Can you air fry carrots? Yes! These roasted air fryer carrots are so easy to make. All you have to do is add a little olive oil and cook them until they are tender! But there’s no need to stop there. Adding a variety of Middle Eastern-inspired toppings makes these air fried carrots extra special. You’ll love this fantastic way to use old carrots that are past their prime!
If you’re like me, and always end up with a few extra carrots after making a stew or soup, try this recipe! Roasted carrots in the air fryer might just become your favorite way to prepare this tasty veggie.
These air fryer roasted carrots are simple enough for a weeknight side dish, or dress them up for a holiday meal. The cooked carrots with lemony tahini drizzle, fresh garden mint and parsley, and ruby-red pomegranate arils look quite festive. But if you’re short on time, plain carrots made in the air fryer are fantastic too.
We’re using whole, fresh carrots for this recipe. I used regular orange carrots, but rainbow carrots or your favorite heirloom carrots would also be lovely.
Carrots are a crowd-pleaser, they’re nutritious, they’re inexpensive, and they can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Unfortunately, boiled and steamed carrots can be pretty bland, and oven roasted carrots take FOREVER. Cooking carrots in the air fryer is a great solution to get the flavor of oven baked carrots fast!
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📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
One serving of Air Fryer Carrots has 127 calories, 11 grams net carbs, and 3.6 grams protein. This nutrition information is for the air fried carrots with toppings added.
⭐ Benefits
Why try air frying carrots? Here are a few reasons for you:
- Quick: How long does it take to preheat your oven? 10 minutes or so? In 13 minutes, your air fryer roasted carrots will be done, no preheating necessary!
- Easy: You need carrots, oil, and maybe some salt and pepper for the basic carrots recipe. You get to decide whether to keep it simple or add toppings that make it fancy enough for a holiday side dish.
- Special diet friendly: Following a dietary pattern like vegan, plant-based, WW, low-calorie, Whole30, Paleo, gluten-free, or low carb? Almost everyone can enjoy this simple recipe, particularly if you allow guest to top the carrots themselves.
- Nutritious: Carrots are an excellent source of provitamin A, which the body converts to an active form of vitamin A. This essential nutrient supports eye health and functions as an antioxidant.
- Delicious: This is a family-friendly recipe that even picky eaters and small children usually enjoy. Carrots are naturally sweet, and doubly so when some browning and caramelization is allowed to happen. YUM!
🥘 Ingredients
What do you need to make carrots in an air fryer? To make plain roasted carrots, here’s all you need:
- Fresh, whole carrots
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Cooking oil spray
Try to choose carrots that are about the same size for even cooking. You want small or medium carrots that are thin for this recipe.
Here’s what I used for the optional Middle Eastern-inspired carrot toppings:
- Chopped fresh mint
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Tahini (AKA sesame seed paste)
- Minced garlic
- Water
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice (use Meyer lemons, if possible)
- Zaatar seasoning
- Pomegranate seeds
🍽 Equipment
To make carrots in the air fryer, you’ll need a Y-peeler, a good knife, and (of course) an air fryer. I use the 10-Quart Kalorik Digital Air Fryer Oven for my air fryer recipes.
Your Ninja Foodi, Cosori, Pampered Chef Air Fryer, Actifry, Nuwave, Instant Vortex, Cuisinart, Philips, Power Air Fryer, etc. can also air fry carrots. Always keep a close eye on the food the first time you try a new air fryer recipe. Air frying times may vary a bit between brands.
🔪 How to Make Air Fryer Carrots
Time to learn how to cook carrots in the air fryer! Rinse your carrots to clean them and pat dry. Trim the tops of the carrots with the knife.
If your carrots are a bit limp and sad-looking, peeling can give them a refreshed look. (You can use the carrot trimmings in a batch of vegetable stock! No need to waste them.) If the carrots are still fresh-looking, save yourself a little time and skip the peeling step.
Mist your air fryer basket or one air fryer tray with cooking oil spray. Put the carrots on the tray in a single layer. Drizzle the carrots with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Put the carrots in the top rack position if you have an air fryer oven. Can you believe you’re already ready to air fry?
️⏲ Cooking Time and Temperature
How long to air fry carrots? What temp to make carrots in air fryer? Air fry carrots for a total of 13 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200C). Flip the carrots after the first 10 minutes of cooking.
The carrots are done when they are fork-tender and a bit browned on the outside. If your carrots are thicker, they may need a little more cooking time.
That’s all you need to do to make plain air fryer carrots. To make a carrot dressing, whisk together the tahini, garlic, water, lemon juice, and zatar.
Plate the carrots and drizzle with the dressing. Then sprinkle on freshly chopped parsley and mint, and finish with the pomegranate seeds. Beautiful and delish!
🌡️ Leftovers
Air fried carrots without toppings can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat carrots in the microwave to warm them, then top as you wish. Roasted carrots can also be frozen, but their texture will be more mushy when thawed.
🥕 How to Serve
What goes with carrots fixed in the air fryer? I’d add a protein-packed entrée and another veggie or a grain to the meal. Here are some main dishes that go with carrots:
🧂️️ Seasonings
What are the best seasonings for carrots? I think “best” depends on whether you want them sweet or savory or spicy!
I gave you one way to flavor cooked carrots above. Here are a few more ideas for air fried carrot toppings and seasonings:
- Ranch dressing
- Honey
- Maple Syrup
- Brown Sugar and Melted Butter (for glazed carrots or candied carrots)
- Spices (such as cinnamon or cumin)
- Italian seasoning
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Parmesan cheese
I tend to prefer the options such as herb and spice blends that don’t contain added sugar. Carrots are already quite sweet for a vegetable, especially when allowed to brown a little.
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). At only 127 calories per serving, air fryer carrots are a relatively low-calorie side dish to add to your meals. You could always skip the carrot toppings to drop this side to under 100 calories.
Carrots make a vegetable side dish that would be a good pick for nearly everyone. Those following a low carb diet could make this a meal with some high-quality protein and more non-starchy veggies. Vegans could add falafel on whole wheat pita for a Middle Eastern feast.
In the United States, we don’t tend to eat a lot of vegetables. If you want to increase your veggie intake, try adding some inexpensive veggies to your grocery cart this week. Carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes are all low cost and last a long time.
It can be frustrating to purchase fruits and vegetables only to have them go bad in the fridge later. Carrots are a great veggie to purchase regularly if you have this problem. Fresh carrots (without the greens) can last in the fridge for 2-4 weeks!
You can eat carrots raw if you don’t have time to cook them. And if you did accidentally leave them in the fridge a little too long, just peel and air fry them. No one will guess you used imperfect carrots in this side dish!
FAQs
You can air fry vegetables with no oil, but they will turn out drier. Also, foods may be more likely to stick to the air fryer basket or tray without oil. Try using a little non-aerosol cooking spray on your veggies instead of bottled oil if you’re looking to cut back.
To make dehydrated carrot coins in the air fryer, start by cutting your fresh carrots very thin. A mandoline or the slicing disc of a food processor will make quick work with this. Mix the carrot chips with a little oil and air fry in a single layer for 10-15 minutes at 400F (200C). Flip them 2 or 3 times during cooking.
One serving of these air fryer carrots has 11 grams net carbs, which could fit in some very low carb and keto diets. That said, carrots are higher in carbs than some other veggie options, even though they’re a non-starchy vegetable.
You can make air fryer frozen carrots following the directions for broccoli in my Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables recipe. (Actually, you can air fry pretty much any vegetable from frozen or fresh!)
Yes, you can make carrots in a pressure cooker or crock pot. However, they won’t get browned and caramelized like they do in the air fryer. If you don’t have an air fryer lid for your Instant Pot, try sautéing carrots using the “high saute” function.
👩🏻🍳 More Air Fryer Veggie Recipes
Want more vegetable air fryer recipes? Here are some dishes to try next:
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Roasted Air Fryer Carrots (Vegan, Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces carrots (227 grams; about 6-7 thin small-medium carrots)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- cooking oil spray (non-aerosol)
Optional Carrot Topping Variation:
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- ½ clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
- ¼ teaspoon zaatar seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Rinse your carrots to clean them and pat them dry. Cut off the tops of the carrots and peel them. (Feel free to skip the peeling step if you wish.)
- Lightly mist one air fryer baking tray with cooking spray. Spread the carrots in a single layer on the tray. (I was able to fit all of the carrots on one tray.)
- Drizzle the peeled carrots with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Put the tray in the air fryer (top rack position for air fryer ovens). Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes.
- Remove the carrots from the oven and flip them over. Then put the tray back in the top position of the oven and bake for 3 more minutes, or until the carrots are fork tender. Enjoy plain or make the variation below.
To Make Carrot Topping Variation:
- While the carrots air fry, whisk the tahini, garlic, water, lemon juice, and zaatar together.
- Drizzle the tahini sauce over the carrots. Sprinkle the mint, parsley, and pomegranate seeds over the top. Enjoy!
Dennis Yannakos says
Thanks for the recipe!
Summer Yule says
Glad you liked it!
joolzs101 says
Definitely trying this... this week
Summer Yule says
Yay! I'd love it if you'd let me know how it goes!
joolzs101 says
Made them loved them, the dressing is to die for and I’m making some for a bbq tomorrow. Thanks for this recipe it’s going to be used a lot.
Summer Yule says
I am so glad that you enjoyed them! You've made my day!!!
Terrified Amateur says
Fantastic way to resurrect those carrots, Summer! When most of us would've deemed them suitable for nothing but the broth pile - or worse - you recognized the perfection still awaiting its freedom.
Great way to amp things too with a dynamic combo of tangy pomegranates and rich tahini. The latter, I discovered only a few years ago, and now I'm making up for al that lost time. Quite similar, too, to Asian sesame paste, meaning the supplement adds to dishes across the breadth of Asia.
Be it a sauce for Taiwanese Pork Dumplings, or carrots recapturing their excellence. Tahini/sesame paste, you know no boundaries!
Summer Yule says
Thank you! I absolutely love to discover all of the wonderful and different ways similar ingredients are used across different cuisines. It makes sense why so many fusion dishes work well. Sometimes it only takes a small jump to merge culinary worlds that seem so disparate on the surface!