Air fryer shishito peppers are crispy and mild and make for a great snack on movie night — or they can be a delicious appetizer for a get-together. With their mild heat, they work well with nearly anyone’s palate.
While there are plenty of ways to cook the peppers, air frying them gives them a crisp texture that makes them ideal for dipping in sauces or for incorporating them in other dishes. You can slice them up and toss them into dips, stack them on sandwiches, or just munch on them as they are for a tasty snack.
The next time you’re looking for an incredibly easy and quick way to use up some peppers, or make a unique appetizer, turn to these simple peppers.
Common Questions about Air Fryer Shishito Peppers
What is the best way to enjoy shishito peppers?
While you can eat these peppers raw, many prefer them blistered like they are in this recipe.
Are shishito peppers hot?
Shishito peppers are relatively mild with their Scoville Heat Units rating significantly below jalapeno peppers.
How healthy are shishito peppers?
Shishito peppers pack a punch of vitamins with vitamins E, C, and A most prevalent. They’re also full of fiber.
Storage
When you are storing leftover peppers make sure they are in a single layer or that layers are separated by parchment paper or wax paper.
Refrigerator: You can store these for 5-7 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container or a ziploc bag. Note that their crunchy texture will deteriorate over time.
Freezing: Unless you are using these in a soup or stew, or another recipe in which texture isn’t an issue, these aren’t recommended for freezing. If you do freeze them, do it in a freezer-friendly container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Tips For The Best Air Fryer Shishito Peppers
- Prepare the peppers while they are at room temperature so that they heat quickly in the air fryer.
- Use high-quality olive oil. When you’re using only a few ingredients you want to make sure they are of the highest quality.
- Make sure the peppers are fresh. Older peppers can lose their firm texture so be sure to use the freshest you can find for a crunchy result.
Ingredients
There are just a few simple ingredients to make these that you’ll be able to find at nearly all grocery stores or local farmers’ markets.
- Plain shishitos
- Shishito peppers
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Flake sea salt
Sesame Soy Shishitos
- Shishito peppers
- Olive oil
- Soy sauce
- Toasted sesame seeds
Other Savory Snacks
Kitchen Supplies You’ll Need
Only a couple of supplies are needed to whip up this quick dish.
How to Make Shishito Peppers in the Air Fryer
Make sure your main and any other side dish is ready — these come together quickly with very little cooking time!
For Plain Shishitos:
- Toss the whole peppers with olive oil in a large bowl, coating evenly.
- Place the olive oil-coated peppers in the the air fryer basket
- Cook the shisito peppers until they are blistered on the outside and have a crisp texture.
For Sesame Soy Shishitos
- Toss peppers with olive oil in a large bowl, coating evenly.
- Place shishito peppers in the basket of the air fryer.
- Cook the peppers until they are blistered on the outside and have a crisp texture.
- Once the peppers are finished cooking, pour them out of the fryer basket into a bowl.
- Cover the air-fried peppers with the soy sauce and sesame seeds before tossing them to ensure they are completely covered.
- Squeeze lime juice over top before serving, if desired.
What to Serve With Air Fryer Shishito Peppers
You can just make a meal of snacking on these or you can pair them with any number of dishes.
- Rice – Slice these up and toss them into your favorite rice recipe.
- Protein – Serve alongside, or on top, of any meat, seafood, or meat substitute to spice it up.
- Sauce – Serve them with a small bowl of a spicy sauce, something cooling like a creamy dressing or dressed up sour cream based dip, or your own favorite dipping sauce.
- Cheese – Slice them lengthwise, fill with cream cheese, top with cheddar, and quickly broil them to brown the cheese for an amazing appetizer.
- Chili, stew, and soup – Slice or dice them and add them to your favorite soups, stews, or chili for added heat.
- Eggs – After cutting them into the desired size, add them to omelets or scrambled eggs.
- Mexican dishes – Upgrade your typical tacos, burritos, or enchiladas for added flavor.
- Snack plate – Make an entire delicious plant-based platter using these air fried shishito peppers alongside other veggies and starches. Place stuffed jalapeño peppers, air fryer potato wedges, pickled peppers, and any other veggies you like on a serving dish for an easy appetizer for a party.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
Outside of how quick it is, there are a few other reasons to turn on that air fryer.
- Easy – These require only a minute of prep time and a few minutes in the air fryer – they couldn’t come together more quickly.
- Affordable – All you need is a few peppers and some olive oil that you likely already have on hand.
- Versatile – There are so many ways to use these quick, crispy peppers.
Variations and Add-ins
You can make this your own personal pepper recipe with a few tweaks.
- Oil – You can choose another oil besides olive oil, just ensure that it has a similarly high smoke point. For the sesame version, you can sesame oil instead of oil.
- Peppers – Choose to use other varieties of peppers.
- Sweetness – If you like a little sweet with your heat, add a bit of honey to the olive oil before mixing.
- Heat – If these mild peppers aren’t hot enough for you, add some extra spice like chili powder and black pepper into the olive oil before tossing them.
- Seasonings – Bring your favorite flavors to the peppers by adding a good shake of some garlic powder or garlic salt, onion powder, or even a little bit of smoked paprika for smoky flavor.
Other Vegetable-based Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts with Herbed Honey Mustard
If you love this recipe – You might also love my air frying cookbook too!
The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook for Two also makes everything fast and easy. Most recipes take 30 minutes or less and they’re designed with simple prep and minimal clean-up in mind. Nutritional information, serving size descriptions, and recipes for vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free are also included. There’s so much to savor.
The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook for Two
Perfectly Portioned Recipes for Healthier Fried Favorites
If you love this easy Air Fryer Shishito Peppers recipe, you’re going to love these other air fryer snacks too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Other Pepper-Inspired Recipes
Black Bean Jalapeno Pepper Queso
CONNECT WITH YUMMI HAUS!
Be sure to follow me on my social media, so you never miss a post!
Air Fryer Shishito Peppers
Ingredients
Plain Shishitos
- 8 ounces shishito peppers
- ½ tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- flake sea salt to taste
Sesame Soy Shishitos
- 8 ounces shishito peppers
- ½ tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
For Plain Shishitos
- Add the peppers to a large bowl and toss them with olive oil.
- Transfer to the air fryer basket. Cook on 400F for 4-5 minutes, or until they are crisp and blistered.
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the top of the peppers and season with sea salt to taste.
- Serve warm.
For Sesame Soy Shishitos
- Add the peppers to a large bowl and toss them with olive oil.
- Transfer to the air fryer basket. Cook on 400F for 4-5 minutes, or until they are crisp and blistered.
- Transfer to a bowl and add the soy sauce and sesame seeds. Toss to combine.
- Serve warm, with a squeeze of lime, if desired.
Notes
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Reader Interactions
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Share Your Thoughts