Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon

Tender salmon filets air fried in a homemade sweet and savory teriyaki glaze. This quick and easy air fryer teriyaki salmon is made in less than 30 minutes with minimal ingredients. A great main dish for the all the fish-lovers!

This teriyaki salmon features salmon filets cooked in a sweet, savory teriyaki marinade made from scratch. It's absolutely delicious and a great way to add seafood (or Omega-3s) to your diet!

My homemade teriyaki sauce made of soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar with hints of garlic and ginger. The sauce can actually be used to season cooked chicken, pork, beef or tofu as well, just like your store-bought teriyaki sauce.

You'll commonly find this popular dish served at many Japanese restaurants as an entrée on a bed of steamed rice or in a bento box.

I love to serve this Asian-style fish with white or brown rice with vegetables. It's the perfect salmon recipe that is great for busy weeknights as it can swiftly cooked in the air fryer in little time.

I also share a lot of air-fryer recipes on the blog. If you don't own an air fryer, I also share detailed instructions on how to pan fry or bake the salmon.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements

• Salmon Fillet: I recommend using fresh salmon over frozen salmon for best taste. However, if you can't find the fresh kind, use thawed frozen salmon. I also like using sushi grade salmon for that vibrant red color but feel free to use any type of salmon that you enjoy.
• Green Onion: for garnishing
• Sesame Seeds: for garnishing. If you're allergic to sesame, omit this ingredient.

Teriyaki Sauce

• Cooking Sake: any Japanese cooking sake will work for this recipe and you can find it at many Asian grocery stores or online, like on Amazon. Or substitute with rice vinegar, Shaoxing wine, or dry sherry wine.
• Mirin: a popular Japanese sweet rice cooking wine used sold at Asian or Japanese grocers. Or substitute with ¼ cup or 60 ml rice vinegar with 2 teaspoon sugar mixed in.
• Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice. 
• White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with honey, maple syrup, cane sugar or brown sugar.
• Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch.
• Garlic: or substitute with garlic powder.
• Ginger: or substitute with ginger powder.

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check online stores, like Amazon.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make air fryer teriyaki salmon:

1. In a small sauce pan, combine the teriyaki sauce ingredients as listed above until the sugar is fully dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and allow sauce to thicken.

2. Once thickened, quickly remove off heat and pour into a wide container left uncovered to cool down completely in the freezer until it comes to room temperature, about 5 minutes.

3. Marinate the salmon filets in the teriyaki sauce in the container or in a Ziplock bag for 15 minutes at room temperature.

4. Place marinated salmon filets into air fryer basket skin side down in a single layer without overlap. Brush a thin layer of the salmon marinade on top of the salmon. Air fry salmon at 400 degrees F for 7-9 minutes until cooked through or an internal temperature of 145 F with a digital instant read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the filet. Do not over cook the salmon and I recommend checking at the 7-minute mark.

5. Garnish cooked salmon with green onions and sesame seeds. Optional: pour the leftover teriyaki sauce into a small saucepan to reheat over medium high heat until it bubbles. Pour sauce into a small bowl to use as a finishing sauce for the salmon. Enjoy!

To Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).
2. Place the marinated salmon filets skin side down, into a greased baking dish or onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
3. Lightly brush more marinade on top of the filets. Then bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through or an internal temperature of 145 F with a digital instant read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the fish.
4. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

To Pan Fry

1. Heat 1 tablespoon or 15 ml vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, cook the marinated salmon into the pan skin side up for 3-4 minutes until golden and avoid moving the salmon around.
2. Reduce to medium heat. Flip the salmon over and cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes until or until cooked through or an internal temperature of 145 F with a digital instant read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the fish.
3. In the last 30 seconds, pour in remaining marinade and let it bubble in the pan. Remove off heat.
4. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Enjoy!

Storage

• Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in the air fryer or oven at 350 F for 5-7 minutes or until hot.
• Freezer friendly? Teriyaki salmon can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, wrap each filet in plastic wrap and store them into a freezer-safe bag, label with the expiration date and freeze. To enjoy, thaw them overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave for a few minutes or in the air fryer or oven at 350 F for 5-7 minutes or until hot.