Air Fryer Artichokes are a quick and delicious vegetable side dish. Much faster than steaming or boiling, air frying artichokes takes less than 10 minutes. They’re even better when you serve them with a delicious Garlic Aoili for dipping.

Low angle shot of air fryer artichokes on a plate.

Growing up in California, artichokes were a pretty regular vegetable on my family’s dinner table. I was well into adulthood when I learned that people from other parts of the country didn’t eat artichokes all the time.

Along with putting avocado on everything and my penchant for having a green salad with homemade vinaigrette alongside dinner every night, artichokes were a new and slightly strange discovery for my husband when he moved here from the east coast.

My family always ate artichokes steamed with either melted butter or mayonnaise for dipping, except on the rare occasions that my mom got fancy with a pancetta-studded bread stuffing. These air fryer artichokes are one of my favorite air fryer recipes.

A hand dipping an artichoke leaf into a bowl of garlic aioli.

How to choose the best fresh artichokes

Artichoke season is March through June, so this is the best time of year to buy them as they’ll be in peak form, and more affordable than when you buy them out of season.

To choose the best artichokes, look for ones that are heavy for their size and deep green in color. The leaves should be thick and closed tight around the whole.

You can choose large artichokes or small artichokes, depending on how you choose to serve them. For these Air Fried Artichokes, I like to choose larger artichokes because you’ll get more meat for your trouble. Small artichokes have more tender leaves and are better for stuffing or deep frying.

How to prepare artichokes

If you’re not familiar with them, whole fresh artichokes might look a little intimidating. But don’t worry, artichokes are easy to trim and cook, especially when you cook them in the air fryer.

Fresh artichokes are a bit fussy to prep, but once you know how to do it, it’s easy. Plus, artichoke leaves are amazing for scooping up delicious, rich, garlicky garlic aioli. They’re totally worth the effort!

Overhead shot of ingredients needed to make air fryer artichokes and garlic aioli.

What ingredients do you need?

Whole artichokes
Extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder (optional)
Lemon juice and lemon wedges
Mayonnaise
Fresh garlic
Dried dill
Paprika

How to prep an artichoke for cooking

Trim the stem end. You can trim it flush with the base of the leafy artichoke itself if you want to be able to stand them up, but that wastes a not-insignificant portion of the edible heart. I prefer to trim off just the very end of the stem.
Pull off and discard the tough outer leaves.
Using a very sharp knife or a serrated knife, cut off about ½ inch of the top of the artichoke. This will get rid of many of the thorny leaf tips.
Use kitchen shears to snip off the pointy ends of the remaining outer leaves.
Using the same sharp or serrated knife, cut the artichokes in half.
Use a spoon to scrape out the hairy inner choke.
If you like, you can tuck a lemon wedge in the center where the choke was.

How to air fry artichokes

For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.

It’s really easy to air fry artichokes. Here are the basics:

Check out the recipe below for step-by-step instructions for how to cook artichokes. Here are the basics:
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the cut sides of the artichokes.
Brush the artichoke halves all over with oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, if using.
Place the artichoke halves in the air fryer basket, cut side down, and cook at 350°F for 4 minutes. Flip over and cook for 4 more minutes.
Make the aioli while the artichokes are in the air fryer by mixing the mayonnaise, garlic, pepper, dill, paprika, and lemon juice together.

How to serve air fryer artichokes

Serve the air-fried artichokes with the aioli for dipping, or with melted butter. Air fryer artichokes are also great dipped into Hummus, Raita, Charmoula Sauce, Yogurt and Cilantro Chutney, Harissa Dressing, Tahini Sauce, mayonnaise mixed with Harissa Paste or Zhoug Sauce, or any other dipping sauce you like.

Air Fryer Roasted Artichokes make a great side dish for Instant Pot Ham, Air Fryer Whole Chicken, Harissa Chicken, Miso Salmon, Air Fryer Salmon, or Kofta Kebabs.

If you love air-fried vegetables, try these Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts or Air Fryer Corn Elote!

Low angle shot of air fried artichokes ready to eat.

More Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love

If you are new to your air fryer or a seasoned pro, you have to try some of my favorite air fryer recipes. For snacks, I love to use my air fryer to make Air Fryer Empanadas, Air Fryer Spring Rolls, and Air Fryer Popcorn.

Other great air fryer veggie dishes include Air Fryer Broccolini and Air Fryer Zucchini Fries. For main dishes, try Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken, Air Fryer Lamb Chops, and Air Fryer Enchiladas.

I even use my air fryer to make desserts like Air Fryer Fried Ice Cream and Air Fryer Caramelized Bananas.