Air fryer honey garlic salmon is easy to make and cooks up in less than 10 minutes in the air fryer! The salmon is coated with a delicious glaze that's packed with flavor. This salmon is delicious served with rice, your favorite veggie, or used as an ingredient in a grain bowl or tacos.
I always keep salmon in my freezer. It's so easy to thaw, and then marinate to make delicious dishes like this! And my favorite way to cook salmon these days is in 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! The salmon gets flaky and perfect cooked.
The honey garlic glaze is so tasty! It uses honey for sweetness, garlic for a punch of flavor, lemon for a little brightness, and soy sauce for umami. So easy to mix up and I just want to slather it on everything! Carrots, chicken, shrimp. And in this case, salmon.
Ingredients
- Salmon fillets
- Soy sauce
- Honey
- Garlic powder
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Salt + pepper
How to make air fryer honey garlic salmon
First, take the salmon and dry off with paper towels. Season both sides of the salmon with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Next, mix up your marinade. Take the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic powder, and lemon juice and stir to combine.
Pour the marinade into a shallow bowl or dish. Add the salmon to the bowl, making sure both sides have been covered with marinade.
Leave the salmon in the bowl for five minutes, pink side down, to really soak up the marinade.
Place your salmon in the air fryer, skin side down (if you left the skin on), and cook at 390 degrees F for 7-8 minutes.
Remove, and serve with extra lemon if desired. Salmon should be flaky and tender, and not dry.
Should I keep the salmon skin on or off?
You can do either. The salmon I get usually is skin on. Sometimes I feel ambitious and slice the skin off, and sometimes I don't. In the photos here, I left it on.
Even if you leave it on, you'll still season both sides, and marinate both sides. When you're marinating for five minutes, make sure to do it skin up (if you've chosen to leave the skin on). That way the honey garlic marinade really soaks into the part you'll actually eat.
Speaking of that, in this recipe I don't typically eat the skin. I don't feel like it gets crispy enough to eat, even in the air fryer. That's because you're marinading the skin too, not just applying oil to crisp it up. So if I leave the skin on, I just leave the skin on the plate while the salmon flakes off onto my fork.
Recipe tips
- This recipe can easily be doubled. The honey garlic marinade can also be used for slightly larger pieces of salmon.
- If you want a slight bit of heat, you can also season your salmon with a tiny bit of cayenne pepper before marinating. A little goes a long way!
- Not a fan of honey? You can use maple syrup instead.
- For a gluten-free version, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- You can use parchment paper in your air fryer to keep the salmon from sticking and also allow for less mess.
- Check your honey garlic salmon in the air fryer as it cooks! All air fryers heat differently, and if you're using a thicker cut of salmon, it may take more time. However, watch carefully because the sugar in the honey can burn easily, so a little is okay, but you don't want your entire piece of salmon to be charred on the outside. Check frequently for doneness!
More air fryer salmon recipes
- Air Fryer Miso Salmon
- Air Fryer Brown Sugar Salmon
- Air Fryer Salmon with Crispy Skin
- Air Fryer Harissa Salmon
- Air Fryer Old Bay Salmon
- Air Fryer Salmon Teriyaki
- Air Fryer Honey Dijon Salmon
- Air Fryer Honey Sriracha Salmon
Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces salmon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
For glaze/marinade
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Slice the salmon into 4 ounce portions, if desired. Remove the skin of the salmon if you would like the skin off (optional).
- Dry the salmon off with paper towels. Season the salmon with the salt, pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Into a bowl, combine the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic powder, and lemon juice. Stir together with a fork or spoon until combined. Place the marinade into a shallow bowl or dish.
- Dip both sides of the salmon pieces in the marinade, and then let the salmon rest in the marinade for 5 minutes, pink side down.
- Place the salmon skin side down (if you left the skin on), into the air fryer. Cook at 390 degrees F for 7-8 minutes until cooked through.
Notes
Tips and tricks:
- This recipe can easily be doubled. The marinade can also be used for slightly larger pieces of salmon.
- If you want a slight bit of heat, you can also season your salmon with a tiny bit of cayenne pepper before marinating. A little goes a long way!
- Not a fan of honey? You can use maple syrup instead.
- For a gluten-free version, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- You can use parchment paper in your air fryer to keep the salmon from sticking and also allow for less mess.
- Check your salmon in the air fryer as it cooks! All air fryers heat differently, and if you're using a thicker cut of salmon, it may take more time. However, watch carefully because the sugar in the honey can burn easily, so a little is okay, but you don't want your entire piece of salmon to be charred on the outside. Check frequently for doneness!
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
Taylor
What can be used if not lemon juice?
Aimee
The lemon juice adds a touch of acidity and brightness. You could use lime juice or just a splash of vinegar (rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, etc.) that would also add to bring a touch of acidity. If you don't feel like you need acidity, you can just leave it out.
gther
very simple to make and still tastes like more complicated recipes
Julie
WOW, tried this tonight and it was AMAZING and so easy. Definitely going in the dinner rotation! Thank you!!!
Alejandro E Granado
I have been making this for my wife ever since we got an Air Fryer. Comes out perfect every time! We use aluminum foil instead of parchment paper
Mary Williams
Can you use frozen dalmon
foodbanjo
I haven't tried it, but I've heard you can defrost salmon in the air fryer for cooking at 390 F for 7 minutes, skin side down. After defrosting, then you would want to apply the marinade and cook according to the directions. I hope that's helpful!
June
Did you cook on paper towel in air fryer?
foodbanjo
Hi June! No, I will put down parchment sometimes, and that's what is in the photo. I will take parchment paper and cut it to a size that will fit into my air fryer basket. This isn't necessary, but can help with sticking or messiness from certain things I cook in the air fryer.