Air Fryer Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork

Name: Air Fryer Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 32 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1.5 lb (680 g) pork shoulder or loin, sliced thin; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 lemongrass stalks, tender core minced (or 2 tbsp paste); 1 shallot, minced; 1/2 tsp black pepper; Cooked rice, cucumber, mint and cilantro, to serve

This is the pork you want over rice or tucked into a bánh mì: sticky-savory from fish sauce, bright from lemongrass, with enough sugar to lacquer at the edges. Slice thin so the marinade hits fast and the air fryer finishes in one short cook.

32 min total
400°F / 204°C
4 servings
20 min prep

Jump to recipe See steps

Slice thinner than you think

Half-inch strips cook through before the sugar burns. Thicker chunks go gray in the middle while the outside darkens. Partially freeze the pork for 15 minutes if your knife needs help.

Herbs after, not before

Mint, cilantro and cucumber cool the salt. Add them at the plate so the heat does not wilt everything into mush.

Air Fryer Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork

Prep 20 min · Cook 12 min · Total 32 min · 4 servings

Air Fryer400°F / 204°C

Basket time12 min

Flip / shakeat 5 min

Tested onCosori 5.8 qt, 1700W

Crowding. One layer. Overlapping strips steam and stay pale instead of sticky-brown.

Step-by-step instructions

Follow each step in order. Photos show what to look for so the basket finish matches the plate.

Marinate

Marinate the pork
Toss pork with fish sauce, brown sugar, oil, garlic, lemongrass, shallot and pepper. Rest 15-20 minutes on the counter (or up to overnight in the fridge).
Thin slices drink the marinade fast. Overnight builds deeper fish-sauce savor, but even 15 minutes is enough for a weeknight. Keep the sugar in the mix. It is what lacquered edges need later.
Tip. Partially freeze the pork for 15 minutes if you struggle to slice it thin.

Air fry

Load a single layer
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (204°C). Spread the pork in a single layer; cook in batches if needed.
Overlapping strips steam gray instead of caramelizing. Leave tiny gaps so hot air can hit every edge. Shake off thick pools of marinade so the basket does not smoke.
Lemongrass pork strips in a single layer in the air fryer
Cook until sticky-brown
Cook 10-12 minutes, shaking at 5 minutes, until edges are caramelized and the thickest strips read 145°F (63°C).
Look for mahogany edges and a sticky sheen, not a dry gray center. Pull early if pieces are very thin. They finish fast after the shake.
Tip. If your unit runs hot, start checking at 8 minutes.
Plate with herbs
Rest 3 minutes. Serve over rice with cucumber, mint and cilantro.
Herbs go on after cooking so they stay bright. Cucumber cools the salt; mint and cilantro make it taste like a bánh mì filling even in a bowl.
Lemongrass pork served over rice with herbs and cucumber
Finished Vietnamese lemongrass pork bowl