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Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon

This Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon is perfectly caramelized, tender, flaky, and achieves a perfect sweet and sticky glaze with less than 10 minutes in the air fryer.

Side angle of Honey Garlic Air Fryer Salmon on a platter next to asparagus

Perfect Honey Garlic Salmon Made In The Air Fryer

Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon is just the right weeknight dinner choice when you have a busy schedule and don’t have much time to cook complicated meals.

With only a handful of pantry ingredients and an air fryer to prepare, this meal couldn’t be easier. When the Honey Garlic Salmon is done, you’ll have a fantastic piece of fish that is sweet, savory, and rich in umami.

This is the ultimate crowd-pleaser, made in no time. It takes all of 40 minutes from start to finish, so you don’t even have to spend time slaving over the stove for this delicious air fryer salmon recipe.

Fresh 6 oz salmon fillets on cutting board

Honey Garlic Samon Key Ingredients

Let’s talk about the key ingredients you will need to make this air fryer honey garlic salmon recipe.  

  • Salmon Fillets: You can use fresh or frozen fillets. If using frozen, make sure to let the filets thaw in the fridge overnight before cooking them. 
  • Honey: Adds a touch of natural sweetness and helps to thicken the glaze so that each fillet is coated with a sweet and sticky exterior.
  • Soy Sauce: For a soy-free alternative, feel free to use coconut aminos or tamari.
  • Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves add tons more of flavor to the honey glaze. Make sure to stick to fresh cloves for the best results. 
  • Lemon Juice: This adds a little tang and the perfect amount of acidity to the dish to help brighten all the other ingredients. Add fresh lemon zest too to really enhance the lemon flavor
  • Spicess: Adding dry spices like garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepepr help takes the dish to the next level by enhancing both the flavor and the texture. 
Four Fillets of Honey Garlic Air Fryer Salmon on a platter

Why Use An Air Fryer For Honey Garlic Salmon?

You can prepare this dish in the air fryer, oven, pan, or on the grill; it’s totally up to you, but there are several reasons why you would want to use an air fryer to make salmon.

Air fryers cook food faster with less oil than a regular oven. Using an air fryer to make the honey garlic salmon can cut your calorie content while still enhancing the overall taste because it perfectly seals in the moisture of the salmon, so it’s flaky and tender. It also relieves you of some of the added fuss and clean-up required with traditional cooking since it’s more compact.

What is the best air fryer for cooking salmon??

This delicious farro and salmon fried rice recipe comes together in just 30 minutes from start to finish. I highly You really can’t go wrong with any quality air fryer but personally, I love my Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven. It is an oven air fryer vs a basket-type air fryer which just means it’s multifunctional (big plus) and offers a bite more space. FYI this is an affiliate link which means I would get a small commission on your purchase.

Honey Garlic Air Fryer Salmon on a platter next to asparagus

No Air Fryer? No Problem!

The simplest way to make Honey Garlic Salmon is making it in an air fryer, but if you don’t have one, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy such a fantastic dish. Just use your oven and follow the simple steps below.

Honey Garlic Salmon Made In The Oven:

  • Marinate salmon as instrcuted in the recipe below. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
  • Line baking sheet with alumunum foil.
  • Before transfering to baking sheet make sure to remove excess marinade from fillets. Place the marinated salmon on the foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle top with remaining salt and pepper.
  • Place the tray in the preheated oven and wait for 8-12 minutes or until the top is caramelized and the salmon is opaque and flaky. Serve hot.

Can I Use Frozen Salmon?

You can, you can absolutely use frozen salmon. I prefer to use “fresh” salmon because I think it yields better results. But I use quotations because most fish in the grocery store seafood cases is usually previously frozen and thawed. Plus buying frozen salmon is way more cost effective so I totally understand if that is your preference.

If using frozen, make sure to let the filets thaw in the fridge and completely pat them dry before cooking them to get rid of any excess moisture. 

Air fryer asparagus on a platter

What To Serve With Air Fryer Salmon?

Enjoy it with rice or potatoes, a salad, steamed veggies, or anything else you see fit to serve it with for a complete meal. My personal preference is to serve it with quick air fryer asparugus and don’t forget drizzle both with a little extra lemon juice.

How Can You Tell When The Salmon Is Done?

You can tell if your salmon is done by checking with an instant-read thermometer. Salmon should be cooked to 140-145 degrees F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can tell that salmon is done by touch vs. sight. When salmon is done, it will be light pink on the inside, and it will flake easily with a fork.

How Long Do I Cook Salmon In An Air Fryer?

The answer depends on the size of salmon fillets you used in the recipe. I used 6-8 oz of salmon fillets, and it took 7-10 minutes to cook. The cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the salmon fillets. So, add around a minute for each additional ounce of thickness. I hope this helps!

Fork cutting into Honey Garlic Air Fryer Salmon on a white plate with a side of air fryer asparagus

How To Store & Reheat Leftover Salmon?

The best way to store leftover salmon is covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s always important to let your salmon cool before storing it, so you don’t end up with a mess of bacteria-laden salmon juice all over the fridge.

When you’re ready to eat it, I recommend reheating leftovers in a 350°F preheated air fryer for 4 minutes or until warmed through.

More Recipe Ideas

Now it’s your turn!

This Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon is ridiculously easy to make and I hope you give it a try! If you enjoy the recipe, please share it with your friends and family. And don’t forget to give me some five-star love down below. And if you have any comments or questions, leave them below too, and I’ll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible.

Honey Garlic Air Fryer Salmon on a platter

Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon Recipe

This Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon is perfectly caramelized, tender, flaky, and achieves a perfect sweet and sticky glaze with less than 10 minutes in the air fryer.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 38 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Meiko Temple

Ingredients

  • 4 6-8 oz salmon fillets, skinless

Honey Garlic Marinade

  • cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper divided
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Garnish (optional)

  • ½ tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Line air fryer tray with aluminum foil if using an oven air fryer. If using a basket air fryer check manual to make sure it’s ok to use aluminum foil but does keep things a lot cleaner.
  • In a large microwave-safe dish whisk together honey, butter, minced garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, oil, and smoked paprika. Separate half the marinade into a separate bowl.
  • First pat salmon fillets dry with a paper towel, then add them to the marinade bowl and douse in the marinade to ensure all sides are coated.
  • Transfer salmon fillets to foil-lined air fryer tray. Put tray into the air fryer set the temperature to 375°F and set time to 7-10 minutes depending on thickness.
  • Carefully transfer salmon to a serving platter and pour over remaining honey garlic marinade over the top then sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish.
Tried this recipe?Mention @MeikoAndTheDish or tag #MeikoAndTheDish

Equipment

Air Fryer
Meat Thermometer
Aluminum Foil

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

**The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products I use and love. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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1 thought on “Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon”

  1. 5 stars
    air fried is so easy and the salmon came out perfect. delicious!!!! i think next time i’d make a little more marinade and heat it up to pour over rice or whatever.

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