In under 20 minutes, you can get your hands on this tender, flaky, and flavorful Air Fryer Salmon with Honey Garlic flavor! This simple weeknight salmon is deliciously healthy and super easy to throw together! If you love this, you will also love this Sheet Pan Salmon, Air Fryer Fried Chicken, Air Fried Jerk Wings, and Maple Glazed Salmon recipe.
By Leidi Rodriguez
AIR FRYER SALMON
I always keep salmon in my freezer. I’ll pick up an extra pack at the grocery store and tuck it away for nights like tonight.
It’s been a long week y’all! Mama is tired and I simply do not have the energy for long ingredient lists and lots of whisking. So, I’m calling on my new best friend to take care of things: my air fryer.
The air fryer cooks the salmon so quickly without any of the oven preheating. And no skillet messiness like when you pan-fry it. Not only does the salmon get flaky and perfectly cooked but the honey garlic glaze is so tasty!
Air fryer salmon is so easy to whip up and pairs well with so many sides. This recipe for honey garlic salmon is bound to be your go-to weeknight dinner!
HONEY GARLIC SALMON IN AIR FRYER INGREDIENTS
Air Fryer Salmon or this Honey Garlic Salmon in air fryer is made with less than 5 ingredients. Yup, you read that right! This means less mess, less time, and more time doing whatever the heck you want.
Here’s all you gotta pull together:
- Salmon Filets- you can use just about any kind of salmon you’d like. I prefer to use 6-8 ounce Atlantic salmon filets but sockeye or coho are also delicious options!
- Honey- the better the quality of honey you use, the tastier the salmon will be. Honey adds an irresistible sticky sweetness and a slightly floral taste. If you don’t like or have honey, use maple syrup instead!
- Soy Sauce- I know you might assume soy sauce will impart a distinctly Asian-style flavor to this salmon but you shouldn’t. Soy sauce adds salt, depth of flavor, and an umami-like quality to this recipe. For a gluten-free version, you can use tamari. Coconut aminos is also a fun healthy twist!
- Garlic- I prefer to fresh grate the garlic; it releases all the flavor and creates a sort of paste that coats the salmon more evenly.
- Salt + Pepper- everything needs salt and pepper so don’t skimp out here! If you wanna add some kick, throw a little cayenne into the mix.
HOW TO COOK SALMON IN AIR FRYER
Made in less than 20 minutes, this air fryer salmon recipe seriously couldn’t be easier to make! All you need is a few simple ingredients, an air fryer, and a few easy steps to follow:
- RINSE + DRY THE SALMON- you don’t have to but I always prefer to thoroughly rinse my salmon filets, then pat them dry with paper towels. I find that this helps to create a clean, dry base for the seasoning.
- LINE THE AIR FRYER + PREHEAT- for easier cleanup, go ahead and line the air fryer basket with heavy duty foil. Preheat the air fryer to ensure even cooking and accurate timing.
- MIX UP THE GLAZE- while you wait for the fryer to get hot, go ahead and stir up the glaze in a small bowl.
- COAT + COOK- season your filets with salt and pepper, then coat them in that sticky goodness of a glaze! Cook the salmon until tender and fully cooked through.
CAN I BAKE THE SALMON INSTEAD?
Absolutely! If you don’t have an air fryer at home, you can totally make baked honey garlic salmon instead. To do so, prepare the salmon as instructed while preheating the oven to 400 degrees.
Next, add salmon to the direct center of a large piece of greased or non-stick foil with enough on the sides to fold over when baking. Spoon the honey garlic glaze over the top of the salmon, then fold the sides of the foil. If you need more foil, just layer over the top and close.
Bake the salmon for about 15 minutes, or until the salmon is a minute or two shy of being fully cooked. Change your setting to broil, uncover the foil and place salmon under the broiler for about 2 minutes, or until golden and glazed.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH HONEY GARLIC SALMON RECIPE
This part is all up to you! Honey Garlic Salmon made in the air fryer can be served a million different ways. Serve your tender filet over a bed of salad, with a side of steamed rice and veggies, or use it as a base for some yummy tacos!
Still unsure? Try serving this recipe with a few of my own favorite sides:
- DIRTY RICE
- STEAMED VEGETABLES
- JAMAICAN RICE AND PEAS
- JERK COBB SALAD (replace the shrimp with salmon)
STORING LEFTOVER AIR FRYER SALMON
To maximize the life of your Honey Garlic Salmon, store any leftovers in shallow airtight containers or wrap them in heavy duty foil. Keep the salmon in the fridge for 3-4 days.
CAN I FREEZE SALMON AFTER COOKING?
Yes! Cooked salmon can be frozen as long as it’s stored properly. However, you should keep in mind that the flavor and texture of the fish might change a bit. The longer the salmon is frozen the more noticeable the difference will be.
Whether baked, cooked, or steamed, air fryer salmon will keep for approximately 4-6 months in the freezer. To store it, wrap each individual piece of salmon in plastic wrap, then tuck them away in a freezer-safe bag or airtight plastic container.
HOW TO REHEAT SALMON IN AIR FRYER
Reheating honey garlic salmon in air fryer is easy. All you gotta do is place the salmon in the air fryer basket, set the air fryer to 360 degrees F, and reheat the salmon for 3-5 minutes. This is the best way to reheat salmon or any fish without drying it out!
If reheating from frozen, you will first need to thaw out the filet in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a couple hours.
Cooked salmon can also be reheated in an oven set to 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes. I’d recommend first wrapping it in foil to prevent dryness.
TRY ALL OF GRANDBABY CAKES’ BEST SALMON DINNERS!
Air Fryer Salmon (Honey Garlic Salmon)
Ingredients
- 2 salmon filets 6-8 ounces each
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamarind for gluten free
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, and garlic or garlic powder. Set aside.
- Pat dry the salmon filets and season each with salt and pepper.
- Line your air fryer basket with foil. This will help with cleanup later. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees for 3 minutes.
- Place the salmon filets into the air fryer basket and evenly pour the glaze over the top. Make sure if using minced garlic that the garlic stays around it and not on the top as it will have a tendency to burn. Replace the lid and cook for 4-8 minutes, or until cooked through. This will depend on your air fryer so check along the way.
- Carefully remove the salmon from the air fryer and serve with the remaining sauce in the foil. It’s great to pour over the filet!
Notes
- My air fryer only fits 2 filets. The recipe can easily be doubled if you have a larger basket.
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I like the health benefits of sal on, but we were not big fans of it……until I tried your recipe. DELICIOUS! I have made it several times. I just use about 6 oz piece & cut back on the sauce. We like our salmon a little over cooked, so I leave it in the air fryer a little longer than you suggest. Thank You. BTW, I very seldom write reviews
Thank you so much, Jean for taking the time to write and leave a review for me! So happy to hear that you liked the salmon!
The ingredients for this recipe are ok but Omgosh, this is an ENORMOUS amount of both aminos and honey for two pieces of salmon. Such a waste. You should also never put sauce like this on the salmon at the start of the cooking process. It should be put on during the last several minutes because it will just burn…and since it’s so thin and soupy, about 2% of it will actually stay on your salmon, the rest will be in a layer of burnt mess in your air fryer, liner or not.
Thank you for the feedback!
Salmon turned out great but the sauce burnt up. Next time we will glaze toward the end and just season to cook.
So sorry to hear that, Jessica! I am glad the salmon still turned out well!
Delicious! Big hit with my picky husband. Very easy to make. Served on rice with broccoli. Only problem was the sauce didn’t stick to the salmon, so I scooped the sauce over instead. Next time I plan to marinate the salmon a bit.
I looked all through this recipe and could not find the temp to cook the salmon at. Please put the temp at the beginning of the recipe. There was a place where you mentioned baking it at 400. I had to go to another recipe to get a temperature.
Hi Rebecca, if you go to the recipe card at the bottom of the page the temperature is listed in the step by step instructions.
Idk what I did wrong I’m not the best cook but this came out horrible lol the time wasn’t enough and maybe the heat on my air fryer was too high cause it was over cooked and the sauce didn’t settle in right. ): I’ll keep trying
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that, Saben! Maybe your salmon fillets were thinner than the ones I used and that’s why it came out overcooked.
Hi Saben. I would suggest making the sauce a little thicker (reduce the amount of aminos/soy sauce) and don’t put it on until the last few minutes of cooking. The thickness will make it stay on your salmon, giving it a nice crisp layer, and only putting it on for the last few minutes will prevent it from burning. The cooking temp definitely varies with the thickness of the filets as well so if they’re a bit thinner maybe bump it down a bit. Give it another go, air fryer salmon is one of my favs!!!
Made this recipe for the first time today for dinner. I give it 5 stars for easiness and flavor! This recipe is a keeper. We loved it.
Air fryer salmon is a quick and easy way to prepare this nutritious and delicious fish. Using an air fryer to cook salmon results in a crispy, flavorful exterior and a juicy and tender interior.