Air Fryer Clams

These air fryer clams are one of the easiest seafood dishes you can make at home. Perfectly cooked littleneck clams with a garlic herb butter that you’ll want to drizzle on everything.

The air fryer does all the hard work here. Just toss the clams in, and in about 6 to 8 minutes they pop right open, ready to eat.

The real star of this recipe is the garlic herb butter you serve them with. It’s buttery, lemony, and has just a tiny kick from red pepper flakes.

Make sure you have some crusty bread nearby because you’re going to want to soak up every last drop of that butter.

Whether you’re making these as an appetizer or a light dinner, they come together so fast and taste like something you’d order at a restaurant.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Clams in Under 10 Minutes – The air fryer gets these clams perfectly cooked in 6 to 8 minutes which is faster than steaming or grilling.

No Big Pot of Water Needed – Skip the heavy stockpot and all that boiling water because the air fryer does the work with zero liquid.

That Garlic Herb Butter Is Unreal – The lemon zest and red pepper flakes in the butter add a bright kick that makes every single clam irresistible.

Ingredients

For the Clams

• 2 lb Littleneck Clams (about 24)
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

For the Garlic Herb Butter

• 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
• 3 cloves Garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp Lemon Zest
• 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 pinch Salt
• Crusty Bread, for serving

How To Make

Step 1

Scrub the littleneck clams thoroughly under cold running water to remove any sand or grit. Discard any clams that are already open and do not close when tapped firmly on the counter. Place the cleaned clams in a bowl of cold salted water for 20 minutes to help purge any remaining sand, then drain and pat dry.

Step 2

Toss the clams lightly with the olive oil and Old Bay seasoning in a bowl.

Step 3

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. Arrange the clams in a single layer in the basket. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the shells pop open. Check at the 6-minute mark and remove any clams that have opened. Continue cooking the remaining clams for another minute or two.

Step 4

Discard any clams that still have not opened after 10 minutes.

Step 5

While the clams cook, prepare the garlic herb butter. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and add the garlic. Cook gently for about 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant but not browned. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt.

Step 6

Arrange the opened clams on a serving platter. Spoon the warm garlic herb butter generously over each clam.

Step 7

Serve immediately with plenty of crusty bread on the side for soaking up the buttery juices.

Tips

Purge the Sand Properly

The 20-minute soak in cold salted water is not optional. If you skip it, you’ll likely bite into gritty clams and it ruins the whole dish.

Use about 1/3 cup of salt per gallon of cold water. This mimics ocean water and tricks the clams into filtering and spitting out any sand trapped inside.

Don’t use warm water – it can start to cook the clams and kill them before they have a chance to purge. Cold tap water works fine.

Don’t Brown the Garlic

When you’re making the butter sauce, keep the heat low and watch the garlic closely. You only need about 1 minute – just enough for it to smell amazing and soften up slightly.

Garlic goes from fragrant to burnt really fast in melted butter. If it turns brown, it’ll taste bitter and that bitterness will take over the whole sauce. You want it golden at most.

If you’re worried about timing it while also watching the clams, just mince the garlic ahead of time and have everything measured out and ready to go.

Arrange Them in a Single Layer

It might be tempting to pile all 24 clams into the basket at once, but if they’re stacked on top of each other, the hot air can’t circulate around each one evenly. Some will open way before others, and some might not open at all.

If your air fryer basket is on the smaller side, cook them in two batches. It only takes 6-8 minutes per batch, so it’s not a big time commitment and the results are way better.

Related Recipes

• Air Fryer Crab Cakes
• Air Fryer Crispy Calamari
• Air Fryer Garlic Butter Scallops
• Air Fryer Lobster Tails
• Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I really need to soak the clams in salt water before air frying?

It’s not technically required, but you’ll really want to do it. That 20-minute soak in cold salted water helps the clams spit out any sand or grit hiding inside their shells. Without it, you might bite into a clam and get an unpleasant crunch of sand.

Just use about a tablespoon of salt per quart of cold water. After soaking, drain them and give them a quick pat dry so the olive oil and Old Bay actually stick to the shells.