Whole fried fennel “roses” in the air fryer. Whole fennel bulbs, golden, crunchy and tasty when cooked in the air fryer, are a side dish that is simple, quick, tasty and very healthy and will win you over at the first bite, like Oven-Baked Mediterranean Fennel or Baked Fennel in Milk with Gratin. These are gratinated fennel without béchamel, crunchy fried fennel, but cooked with little oil and in the air fryer; of course, if you don’t have an air fryer you can use the oven. The crunchy fennel in the air fryer is made in a short time, is decorative and perfect to easily impress. This tasty fennel recipe is original and flavorful and will win you over even if you are not particularly fond of cooked fennel: I say this because my children and my husband — who usually only appreciate salads made with this vegetable — loved them. You can enjoy the air-fried fennel by itself or with a vegan mayo with yogurt and avocado or with my light mayo with hard-boiled eggs and yogurt. Now let’s go to the kitchen — I will explain the recipe step by step. Before that, if you want to stay updated on all my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Air frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make air fryer fennel
- 2 fennel bulbs (fresh and bulbous)
- 3 eggs
- to taste all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2.5 oz grated Parmesan (or Grana Padano or Pecorino)
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 14 oz corn flakes (or breadcrumbs)
Tools
- Air fryer
- Pots
- Bowl
Steps
Remove the fronds and outer leaves from the fennel bulbs, then rinse them and make cuts to create “petals” without cutting down to the base. Blanch them for 10 minutes in lightly salted boiling water.
Drain them and set aside. In the meantime, beat the eggs with the cheese,
the milk, pepper and a pinch of salt.
Coat the fennel in flour, making sure it adheres well between the various “petals” and not just on the outside. Then dip them in the beaten egg, again ensuring they are well covered. Roll them in the coating — I used a simple coating of crushed corn flakes, which results in a particularly crunchy texture.
You can substitute corn flakes with fine breadcrumbs. Thoroughly bread the fennel, making sure crumbs fall even inside the petals, and arrange them one by one (or both at once if they fit). Give them a generous spray of oil and cook at 338–356°F (170–180°C) for 15 minutes or until golden. In the oven, extend the cooking time until you achieve the desired crispness. Serve hot accompanied by tasty sauces or on their own.
The air-fried fennel, gratinated, golden and crunchy, should be eaten while still hot and crisp. I do not recommend storing them in the refrigerator; if you have leftovers, cover them with plastic wrap and leave them at room temperature for a maximum of 6–8 hours, then reheat them in the air fryer or oven before serving.
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