Air Fryer Roasted Carrots
These air fryer roasted carrots are a simple vegetable side dish that delivers big rewards with very little effort. Sweet, tender, and lightly caramelised, they transform an everyday ingredient into something that feels just a little bit special.
Affordable, easy to keep on hand, and utterly delicious when air fried, carrots might just be the perfect vegetable. They turn beautifully golden and caramelized when roasted in the air fryer, with a tender, sweet flavor. Veggie side dish perfection!
For some other simple vegetable side dishes you can prepare in your air fryer, check out air fryer roasted vegetables, air fryer roast potatoes, air fryer sweet potato wedges, and air fryer parsnips.
What do you need?
Carrots
Use full-sized regular carrots cut into quarters, or baby carrots whole. You can also use frozen carrots if that is all you have, but the cooking times will be slightly longer, and you will want to flip them a few times to make sure they cook evenly.
Oil
A small amount of oil helps with the caramelization. I use olive oil, but you can use another liquid cooking oil with a neutral flavor.
Pro Tip
Choose a cooking oil with a high smoke point to reduce the chance of your air fryer smoking. Vegetable oil or avocado oil are good choices.
Seasoning
This recipe uses thyme (dried or fresh thyme will work), but you can swap this for any other herbs or seasoning that you like to use with carrots. Try rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, paprika, or cinnamon.
Honey (optional)
You can add a drizzle of liquid honey (or maple syrup) to sweeten the carrots up. It will caramelize up nicely during cooking to give you lovely golden honey-roasted carrots.
How to cook carrots in the air fryer
1. Preheat
Preheat the air fryer to 360°F/ 180°C. Preheating is important for this recipe because the air frying time is relatively short, and so you want it to be up to temperature when you put the carrots in.
If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat mode, just set it to air fry for 3-4 minutes.
2. Prep the carrots
While the air fryer is preheating, scrub the carrots (no need to peel unless you want to), and cut lengthwise into quarters (baby carrots can be roasted whole). Try to keep the pieces relatively uniform in size so they finish cooking at the same time.
Then toss the carrot pieces with oil and herbs until coated.
To make honey-glazed air fryer carrots, add a drizzle of liquid honey over the carrots as you mix them with the oil.
3. Arrange in the air fryer
Place the carrots in the air fryer basket. Aim for a single layer if you can for even roasting.
4. Air fry carrots
Cook the carrots in the air fryer for 10-15 minutes until they are golden and tender. When done, the carrots should be tender when pierced with a fork and lightly browned around the edges.
Serving ideas
- Top with garlic and herb butter
- Toss with honey, butter, and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a sweet and delicious side dish.
- Serve them with dipping sauce as a healthy alternative to French fries.
- Drizzle roasted carrots with a balsamic dressing for a sweet and tangy flavor.
- Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the air-fried carrots for a cheesy and savory flavor.
Pro Tip
If you also want to cook your main dish in the air fryer, prepare the carrots while the meat is air frying, then remove the meat and cover to rest for 10-15 minutes while you air fry the carrots.
Leftovers
Leftover roasted carrots can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, place them back in the air fryer for a few minutes until warmed through. This helps restore some of the roasted texture that can soften during storage.
Air Fryer Roasted Carrots
Ingredients
- 4 medium carrots
- 1 tablespoon / 15 ml olive oil
- 1 teaspoon / 2 g thyme fresh or dried
- drizzle liquid honey optional
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 360°F / 180°C.
- Wash carrots (peel if preferred), then cut lengthwise into quarters [Note 1].
- Place carrot pieces into a large bowl, drizzle with the oil and seasoning (and honey if using), then toss to coat.
- Place carrots in air fryer basket, and set to air fry for 10-15 minutes. Shake the basket once or twice during cooking to ensure the carrots cook evenly.
- The carrots are ready when they are tender and golden brown at the edges.
Notes
- Baby carrots can be air-fried whole.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.
