Air Fryer Roasted Carrots
If you need a no-frills side of veggies in a hurry that everyone will love, look no further than these Air Fryer Roasted Carrots. After a quick toss in EVOO and the right amount of fresh dill and seasoning, the air fryer takes over and makes the magic happen. In under 15 minutes, you’ll have a batch of perfectly roasting carrots for any occasion!
Have you heard? Many things your oven can do, your air fryer can do better. Those things include but aren’t limited to making crispy sweet potato fries, juicy burgers, caramelized bananas, and these roasted carrots. They come out golden brown with crisp outsides and sweet, juicy centers.
This simple yet sensational roasted carrots recipe was inspired by Ina Garten’s oven-roasted carrots. That recipe has been a staple in my hours for years, so I wanted to try making it in the air fryer. Now that I’ve done so, I’ll probably never roast carrots in the oven again!
These air fryer roasted carrots are effortless and elegant, so they work for practically any meal, from simple weeknight dinners to dinner parties to holiday entertaining and so on! They could be carrot candy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Inspired by Ina’s carrots. This is an air fryer adaptation of my favorite Barefoot Contessa roasted carrots recipe. I added some fresh orange zest to really make the carrots sing.
- Adults and kid-approved. These crazy delicious carrots are guaranteed to please even the harshest veggie critics.
- Quick and easy. These carrots are a cinch to make in less than 15 minutes for any fancy or casual occasion.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Carrots – Carrots are often associated with orange but can also be purple, red, white, and yellow. Feel free to experiment with a medley of colors. To make this recipe even easier, you can use a bag of baby carrots.
- EVOO – Use good quality olive oil here. With so few ingredients, each one makes a big difference in the flavor of the finished dish.
- Orange zest – This accentuates carrots’ naturally sweet and citrusy essence without overpowering the dish with a fruity flavor. After removing the zest, don’t toss the orange. Instead, you can use the fresh juice in smoothies, mimosas, cupcakes, popsicles, etc.
- Dill – Don’t skip the dill! Fresh dill brings a bright and herbaceous element you can’t get from dried. But in a pinch, dried dill weed will have to do. Remember, the flavor in dried herbs is more concentrated, so you’ll only need to use about a teaspoon for every tablespoon of fresh herbs the recipe calls for.
- Salt and black pepper – Use coarse sea salt or kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, if possible.
How To Roast Carrots In An Air Fryer
Step 1: Preheat. Start by setting the air fryer to 400°F and letting it preheat for 5 minutes while you prep the carrots.
Step 2: Prep. After washing and peeling, slice the carrots diagonally into large chunks. For thicker carrots, first cut them in half lengthwise before slicing them diagonally into large pieces. If you’re using baby carrots, no prep work is needed.
Step 2: Season. Toss the chopped carrots, olive oil, orange zest, fresh dill, and a generous pinch of salt together in a large bowl until combined.
Step 3: Cook. Transfer to the preheated air fryer basket and cook at 400°F for 12 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. You can select the root vegetable setting if you have a Cosori air fryer.
Step 4: Serve. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with extra fresh dill, if you’re feeling fancy!
Air Frying Tips
- The carrots will shrink a bit as they cook, so you can cut them into decent size chunks. Make sure they’re about the same size so the pieces cook evenly.
- Don’t skip the preheat! When you place the carrots in a preheated basket, they begin browning on contact, so the surfaces get crispy while the insides become sweeter and more flavorful.
- Don’t crowd the air fryer basket. It’s okay if the pieces overlap, but do not pack them in too tightly. Without wiggle room, it causes steam, and no one likes mushy steamed carrots. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the carrots in batches.
Oven Instructions
If you don’t have an air fryer, that’s okay. Neither did Ina when she created the original oven-roasted recipe that inspired this air fryer interpretation. Here’s the step-by-step:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, wash, peel, and chop the carrots.
- Toss with EVOO, herbs, zest, and salt, and bake on a sheet pan until browned and tender (about 20 minutes). Garnish with fresh dill and serve hot.
Variations and Serving
Fresh herbs – You can experiment with other fresh herbs for a subtle flavor variation. Tarragon, fennel fronds, and parsley are the best substitute for dill.
Other veggies – You can absolutely cook carrots in the air fryer with other vegetables, but remember to account for the different cooking times.
- For instance, chopped parsnip, halved brussels sprouts, and broccoli florets cook at the same rate as carrots, so no adjustments are needed.
- Whereas softer vegetables, like onion and zucchini, that cook quicker than carrots, should be chopped larger than the carrots, so they take a few extra minutes to cook.
Meal pairings – This is truly an all-purpose healthy side dish. Here are some of the many meals that match with air fryer roasted carrots:
- Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
- Grilled Top Sirloin Steak with Glazed Balsamic Mushrooms
- Easy Grilled Salmon in Foil Packets
- Skillet Orange Cranberry Chicken
Storing & Freezing
Storing: To maximize the shelf life of extra cooked carrots, let them cool, then refrigerate them in a shallow airtight container or resealable plastic bag for 3-5 days.
Freezing: Roasted carrots also freeze well in an airtight bag, leaving room for expansion for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating (see FAQs for how to reheat).
Recipe FAQs
No two air fryers function precisely the same, so the precise time it takes to make perfectly roasted carrots in the air fryer will vary. I usually check around the 10-minute mark to ensure they aren’t overcooking.
This typically isn’t an issue when you cook vegetables in the air fryer unless it isn’t hot enough or you’re cooking too much at once. Make sure the air fryer is set to 400°F, and the basket isn’t overcrowded.
To reheat leftovers without sacrificing texture, return the carrots to the air fryer set to 400°F and cook for 4-6 minutes, shaking the basket a couple of times during the process.
More Roasted Veggie Recipes
- Slow Roasted Green Beans
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potatoes
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Air Fryer Roasted Carrots
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots peeled and sliced diagonally into 1 1/2 inch slices (If your carrots are thick, cut in half lengthwise before slicing into large chunks.)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh orange zest
- 1 tsp fresh dill can also use fresh parsley but the dill is amazing here
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, toss the chopped carrots, olive oil, orange zest, fresh dill, and salt until combined.
- Place the carrots into the heated air fryer basket (If your basket is small, you may need to do this in two batches).
- Cook at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. If you have a Cosori air fryer, you can select the root vegetable setting.
- Season with any additional salt and pepper, to taste, and garnish with additional fresh dill, if desired.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
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- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, wash, peel, and chop the carrots.
-
- Toss with EVOO, herbs, zest, and salt, and bake on a sheet pan until browned and tender (about 20 minutes). Garnish with fresh dill and serve hot.
- The carrots will shrink a bit as they cook, so you can cut them into decent size chunks. Make sure they’re approximately the same size so the pieces cook evenly.
- Don’t skip the preheat! When you place the carrots in a preheated basket, they begin browning on contact, so the surfaces get crispy while the insides become sweeter and more flavorful.
- Don’t crowd the air fryer basket. It’s okay if the pieces overlap, but do not pack them in too tightly. Without wiggle room, it causes steam, and no one likes mushy steamed carrots. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the carrots in batches.
Nutrition
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I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing results this recipe yielded. From the very first bite, it was evident that these air fryer roasted carrots had reached a new level of perfection!!
Love to hear this! We love them, too!