Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon – 15 minute Dinner for Two

This is the easiest and fastest way to make salmon so good that even kids will love it! My Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon bites make a bowl so good, and it’s ready in 20 minutes!

My secret weapon for getting dinner on the table fast on weeknights is a bag of salmon fillets in the freezer. If I remember to thaw them in the fridge the night before, all I have to do the next day is slice into cubes, toss with a quick homemade teriyaki and pop them in the slow cooker for a few minutes! This 15 minute dinner is on the weekly rotation in my house.

The teriyaki sauce gets darker and sweeter as it bakes, coating the salmon in a sweet sticky sauce. Add a bag of frozen vegetables to the microwave (I use broccoli or edamame!), and start the rice cooker for this super fast air fryer teriyaki salmon bowl!

To keep this dinner fast, I use the instant microwaveable rice bowls that cook in just 2 minutes. If you don’t have those, you can use frozen rice, or cook fresh rice from scratch (though it will take a little longer).

Ingredients

• Salmon. This air fryer teriyaki salmon makes a generous portion of salmon, but after one bite with the sweet, sticky sauce, you’ll be glad to have a lot! I recommend using three 6-ounce filets. If they’re frozen, defrost according to the package instructions (which usually requires you to remove from the original packaging and thaw overnight in the fridge). When the salmon is mostly thawed, you may use a knife to slice off the skin, if desired. I find that the salmon skin gets nice and crispy in the air fryer, so I usually leave it on, but it’s easy to slice off.
• Soy Sauce. Three tablespoons of soy sauce. I use regular soy sauce, but low sodium is fine, too!
• Brown Sugar. An equal amount of brown sugar: 3 tablespoons. Dark or light brown sugar are both fine.
• Sesame Oil. One tablespoon of toasted sesame oil.
• Garlic. For garlic, you can either use 1 large clove grated (I put peeled garlic cloves in the food processor and freeze for later use), or 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Frozen Broccoli. You may pick any frozen vegetable you like, but we most commonly reach for broccoli or edamame/ mukimame. Cauliflower is also great here!
• Rice. The fastest way to get these air fryer teriyaki salmon bowls on the table is to buy the instant rice bowls that you pop in the microwave for 2 minutes! Of course you may make rice from scratch, but that takes much longer!

How to Make Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon

First, make the teriyaki sauce: whisk together the soy, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic.

Chop the salmon into 2-inch chunks (remove the skin, if desired). Pour almost all of the teriyaki sauce out, reserving 3 tablespoons for later. Let the salmon marinate 15 minutes, or up to 2 hours in the fridge.

While the salmon marinates, prepare the rice (either in the rice cooker, pan or microwave), and steam the frozen vegetable of your choice.

Evenly space the marinated salmon pieces in the air fryer (don’t let them touch), and cook at 390-400 for 5 minutes. Flip, and cook another 5 minutes. Brush with extra sauce, and serve with the rice and veggie.

Other Air Fryer Meals for Two:

Print

Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon

Use the air fryer for this 15 minute teriyaki salmon bowl.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword air fryer salmon, air fryer teriyaki salmon

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 389kcal

Teriyaki Sauce

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic

For the Salmon Bowl:

• 3 6- ounce salmon fillets defrosted if frozen (try to find the thickest possible salmon fillets)
• 1/2 pound broccoli frozen is fine
• 2 instant microwaveable rice bowls

• Whisk together all ingredients for the teriyaki sauce. Set aside.

• Use a knife to slice off the skin from the defrosted salmon fillets. Cut each salmon fillet into 4-6 squares.

• Place the salmon cubes in a bowl, and pour most of the teriyaki sauce on top (reserving 3 tablespoons for later). Let marinate as long as possible (15 minutes to 2 hours). Toss to coat. Marinate at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours in the fridge.

• Meanwhile, cook the broccoli according to the package directions. I usually steam frozen broccoli 5-6 minutes until bright green.

• Place the marinated salmon cubes in a single layer in the air fryer. (Line your air fryer with parchment paper if it’s not non-stick).

• Air fry the salmon at 390-400 degrees for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes.

• Meanwhile, microwave the rice bowls.

• Serve each rice bowl with half of the broccoli, and half of the cooked salmon cubes. Pour the remaining teriyaki sauce on top and serve. It’s pretty to garnish with sesame seeds, too!

Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 3116mg | Potassium: 1132mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 758IU | Vitamin C: 101mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 3mg