Last Updated on January 4, 2026
Labneh, Za’atar, Lemon and Hazelnuts complement this Air Fryer Asparagus perfectly
Sometimes when I eat out, I try a dish that’s so delicious I just have to do my own version. The other day, at the new and very hip One Club Row, I enjoyed a delicious dish of asparagus with labneh and hazelnuts. I believe I waxed lyrical for a good 10 minutes or so about how I want to try making it at home. And, Air Fryer Asparagus is one of my favourite spring treats. So, why not?
Of course, it’s never THAT easy and I won’t pretend my version looks so pretty, but the basics – home-made labneh, seasonal English asparagus, toasted hazelnuts and a lemon do conspire to make a truly delicious dish. On this occasion, my excuse was more wine pairing with the benefit of some advice from my WSET 3 qualified friend, who explained that a classic pairing for asparagus was Sauvignon Blanc (which often has ‘notes of asparagus’)
So, the perfect storm – it’s asparagus season, I’m mildly obsessed with making my own labneh, and I had some more wine tasting to do.
You’ll need two decent-sized bunches of asparagus for four people as a starter (or for two as a main course). You’ll also need about 300g of labneh – a wonderfully tangy yoghurt-based cream cheese that is popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. It’s wonderful stuff – full of all the goodness you get from live yoghurt, but thicker and somehow more decadent.
I made my own labneh using the instant pot, a little live yoghurt and some UHT milk. I use my instant pot yoghurt setting with a litre of UHT milk and a tablespoon of live yoghurt, and then strain the end result through muslin to make Greek yoghurt or labneh. For Greek yoghurt, it takes about 2 hours to reach the right consistency. For labneh, I leave it to strain overnight. I don’t salt the mixture mostly because I am never sure what I’ll be using it for, but you can if you want to. If you don’t want to start from milk, you can just use a pot of your favourite shop-bought Greek yoghurt and strain it through a muslin-lined sieve overnight.
All you need to finish this air fryer asparagus is a handful or so of chopped hazelnuts, which need to be lightly toasted to add extra crunch. And, a dressing made in this case with lemon zest, nut vinegar (lemon juice or white wine vinegar would work too) and olive oil. If I’d had a good hazelnut oil, I’d have used that with lemon juice instead…
You can choose between using the tips of the asparagus (as they did at One Club Row) or prepping the stalks as I have done here. I wasn’t planning to make anything with the leftover asparagus stalks, so I just trimmed the very end and then peeled off the woody layer using a potato peeler. It means that the end result is perfectly tender, and although arguably not as pretty as using just the tips, it’s a frugal method.
Once the asparagus was prepped, I sprayed it with a little oil and roasted it in the air fryer for 4 minutes on each side, using a foil tray and flipping the stems halfway through. I used the standard air fryer setting, which on the model I have cooks at 215 Celsius, and ended up with perfectly tender, slightly charred asparagus. I cooked mine in advance and just warmed it through in the microwave when my guests arrived – but you could easily just keep the air fryer closed so that what you end up with is the ideal warm, rather than piping hot air fryer asparagus
While the asparagus was cooking, I roughly chopped and then roasted my hazelnuts on a small cast iron skillet till they were light golden brown. And, I made up the dressing using the zest of a lemon, a tablespoon of maille nut vinegar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, which I just whisked together in a bowl with salt and pepper.
I spread the labneh out across an oval serving platter, making a ‘nest’ for the air fryer asparagus. And, to put the whole thing together, added the warm asparagus, poured over half of the dressing and sprinkled the hazelnuts on top.
So simple but utterly delicious and rather spectacular!
Of course, you don’t need to make labneh – but if you do, then 1 litre of milk will make about 350g of labneh. Or, a 500g pot of Greek yoghurt should yield about 250-300g of labneh.
Here’s a printable recipe for roasted air fryer asparagus if you’d like to try for yourself.
Air Fryer Roasted Asparagus with Labneh and Hazelnuts
Ingredients
- 2 bunches Green Asparagus about 500g
- 300 ml Labneh
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil plus a little for spraying the asparagus
- 1 Lemon
- 75 grams Toasted Hazelnuts
- 1 tablespoon Nut Vinegar (or use the juice from the lemon)
- 2 teaspoons Za'atar (optional)
Instructions
- Trim the asparagus by removing about 1/2 cm from the bottom of the stalks and then carefully peeling any woody parts away using a potato peeler (you will probably be peeling off the top layer from about 3 cm of stalk
- Make a foil tray to fit your air fryer and set out a single layer of the asparagus. You can use your oven instead
- Spray the asparagus with olive oil, turning it to make sure every spear is covered
- Roast the asparagus at 180 C for 8-10 minutes, turning once after 5 minutes
- Meanwhile, zest the lemon
- Make a dressing with the vinegar (or lemon juice), olive oil and lemon zest, together with plenty of salt and black pepper
- Toast the hazelnuts in a cast -iron skillet for about 5 minutes, adding the za'atar for the last minute if you are using it.
- Spread the labneh out on a serving platter that is large enough to hold all the asparagus
- Lay the warm roasted asparagus on top
- Pour over the dressing, covering the asparagus and some of the labneh
- Top with toasted hazelnuts and za'atar
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions about Roasted Air Fryer Asparagus with Labneh
How long in advance can I make air fryer asparagus
You can make Asparagus with Labneh a few hours before you plan on serving it and keep it covered in the fridge. Make sure you bring it out at least half an hour before you plan to eat, so it is at room temperature. You can also make up all the ingredients in advance and just warm the asparagus in the microwave for 30 seconds to help bring out the flavour
Can I freeze Roasted Asparagus with Labneh?
No, you can’t – but it’s so quick to put together, you probably don’t need to
Is there anything I could substitute for asparagus
Tenderstem broccoli would be a good alternative to asparagus with this dish. You can roast it in the same way in the air fryer
Can I use other nuts
Yes, this dish would work well with almonds, pistachio nuts or toasted pine nuts
Can I make a nut-free version of this dish?
You can make a nut-free dish with asparagus and labneh using toasted breadcrumbs to add texture and perhaps lacing the labneh with chopped mixed soft herbs (parsley, chervil and tarragon, for example).
Is it ok to roast the asparagus in the oven?
If you happen to be cooking something in the oven anyway, then I’d advise using that rather than an air fryer. I have used my air fryer because it heats up a lot faster than the oven and is more economical for smaller dishes, but the oven will work just as well.
I prefer steamed asparagus – will that work?
Yes, of course, just make sure you dry the steamed asparagus well with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper before adding it to the labneh. I like the char on air fryer asparagus, though.
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