Air Fryer Carrots Recipe
Get all the goodness of roasted carrots without turning on the oven! These Air Fryer Carrots are tender, caramelized and they cook up in about 15 minutes. They’re an easy side dish that’s perfect for Easter or busy weeknights!
I’ve been preparing roasted vegetables for years. It’s so easy to prep a sheet pan full of roasted carrots and parsnips or roasted asparagus to round out a meal or toss into salads.
I’ve found an even easier way to enjoy all the goodness of roasted veggies now thanks to my air fryer. My air fryer brussels sprouts and air fryer broccoli are proof that air fried vegetables can be even better than oven roasted.
These Air Fryer Carrots are another prime example. They’re amazingly tender on the inside, addictively browned and crispy on the outside, and they cook up even faster.
The sweet flavor intensifies as they cook, which makes them downright addictive. This is a wonderful way to showcase gorgeous market carrots!
If you love air frying, be sure to check out all of my easy air fryer recipes!
Table of contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- All the goodness of roasted carrots. These easy air fryer carrots will give you all the caramelization and delicious flavor of roasted carrots without turning on the oven!
- Even faster than oven roasting. The air fryer is essentially a convection oven, which circulates hot air throughout to cook food much faster and much more evenly.
- Customizable. Use your favorite herbs and seasonings, honey, garlic or parmesan to keep things exciting.
- Suits almost any diet. This recipe is dairy and gluten-free, vegan and paleo-friendly. It’s also low in carbohydrates in smaller portion sizes.
Recipe ingredients
This air fryer roasted carrots recipe includes just a few simple ingredients that can be customized with your favorite herbs and seasonings.
- Carrots. You’ll need one bunch of carrots, or about 5-6 medium sized carrots. I peeled them for a more vibrant orange color, but the peel is very nutritious so this is optional. I cut them into 2″ chunks on the bias and halved larger chunks to ensure that they cooked evenly. Rainbow carrots are a great option as well for extra color and flavor. Baby carrots may be used, but be sure to start checking for doneness after about 7-8 minutes. If you have carrot tops, be sure to save them for carrot top pesto!
- Olive oil. The olive oil promotes browning, but you can certainly use less if you desire. Sub with your favorite oil.
- Seasonings. This recipe includes a simple combination of garlic powder and dried thyme for savory herb flavor, but you can use any of your favorite herbs and seasoning.
- Garnish. Consider garnishing your air fryer carrots with fresh thyme leaves or freshly chopped parsley or chives.
How to cook carrots in the air fryer
Cooking carrots in the air fryer is super easy and results in tender, caramelized carrots in a fraction of the time that they take in the oven.
Not only do you save time because you don’t need to preheat the oven, but the air fryer cooks the carrots significantly faster and more evenly than the oven as well.
Pro tip: If your carrots are on the larger side, be sure to halve them and consider cooking them at a lower temperature of 360-375 degrees for 18-20 minutes in order to keep them from becoming overly brown before they’re done cooking.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Toss the carrots with the olive oil, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper until well coated.
- Place the carrots in the air fryer basket in a single layer (or cook in 2 batches as necessary).
- Cook at 390 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until tender.
FAQs
The hot air movement in the air fryer is much more efficient at cooking food from all sides (similar to a convection oven), which cooks the food faster and more evenly.
Air frying carrots results in a golden brown, crispy texture in a fraction of the time. You can expect your carrots to be done in 15-20 minutes depending on the size and thickness.
Use your favorite variety of carrots. Classic Nantes carrots, rainbow carrots or even baby carrots may be used. See my collection of carrot recipes for information on the many varieties of carrots.
Cooking time will vary based on the size and thickness of your carrots. Carrots that are about 1/2″ in thickness will take about 15 minutes to cook in the air fryer at a temperature of 390 degrees.
You can also use whole carrots, just trim them to fit into your air fryer basket. Whole carrots will take roughly 20-25 minutes to cook in the air fryer at a temperature of about 375 degrees.
If your carrots are on the larger side, it’s best to cook them at lower temperature of 360-375 degrees to ensure that they don’t become overly brown before they’re done cooking.
This is really a personal preference. The carrots can be cut into large chunks, thinner slices cut on the bias, or you can also use pre-cut carrot sticks or carrot chips, which can be found at many grocery stores.
You can also use whole carrots, just trim them down to fit in the air fryer basket.
Overall, how you cut the carrots depends on how you want to present or serve them, and how quickly you’d like them to cook. The smaller the size of the carrots, the more quickly they’ll cook.
Serving suggestions
There are so many delicious ways to serve these easy air fryer carrots. See some ideas below.
- Serve them as a side dish with turkey meatloaf or oven baked pork chops on busy weeknights.
- They’re great served with roasted chicken or pork loin roast for Sunday dinner.
- This recipe is a great holiday side dish! Pair with slow cooker ham or roasted turkey breast.
- Serve as an appetizer with Greek yogurt ranch dressing or green goddess dressing.
- Make them next level by serving them with a drizzle of carrot top pesto!
- Add air fried carrots to grain salads like farro salad or quinoa salad to enjoy for meal prep lunch. They can also be subbed for the butternut squash in my fall harvest salad.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: If your carrots are on the larger side, be sure to halve them and consider cooking them at a lower temperature of 360-375 degrees for 18-20 minutes in order to keep them from becoming overly brown before they’re done cooking.
- Use your favorite variety of carrots! Rainbow carrots would be wonderful as well. Baby carrots may also be used but the cooking time will be much faster.
- Change up these air fryer roasted carrots with your favorite herbs and seasonings.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More air fryer recipes you’ll love
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Air Fryer Carrots Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 bunch carrots about 5-6 medium, peeled if desired and cut into 2" chunks on the bias (halve them if they're very thick)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme sub with your favorite herbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Fresh thyme leaves or parsley, for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place the carrots in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper and toss well to coat.1 bunch carrots, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Place the carrots in the air fryer basket in a single layer. If your carrots are larger, you may need to do this in 2 batches.
- Cook at 390 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until they reach the desired level of doneness, tossing every 4-5 minutes or so. Serve garnished with fresh thyme leaves or parsley if desired and enjoy!Fresh thyme leaves or parsley, for garnish
Notes
- Pro tip: Â If your carrots are on the larger side, be sure to halve them and consider cooking them at a lower temperature of 360-375 degrees for 18-20 minutes in order to keep them from becoming overly brown before they’re done cooking.
- Use your favorite variety of carrots! Rainbow carrots would be wonderful as well. Baby carrots may also be used but the cooking time will be much faster. Â
- Change up these air fryer roasted carrots with your favorite herbs and seasonings.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- If you have carrot tops, be sure to save them for carrot top pesto. The pesto would be wonderful drizzled over your cooked carrots!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
