Salmon fillets are coated in a sweet and spicy sauce and then air fried until perfectly juicy and tender in this easy air fryer honey garlic salmon recipe. Ready in under 15 minutes and exploding with flavor, this is a must-make easy seafood dinner!
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Why This Is the Best Honey Garlic Salmon Recipe
This honey garlic salmon is so moist and tender thanks to being cooked quickly in the air fryer – there is no time for the fillets to dry out! Here’s why you’ll love this juicy, mouth-watering honey glazed salmon.
- Fast & Easy: We love easy dinners, and that’s exactly what this air fryer salmon recipe is. You only need 7 ingredients to make this recipe and other than the salmon, they’re all pantry staples that you probably already have on hand. Plus, the entire recipe takes just 13 minutes from start to finish!
- Flavor: The sticky sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, with lots of Sriracha and fresh garlic rounded out with sweet honey and salty soy sauce. That irresistible sauce is cooked into each flaky layer of your salmon making it irresistible!
- Healthy: Salmon is one of the healthiest proteins around as it is loaded with vitamin D, phosphorus, and omega-3 fatty acids. This recipe does not have any oil or dairy added, and also happens to be gluten free, if you use tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos.
- Restaurant-Quality: Most people think of a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant when they have a piece of salmon. These sticky and tender salmon fillets taste like something you’d order at your favorite restaurant, but thankfully they’re fast, easy, and affordable to make at home!
Watch How To Make It
Want to see how to make this easy air fryer salmon from start to finish? Here’s a step-by-step video:
If you love cooking seafood in your air fryer, make sure to also check out our favorite air fryer mahi mahi and quick air fryer shrimp ready in just 10 minutes!
Ingredients Needed
With aromatic garlic, rich honey, umami-filled soy sauce, and a kick of heat from Sriracha, this sauce will have you licking your plate clean. For full ingredient amounts and directions, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Salmon Fillets: We use skin-on salmon, but you can use skinless if you prefer.
- Honey: If you do not have honey, you can also try maple syrup or brown sugar, to taste.
- Soy Sauce: Feel free to use tamari or coconut aminos to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic, do not use jarred or pre-minced garlic as it will be bland.
- Sriracha: You can use sriracha or any spicy chili sauce or hot sauce that you prefer.
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Black Pepper: Freshly-cracked black pepper will give your fish the most flavor.
How to Make Air Fryer Salmon
It only takes 13 minutes to make this fancy and mess-free meal. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for detailed instructions on how to make honey garlic salmon.
- Prep: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F, wash your salmon fillets, and pat them dry.
- Season: Mix the honey, soy sauce, Sriracha, garlic, chili flakes, and black pepper together, then brush half of it over the salmon.
- Cook: Air fry the salmon for about 8 minutes, adding the rest of the sauce halfway through, then serve hot.
Tips for the Best Air Fryer Salmon
This is such an easy salmon recipe, but here are a few great tips to help guarantee success:
- Parchment Paper: For easier cleanup, line your air fryer basket with a piece of parchment paper or air fryer liners. That will keep the honey-based sauce from sticking to the air fryer and burning, saving you from having to scrub later!
- Adjust The Heat: This recipe has a lot of spice from sriracha, chili flakes, and black pepper. The honey balances out the heat, so don’t worry, it’s not as spicy as it sounds. If you don’t like spicy food, feel free to reduce the amount of chili flakes and sriracha. And if you’re all about the heat, add more chili flakes, or Sriracha, to taste!
- Meat Thermometer: The size of your salmon fillets will change the cooking time. We used 7-ounce fillets, and they cooked in 8 minutes. For best results, use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the temperature of the fish, starting around 7 minutes. Stop cooking the fish as soon as it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F and it will stay perfectly juicy and tender.
- Garnish: Most entrees are best with a garnish, and this recipe is no exception. We recommend topping the juicy and spicy salmon with sesame seeds, green onions, cilantro, or chives!
- Have Your Sides Ready: Salmon is best eaten as soon as it’s done cooking as it tends to get cold quickly. Make sure that the rest of your meal is fully prepared, or with only a few minutes left to cook, before you start air frying this honey garlic salmon. That way you can enjoy your fish as soon as it is ready.
Serving Suggestions
This healthy air fryer salmon recipe is best served with some bright and fresh veggies and our favorite cilantro lime rice or coconut rice. If you don’t love rice, it is also great over a bed of parmesan butter noodles, mashed sweet potatoes or these amazing garlic mashed potatoes. For some healthy vegetable sides, you can also try these air fryer brussels sprouts, refreshing cucumber tomato salad, or some classic roasted green beans.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Leftover air fryer honey garlic salmon will last in the fridge for up 4 days, as long as you store it in an airtight container. To reheat, place the salmon skin side down in the air fryer, and cook at 350°F for about 3 minutes, until warmed through.
Can You Freeze This Honey Glazed Salmon Recipe?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze this juicy soy and honey-glazed salmon. Make sure the fish is completely cooled, then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. For best results, transfer frozen fish to the fridge to thaw for 24 hours before reheating.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
- Lemon Pepper Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
- Best Air Fryer Hot Dogs
- Air Fryer Orange Chicken
- Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
- Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp
- Air Fryer Steak Bites with Potatoes
- Air Fryer London Broil
Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- Rinse the salmon filets and pat dry with a paper towel and set aside.
- In a small bowl add honey, soy sauce, garlic, crushed red pepper and black pepper. Whisk until well blended.
- For easy clean up, line the air fryer tray with parchment paper or an air fryer liner. Lay the filets skin side down on the parchment paper.
- Use about half of the honey sauce and brush over each filet, reserve the remaining sauce for later.
- Cook the salmon on 400°F for 8 minutes. Halfway through cooking, at the 4 minutes mark, add the other half of the honey sauce to each filet. Continue cooking for 4 more minutes, until filets reach an internal temperature of 145°F on an instant-read meat thermometer.
- Serve immediately.
