The Crucial Steps To Follow Before Attempting To Air Fry Canned Veggies

If you're someone who loves the taste and texture of roasted and fried foods but not necessarily the cleanup involved then you probably own an air fryer. And if you need a crispy side dish to go with your oven-baked chicken breast, air fryers are known for turning fresh vegetables into crispy, mouthwatering delights. Yet if you only have canned veggies on hand, you need to follow some important steps to achieve the perfect consistency.

Since canned vegetables usually sit in a brine mixture composed of salt and water you need to make sure you remove this excess moisture before air-frying your veggies. You also want to make sure you don't space your veggies too close together or they won't get that signature fried texture, and you need to be aware of varying cooking times across appliances.

Here are all of the important factors to remember when air-frying canned veggies.

Now that you know it's possible to put a can of veggies in your air fryer, dinner just got a little more convenient — but there are a few additional elements of the cooking process to consider. As far as cook times go, follow your air fryer handbook since different models may suggest different recommended cooking temperatures. When it comes to seasoning your canned veggies, stick with a dry coating or spices as opposed to wet ingredients. Liquid-based flavor enhancers should be avoided since your air fryer's fan will only blow the ingredients around, making a mess and leaving your canned vegetables unevenly coated. You're best to stick with a recipe like air fryer parmesan green bean fries: While these canned beans are dipped in flour and beaten egg, they are coated in a dry layer of panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese before fried.

Besides using dry seasoning, it's important to leave enough room in your air fryer between food pieces; This way your canned veggies can develop the right texture. You may even want to cook your produce sporadically in order to provide your food with enough space. It's also important to flip your vegetables intermittently to create the ideal texture.

Cooking canned vegetables in your air fryer might require some leeway depending on the texture you're after. Unlike some of the 16 appetizing air fryer recipes for everyday meals, canned vegetables are slightly different due to the excess moisture hidden in the cans. Even if you do take the time to dry your veggies, you might need to adjust how long you keep canned produce in that hot fryer basket. Social media users on the Reddit platform claimed that doubling the cooking time — or simply keeping a watchful eye until the desired texture is reached — are the best ways to attain crispy air-fried veggies.

Apart from extending the length of time your canned produce remains in your fryer basket, you might also be surprised to discover you can add frozen canned vegetables directly to your favorite kitchen appliance as well. Just remember you may need to adjust the usual cook time so your veggies can properly develop a nice crunchy exterior. 

Air frying can also be the right solution to upgrade your canned produce. While air-fried green beans are quite popular, turning canned potatoes into crispy chips is fairly simple and comes with half the work since canned potatoes are already parboiled. Whichever veggie you attempt to fry next, just make sure to give your canned foods plenty of breathing room and let your vegetables cook until that signature air-fryer texture is achieved.