.
I’ve only tested broccoli, zucchini and brussels sprouts at 400°F/5 minutes but I think green beans and asparagus would take about the same amount of time. Here are a few quick ideas on how to prep your veggies for the air fryer:
‣ Garlic Parmesan Broccoli: Toss them with some olive oil, pepper, seasoning salt and shaker Parmesan cheese.
‣ Zucchini: Add some olive oil, salt and pepper and a dash of sugar. I’ve also tossed it with olive oil and Johnny’s garlic spread.
‣ Brussels sprouts: I like to add some olive oil, garlic powder and garlic salt, then toss them in a bottled balsamic reduction. It’s all bottled and ready to go for a simple drizzle, so there’s no need to fuss over making your own balsamic reduction.
‣ Green beans: Add some olive oil. smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste for some smoky green beans.
‣ Asparagus: Toss it with some olive oil, lemon slices or lemon juice, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.
And that’s about it. An easy-peasy super quick meal prepped and cooked in less than 15 minutes. Once you get the hang of prepping your veggies quickly while your salmon starts cooking, it’s even easier.
Enjoy and let me know how you liked it, what substitutions you made or what you paired it with in the comments below!
MORE SEAFOOD RECIPES TO TRY
- Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon
- Air Fryer Honey Mustard Salmon
- Easy Air Fryer Salmon (Brown Sugar Rub)
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Creamy Tuscan Shrimp
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Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon
- Total Time: 13 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
This delicious and perfectly caramelized, healthy 4-ingredient air fryer honey garlic salmon has a sweet and sticky sauce and cooks in less than 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 salmon fillets (5–8 oz. each)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder/1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
Optional Garnishes:
- Black/white sesame seeds
- Green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Combine honey, soy sauce and garlic powder and stir to mix. Divide the sauce in half.
- Marinate the salmon fillet with half the sauce in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F and place the salmon fillets in the air fryer. Baste the remaining marinade onto the salmon fillets.
- Air fry for 7-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.
- Dish and serve hot drizzled with the other half of the sauce.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe assumes you have an air fryer with a preheat option. If you do not, run your air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F to preheat it evenly before adding in the salmon and following the recommended recipe time.
- Add more flavor – Add more flavor with red pepper flakes, freshly minced or powdered ginger, fresh lime, or lemon juice. Also, try toppings like black sesame seeds or freshly sliced green onions for texture and crunch.
- Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 8 mins
Comments & Reviews
This was FANTASTIC. The sauce was so good. I didn’t have low sodium soy sauce, so I used only 1 tablespoon of regular soy sauce instead of the 1.5. Delicious!
Glad to hear the sauce balanced out well even with a little less soy sauce. Thanks for trying this recipe out – it’s a household favorite of ours.
Not a fan of salmon, but this was really pretty good. My grandchildren that ate it really like it.
I used to dislike salmon too but the older I get, the more I’m partial to it. I’m glad this recipe made it more palatable for you and that your grandkids loved it 🙂
Love this recipe! Quick, easy and so delicious!
I’m so glad you think so. I love it too!
Made exactly per recipe….perfectly delicious!
Yay! I love this salmon and so does my family. It’s a staple in our household with air-fried broccoli. I’m glad you love it too 🙂
Can I cook this in the oven? Have you ever tried it?
I do have an old honey garlic salmon recipe that’s baked in the oven. There’s more sauce in the oven version since you’re making it in a casserole dish or oven-proof skillet and not an air fryer with perforated surfaces – so it can be made saucier! I hope you try it out!
Best recipe out there for salmon! Great flavor and simple. I use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce for healthier version
I love it! That is quite the compliment! Thanks for commenting and sharing your substitution, Lynn. I hope it helps someone else.
Absolutely yummy!
Thank you for giving the recipe a go and I’m happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Absolutely loved this recipe and look forward to making it again!! I added red pepper flakes as suggested. Loved the added heat! Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Susan! Glad the red pepper flakes hit the spot for you 🙂
I made this using a 1-lb Verlasso salmon steak and it was perfect! I used fresh garlic and some fresh ginger, and topped with sliced green onion before serving. I will definitely make this again!
Ginger is a great addition to give it that warm flavor. So are green onions, great crunch! Thank you for sharing your customizations, Scottee.
Love it.
Thanks, Kira! I just made it last night and paired mine with mashed cauliflower and quinoa. Gotta lose those holiday pounds 😀
Loved this recipe! It was very easy and turned out delicious
I’m so glad to hear it. Thanks for sharing, Ana!
I was looking for a fast honey-garlic salmon recipe (that didn’t call for lemon) and yours was the perfect one!! The salmon came out moist and delicious – even my pickiest eaters loved it. This is my new go-to.
It’s a favorite of ours too. I’m happy everyone liked it so much! Air fryer + salmon works so well together.
This recipe tastes great! However, even thawed, my smaller pieces of salmon take far longer to cook through than 7ish minutes!
Did you preheat the air fryer first? The recipe assumes you start preheated. 7 minutes was enough for me on both my Cosori air fryer and Instant Pot Vortex Plus air fryer.
My airfryer doesn’t have a preheat option! But that makes sense that that’s the reason behind the time given. Thank you!
You’re welcome! Glad we figured it out. If it helps, it normally takes 4 minutes for my Cosori to preheat to 350°F and 5 minutes to preheat to 400°F. So give and take some of those minutes and add them to your non-preheated air fryer.
This is so helpful!! Thanks again 🙂
Thank you for the straightforward and easy recipe 😊. I just bought my airfryer and look forward to using it. Question: with basket type airfryer can will just lay the broccoli next to the salmon at the time you mentioned?
Thank you 😊
Yes, you can cook the salmon with air-fried broccoli! Here is the recipe to make the broccoli that I use. Just make sure not to overcrowd the basket and try and lay the broccoli in a single layer if possible so it crisps up instead of steaming. You will need to take out the broccoli at the 4-5 minute mark since it cooks before the salmon is done. The edges of the broccoli will be browned and crisp when done! Good luck and enjoy your new air fryer!
Do you cook it on the flat baking tray or in the air fryer basket? I have a airfryer toaster that I got for Xmas
I have both an air fryer oven and a regular basket type. For the oven, I use the flat baking tray it came with. For the smaller egg-shaped air fryer, I use the basket. It works with both types of air fryers.