This recipe for Air Fryer Shishito Peppers is an easy appetizer that tastes just like it came from a fancy restaurant. With just 3 ingredients, you can make it in a basket-style or oven-style air fryer. Serve it with this simple, homemade Lemon Aioli or your favorite dipping sauce.
If you haven't tried blistered shishito peppers, you're missing out! These mild peppers are roasted in an air fryer and ready in less than 10 minutes!
Traditionally, shishito peppers are roasted in the oven or on the grill and you would have to continuously shake them so they are cooked evenly until slightly charred.
Shishitos is not easy to spell or pronounce! ha! It is sometimes misspelled sishito and shisito peppers. Don't try saying it 3 times, fast!
Cooking the peppers in the air fryer not only saves you time but allows them to cook evenly since the air is super heated and circulated in the air fryer.
Shortcuts
- Sauce for Shishito Peppers- Instead of making your own Lemon Aioli, you can buy a garlic-flavored mayonnaise, Ranch dressing, soy-ginger sauce or any sauce made to dip chicken wings.
- No need to scoop out the seeds in a shishito pepper! These roasted peppers are meant to be eaten whole...except for the stem.
Ingredients
What you will need to make this Air Fryer Shishito Peppers recipe.
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
- Shishitos
- Olive Oil - To help keep the peppers from sticking.
- Salt
- Homemade Lemon Aioli - A simple mixture of lemon, mayo, and garlic. You can find the exact measurements in the recipe below!
How to air fry Shishito Peppers
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- Wash the shishito peppers and pat dry or let dry on a kitchen towel.
- Preheat the air fryer to 390-400F.
- In a medium size bowl, toss together the peppers and oil. Arrange the peppers in air fryer rack in a single layer, if possible.
- Air fry shishito peppers for 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly charred and blistered, shaking the basket at 4 minutes.
- While the peppers are cooking, mix up the aioli according to the instructions below in the printable recipe.
Tip: If using an oven style air fryer on racks to air fry peppers, turn the peppers over halfway through cooking with tongs.
- Sprinkle with salt and serve the roasted peppers with Lemon Aioli below or your favorite dipping sauce.
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Pro Tips
For extra lemon flavor in the sauce, before cutting the lemon to get the juice, use a microplane or grater to remove some of the lemon rind and add about ¼ to ½ teaspoon zest to the sauce.
Substitutions & Variations
Trade "this" for "that" in this charred shishito peppers recipe.
- Red shishito peppers- When I grew shishito peppers in my garden, some of them turned red or orange, adding a bit of color to blistered shishito peppers. The color does not add any heat to the already mild peppers.
- Oils- I love to use herb-flavored olive oil or other flavored oils to add flavor without adding another ingredient. Any oil with a high smoke point like avocado, vegetable, and melted coconut oil will also work.
- Seasonings- It’s easy to sprinkle a black pepper on the peppers before roasting them. You can also add Greek seasoning, garlic-pepper blend or even Tajin seasoning.
- Dips- A soy-ginger dipping sauce or a Parmesan Garlic salad dressing are other options. My favorite dipping sauce for ANYTHING is my Southern Comeback Sauce. You probably have everything already on hand to make it.
Are Shishito Peppers Hot?
Shishito peppers are unique when it comes to being spicy. Only 1 in 10 shishito peppers are hot so it's very random and you never know when you're going to get that one spicy pepper! But in general, they are classified as a mild pepper.
Shishito peppers have very thin skins and few seeds so you can eat several all by yourself, seeds and all!
Where to buy shishito peppers?
Shishito peppers are in season from late spring to early fall and can be bought at stores at local grocery stores like Publix, Kroger, Trader Joes and even in a larger bag at Costco.
I tossed in a couple of peppers from my garden, too!
What to serve with Air Fryer Shishito Peppers
These roasted peppers are a quick and easy snack for tailgating, cookout or appetizer for a dinner party. Depending on what you dip them in, they can be keto-friendly, gluten-free and dairy free appetizer.
- Easy Ribeye Roast
- Teriyaki dipping sauce, Comeback Sauce, Ranch dressing
- Bacon-Wrapped Venison Backstrap Roast
- Fried Green Cherry Tomatoes
- Pan Fried Crab Cakes
- Baked Pimento Cheese Dip with Bacon
How to store
- To Store: Roasted shishito peppers are best eaten immediately. Lemon Aioli can be made ahead of time and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.
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Air Fryer Shishito Peppers and Lemon Aioli
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
- 4.5 quart Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) bag shishito peppers (about 3 cups)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher or table salt
Lemon Aioli
- 1 large lemon
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon garlic paste or 1 large garlic clove, pressed
Instructions
- Wash the shishito peppers and pat dry or let dry on a kitchen towel.
- Preheat the air fryer to 390 to 400F.
- In a medium size bowl, toss together the peppers and oil.
- Arrange the peppers on the air fryer rack in a single layer, if possible. Air fry shishito peppers for 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly charred and blistered, shaking the basket at 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the Lemon Aioli. Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze one of the halves to measure about 1 tablespoon and add to the mayonnaise and garlic in a small bowl. Cut the remaining half into 4 wedges or slices.
- Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately with Lemon Aioli. Squeeze a lemon wedge over the peppers right before eating, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
scott
Perfect for football season
Kathleen
Absolutely! I'm here for the food!