Air Fryer Roasted Vegetables
Air fryer roasted vegetables are a quick and easy way to turn everyday veggies into a great side dish. But when you’re cooking a mix, it’s easy for some pieces to overcook while others are still firm. This method keeps things simple while helping everything cook more evenly, for tender veggies with lightly crisped edges.
Why this method works
Cooking a mix of vegetables in the air fryer can be tricky because not everything cooks at the same rate. Firmer vegetables like potatoes and carrots take much longer than softer ones like zucchini or broccoli.
From experience, adding everything at once usually leads to uneven results – some pieces overcook while others are still firm.
After a lot of testing, I now use a method that cooks them in stages:
- Start with firm vegetables so they have time to soften
- Add medium vegetables part way through
- Finish with tender vegetables so they don’t overcook
👉 This keeps everything cooking evenly, instead of ending up with burnt soft vegetables and undercooked firm ones.
For some other tasty air fryer veggies, check out these air fryer sweet potato wedges, air fryer corn on the cob, or air fryer green beans.
What veggies to air fry
You can cook just about any vegetables in the air fryer, but because different vegetables cook at different rates, we will divide them into different types for cooking.
| Firm vegetables: white potatoes, sweet potato, carrot, beets |
| Medium vegetables: parsnips, pumpkin, squash, zucchini, brussels sprouts (halved) |
| Tender vegetables: broccoli, asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions |
What else do you need?
Oil
The recipe below uses light olive oil. However, you can also use other cooking oils with a high smoke point, like vegetable oil, corn oil, or avocado oil.
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
Roasted veggies are great just seasoned with salt and pepper, to let the flavor of the vegetables shine. However, you can add extra seasonings for extra flavor. I like to use garlic powder, but you can use any seasoning mix you like.
Prepare the vegetables
Prepare the vegetables in batches according to their type (firm, medium, or tender). I like to chop them all at the start, then season them in batches just ahead of cooking.
- Wash the vegetables and peel (if preferred), and pat dry.
- Cut into 1-inch/ 2cm chunks. You can do vegetable fries, cubes, fries, wedges, or any shape you prefer as long as they are around 1-inch/ 2cm thick. Try to keep the pieces a similar size – if some are much larger than others, they won’t cook through at the same time, even when added in stages. White potatoes should be cut slightly smaller than the other firm veggies, or can be cooked for five minutes on their own before the others.
- Add the vegetables to a bowl, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with seasoning, and toss to coat them thoroughly.
Tip
You can use an oil spray to reduce the amount of oil used in this recipe, or skip the oil for a dry roasted version (though they won’t be quite as crispy).
Cooking
Preheat the air fryer to 360°F/ 180°C, then air fry the vegetables in stages like this:
1. First, air fry the firm vegetables
Add the firm vegetables (e.g. white potatoes, sweet potato, carrot, beets) to the basket or tray, then air fry for 5 minutes.
When the time is up, shake the basket or quickly flip with tongs. At this stage the firm vegetables will have started to soften, but won’t be fully cooked yet – that’s exactly what you want before adding the next batch.
2. Add the medium vegetables
Add the medium vegetables (e.g. parsnips, pumpkin, squash, zucchini, brussels sprouts) to the basket on top of the part-cooked firm vegetables, then air fry for 10 minutes.
When the time is up, shake the basket or quickly flip the veggies again.
If you are not using this type of vegetables, just air fry the firm vegetables for another 10 minutes.
3. Finally, add the tender vegetables
Add the tender vegetables (e.g, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, onions) to the basket, and air fry for 5-10 minutes.
Check the vegetables are tender and cooked to your liking. The vegetables should be tender all the way through, with lightly browned edges. If some pieces are still firm, it’s usually because they were slightly larger than the rest, just give them a few extra minutes.
Serving ideas
- Top with herb butter while they’re still piping hot.
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, truffle oil, or chili oil.
- Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top while they are hot.
- Toss with crumbled feta or goats cheese.
Air Fryer Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
Vegetables [Note 1]
- 1 white potato
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 large carrot
- 1 medium zucchini/ courgette
- 1 head broccoli
- 1 medium red onion
Oil and seasoning [Note 2]
- 3 tablespoons / 45 ml light olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon / 6 g fine sea salt divided
- ½ teaspoon / 5 g garlic powder or other seasoning, divided
Instructions
Prepare the vegetables
- Rinse the vegetables, and peel them if required. Cut into 1-2 inch chunks. Note: white potatoes should be cut into 1-inch chunks.
- Place the potato, sweet potato, carrots (and any other firm vegetables you are using), into a bowl. Add around half the oil and seasoning [Note 2], and toss to coat.
- Repeat this process to oil and season the zucchini along with any other medium vegetables you are using, and for the broccoli and onion along with any other tender vegetables you are using.
Cooking
- Preheat air fryer to 360°F / 180°C.
- Place the firm vegetables in air fryer basket and air fry for 5 minutes.
- When the five minutes cooking time is up, gently shake the air fryer basket to redistribute the veggies, or flip with tongs.
- Add the medium vegetables to the air fryer basket, and air fry for 10 minutes.
- When the cooking time is up, gently shake or flip to redistribute the vegetables. Then, add the tender vegetables to the air fryer basket and air fry for another 5-10 minutes.
- Check that all the vegetables are tender, adding a few more minutes cooking time if required, until they are cooked to your liking.
Notes
Note 1.
- Firm vegetables include white potatoes, sweet potato, carrot, beets
- Medium vegetables include parsnips, pumpkin, squash, zucchini, brussels sprouts (halved)
- Tender vegetables include broccoli, asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions
Note 2.
Divide the oil and seasoning according to how much of each type of vegetable you are using.Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.
FAQs & Tips
Most vegetables can be cooked in an air fryer, but any vegetables that you might usually roast or grill are perfect for air frying.
Yes, you can. Air frying is actually a great way to cook frozen veggies. If you want to cook air fryer frozen vegetables instead of fresh in this recipe, increase the cooking times by a few minutes (due to the extra surface moisture on frozen vegetables).
The ‘Air fry’ setting is recommended for this recipe.
With some brands there is no difference between the settings other than the starting temperature (which you can adjust), but with some air fryers, the ‘roast’ setting operates the fan at a lower level which will require different cooking times.
This recipe was originally published in March 2021, but has been updated with improved instructions and new photos.
