Air Fryer Garlic Mushrooms: Browned, Not Soggy

What goes in

Chestnut mushrooms give this dish a good savoury flavour, but ordinary white mushrooms work too. Choose reasonably similar sizes so the small pieces do not shrivel while the large ones finish.

• 300 g chestnut or white mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 10 g softened unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon, to taste

Keep the pieces chunky

Wipe away any dirt and trim dry stalk ends. Quarter medium mushrooms; halve smaller ones so the pieces are roughly similar. There is no need to peel them. If you rinse them, dry them well before adding oil.

Toss with the olive oil in a mixing bowl. Spread over the crisper plate in a loose layer, using the plate position recommended by your manual. A little contact is fine, but avoid a deep heap. Cook in batches if your drawer is small.

Smart tip

Mix the finishing butter in the serving bowl while the mushrooms cook. Their heat will melt it, and the garlic stays on the food instead of falling through the crisper plate.

Cook hot, then add the garlic butter

Preheat if required by your appliance, then air fry at 200°C / 400°F. Shake or turn the mushrooms halfway through. Check at ten minutes: they should have shrunk, feel tender and show some brown edges. Allow about 10–12 minutes in total, with extra time if the pieces are still pale or firm.

Meanwhile, mix the softened butter and garlic powder in your serving bowl. Add the hot mushrooms and toss until the butter melts around them. Fold in the parsley, season to taste and add a little lemon juice. Serve while hot.

Why there is water in the drawer

Mushrooms release water as they cook. A little liquid below the crisper plate is normal; pale mushrooms sitting in their own juices suggest the basket is too crowded or a solid liner is holding the liquid around them.

Use the fitted crisper plate for this recipe and leave space for the air to move. Do not keep adding oil to a wet-looking batch. More fat will not remove the water, and it can leave the finished mushrooms greasy.

Toast is a good place to start

Spread thick toast with soft cheese, then spoon the mushrooms over it. The garlic butter soaks into the bread, so eat it straight away. A handful of rocket on the side gives you lunch with very little extra work.

They also make a useful topping for a jacket potato. Add a spoonful of sour cream, the mushrooms and plenty of black pepper. For a bigger meal, serve beside sausages with mash and peas.

To make the mushroom recipe vegan, replace the finishing butter with a suitable plant-based spread or a little olive oil. Check any bread, spread or other accompaniments separately.

Use our air fryer jacket potato method if you want a crisp-skinned base for the mushrooms.

Use the timing for the right cut

The 10–12 minute range is based on Ninja’s chart for 300 g of quartered mushrooms at 200°C. It is a starting point for this version, not a promise for every drawer. Larger loads and larger pieces can need longer.

Thin mushroom slices, whole portobellos and frozen mushrooms behave differently. Do not apply this timing to a stuffed mushroom: the filling has to cook through as well as the cap.