Name: Air Fryer Shishito Peppers
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3 cups shishito peppers ((5.3oz/150g, see note 1)); 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice; 1½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil; Flaky sea salt ((or fine sea salt, to taste)); Red pepper flakes ((optional, to taste))

These addictive Air Fryer Shishito Peppers couldn't be easier to make. Ready in 10 minutes. Just 4 ingredients, including lemon juice and sesame oil. Make for healthy snack, easy appetizer or veggie side dish...and watch them disappear fast! (Vegan, Gluten Free).

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Air Fryer Shishito Peppers with lemon and sesame oil on a plate.

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These Air Fryer Shishito Peppers are so good...before you know it, you've eaten them all! They're savory, salty, and ridiculously fast to make.

Blistered shishito peppers are often found on restaurant menus. But they're so easy to make at home for a fraction of the cost. And, you can make them healthier by using less oil. Serve these peppers as an appetizer, side dish, or snack. Then watch them get gobbled up!

For more air fryer vegetable recipes check out: Air Fryer Cabbage Wedges, Air Fryer Broccolini, Air Fryer Butternut Squash, and Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes.

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Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredients (and substitutes)
How to make (step-by-step photos)
Tips
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Why you'll love this recipe

Simple: Just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes to make. It couldn't be any easier!
Restaurant-quality at home: Blistered shishito peppers are a restaurant dish that you can easily make at home. It'll save you money. You'll use less oil with the air fryer. And, the flavor combination in this recipe really stand out.
Crowd pleaser: Everyone loves blistered shishito peppers. They're the perfect finger food. The peppers are quite mild. But 1 in 10 are spicy. So, people find it fun to see if they get the spicy pepper. Even if you don't get the spicy pepper, they're still delicious!
Versatile: Serve air fryer shishito peppers as an appetizer, side dish, or light snack.

Ingredients (and substitutes)

You only need 4 ingredients to make blistered shishito peppers in the air fryer. Here's what you need:

Ingredients to shishito peppers in the air fryer including lemon and sesame oil.

Shishito Peppers: These finger-length green peppers originated in Japan. They have thin, slightly wrinkled skin that cooks and absorbs flavors quickly. You can usually find them at grocery stores (like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's), farmers markets, and Asian grocers. 1 in 10 peppers will be spicy—but all others will be very mild.
Lemon Juice: Lemon pairs really well with shishito peppers. Use fresh lemon juice (not bottled) because it has much better flavor.
Sesame Oil: Toasted sesame oil really makes this dish! It adds a bold, almost nutty flavor. You don't need much—just a drizzle. This recipe adds the sesame oil after the peppers are blistered, because it's best not to heat this oil too much.
Salt: We recommend using flaky sea salt if you have it. Otherwise, regular sea salt works fine.
Red Pepper Flakes (optional): Shishito peppers are surprisingly mild. Some people look forward to getting a spicy pepper, but never get it! For this reason, we like to serve our air fryer shishito peppers with chili flakes. This way everyone gets a bit of spice. But feel free to skip it.

Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.

How to make (step-by-step photos)

It's really fast to roast shishito peppers in the air fryer. In fact, this recipe only takes 10 minutes! Here's how to make it:

Shishito peppers in an air fryer basket before baking. — 1. Scatter shishito peppers in a single layer in an air fryer basket.

Blistered shishito peppers in an air fryer basket. — 2. Bake in an air fryer until blistered on the outside, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Sesame oil being drizzled over a bowl of blistered air fryer shishito peppers. — 3. Drizzle roasted shishito peppers with toasted sesame oil and fresh lemon juice.

Air fryer Shishito peppers in a bowl being sprinkled with salt. — 4. Toss to coat. Then add salt and chili flakes (if using).

Recipe Testing Note: We tested air frying shishito peppers with and without oil. It didn't make a noticeable difference in taste or appearance. So, this recipe calls for roasting the shishito peppers without oil. This way, you'll use less oil and make fewer dirty dishes! Then, just add a drizzle of sesame oil before serving for flavor.

Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.

Tips

Pat peppers dry after rinsing: You want the shishitos to roast, rather than steam. So, take a second to pat the peppers dry with a clean kitchen towel after rinsing. This helps remove excess moisture before cooking.
Don't crowd the air fryer basket: Spread out the peppers in a single layer in the air fryer basket. This helps the air circulate and encourages them to roast evenly. If you're using a smaller air fryer, you may need to bake in batches.
If you like heat, add chili flakes: Only 1 in 10 shishito peppers are spicy. The rest are very mild. Sometimes people feel disappointed if they don't get the spicy pepper. So, our solution is to garnish with red pepper flakes. This way, everyone gets to enjoy a little heat! But, leave them off if you don't want extra spice.
For more smoky flavor, used smoked salt: Smoked salt is a clever hack to add a hint of smoky flavor to your cooking. Maldon Salt makes smoked sea salt flakes. You can substitute them for the flaky salt in this recipe.
Dipping sauce for shishito peppers: These blistered shishito peppers are delicious as is. But, if you want to serve with a sauce for drizzling or dipping, here are our top 4 recipe recommendations: Honey Sriracha Sauce, Tahini Yogurt Sauce, Homemade Chili Garlic Oil, and Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce.

Blistered shishito peppers with lemon and sesame in an air fryer basket.

Other air fryer snack recipes:

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