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Air Fryer Carrots are a quick and healthy side dish that’s perfectly tender on the inside with a lightly caramelized, crispy outside. Seasoned simply and cooked in minutes, these carrots make an easy addition to weeknight dinners or even your holiday table.
Air Fryer Carrots are proof that simple ingredients can deliver big flavor. With a slightly crisp exterior and naturally sweet, tender center, these carrots are a healthier side dish that doesn’t skimp on taste. They cook up in a fraction of the time compared to traditional Roasted Carrots, making them a go-to recipe for busy nights when you want something quick, wholesome, and delicious.
Carrots in the air fryer are ready so much faster then when you roast the in the oven, so they are one of my favorite weeknight vegetables to make. I really like to use whole carrots that you take the time to peel and dice (they cook faster when cut into smaller pieces) because I think the flavor is so much better. But yes, you can use baby carrots.
Ingredients Needed
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Carrots
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Butter
- Pesto – just a little pesto is a quick way to really up the flavor. It is completely optional, you could use dried herbs or just salt and pepper.
How To Make Air Fryer Carrots
- Preheat Air Fryer. Start by preheating your air fryer to 325º F. This will help them cook faster once they are ready to go.
- Prep Carrots. While that is preheating peel and cut carrots into 1/2 inch slices. Toss the carrots with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Then add to the basket of the air fryer in and even layer.
- Cook. Let them cook for 12-15 minutes, depending on how done you like them. Shake them half way through the cooking time to make sure they cook evenly.
- Making Topping. While they are cooking you can melt the butter and mix with the pesto.
- Serve. Once the carrots are cooked, remove from the fire and drizzle butter over to serve.
Serving Suggestions
Carrots are one of those vegetables that a lot of people forget about, but they are super common and readily available, and honestly go with just about anything! You can serve for a holiday or with your weeknight dinner.
Air Fryer Tips
- Same Size. You want to make sure that you cut your carrots 1/2 inch thick. This ensures that they cook quickly but also evenly. If you have some pieces that are very thin they will burn before the others cook through.
- Texture. Carrots get tender as they cook in the air fryer. Usually you use the air fryer to get thing extra crispy, but carrots are different. If you wanted them charred on the edges, you could cook for longer.
- Less Fat. If you are trying to cut down on oil you could lightly spray the carrots with cooking spray instead of tossing with olive oil.
- Seasoning Variation. If you want to skip the pesto butter toss the carrots with 1 tsp of your favorite dried herbs when roasting.
- Double Recipe. If you want to double this recipe cook them in batches. They can stay warm in a 200º oven until you are ready to serve.
To make this recipe I used a Cosori 5.8 Qt Air Fryer. It is big enough that you can fit plenty of food in, and the basket comes out so you can easily shake, stir, or flip whatever you are making.
More Great Side Dish Recipes
Air Fryer Carrots
Video
Ingredients
- ½ pound carrots, peeled and stem removed
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon prepared pesto sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 325°F.
- Cut the carrots into ½ inch slices. Toss the carrot slices in the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the carrots directly into the air fryer basket.½ pound carrots, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Air fry for 12-15 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- While the carrots are cooking, mix together the butter and pesto.1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon prepared pesto sauce
- When the carrots are cooked, toss in the butter sauce and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What a great idea to add a pesto sauce to it! I’m always looking for new ways to use my air fryer, this is perfect.
Love how delicious these turned out! Super simple to make!
This was a hit with my whole family! Thanks for the easy recipe!
Another great recipe for my air fryer! These will pair perfectly with dinner tonight; my family loves carrots!
It’s so great that I can make various recipes in my Air Fryer! I will definitely try this!