Name: Air Fryer Roasted Carrots
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6-8 large carrots, peeled; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

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The Easiest Side Dish Ever, Made in Your Air Fryer

Picture yourself on a regular ol’ weekday and you’ve found the best recipe to try for dinner. You’re so excited to try it, you break out all the ingredients, and you’re ready to go. But wait, you need a side dish! You’ve already committed to this awesome main course that takes up a bit of time. Now, what do you do?

Instead of breaking out a bag of frozen french fries or canned vegetables, try this Air Fryer Roasted Carrots recipe instead. I promise, it’s SO easy and everyone is going to love it.

You can always find fresh carrots at the grocery store. They have a longer shelf life than most vegetables and you can cook them in so many different ways. My family prefers to keep it simple. This is why we love this roasted carrot recipe.

It takes about 5 minutes to prepare and then you can move on to prepping your main dish. It’s one of the easiest side dishes you’ll ever make!

roasted and seasoned carrots in a white bowl with a gold spoon

What Ingredients Will I Need?

There’s no need to run to the store for any extra ingredients. You only need a few of them for this recipe!

Carrots: This is the perfect time of year to find fresh carrots at your local farmers market. But what I love about carrots is that they are readily available all year round! I always have a few around to whip up this side dish. S
Olive Oil: Avocado oil or sunflower oil would also work.
Garlic Powder: If you don’t have garlic powder you can use granulated garlic or garlic salt. (Just don’t use as much regular salt if you use garlic salt.)
Dried Thyme: I use this because it’s an easy ingredient to keep in your pantry. You can also use fresh thyme if you’d like. Dried parsley and oregano are two other options you can use.
Salt and Pepper: Seasoning the carrots (even just a little bit) is the trick to making this dish a hit among little ones.

How to Make Air Fryer Roasted Carrots

Here is how to make these super simple roasted carrots. All you need is your air fryer and the short list of ingredients. Let’s get started!

First, cut the carrots into equal-sized pieces. You want to be sure they are all about the same size so that they cook in the same amount of time.

pouring seasoned olive oil over a bowl of cut up carrots

Next, toss the carrots with olive oil and spices. I like to add the dried spice to the olive oil first. Then you’re certain that the carrots are coated evenly with the seasonings.

Put them in the air fryer for 12-15 minutes. You want to make sure that they are laying flat in the air fryer basket. Also, toss them about halfway through so all sides cook evenly.

Lastly, remove the carrots from the air fryer and enjoy! That’s it! In just a few simple steps you have perfectly cooked carrots!

Air-Frying Tips

The air fryer is one of the most popular cooking appliances right now! You can use it for these roasted carrots or many other recipes. Here are some of my tried-and-true air frying tips.

No piling of ingredients. The air fryer’s job is to circulate hot air around each item. That’s how it works to get a crispy outside and cook everything evenly. So it’s very important that the ingredients are in a single layer and not touching each other.
Don’t rush it and work in batches if you need to. Believe me, the recipe will still be quicker if you work in batches than trying to cook ingredients in an overcrowded air fryer basket.
Preheat the air fryer. Just like you wouldn’t throw food into cold frying oil, it doesn’t make sense to put food into a cold air fryer. Always pre-heat for best results!
Keep the air fryer basket clean. This also helps everything cook perfectly and evenly. And it avoids any burning and unwanted flavors from food that you cooked previously in the air fryer.

close up of roasted and seasoned carrots in a white bowl

Main Courses That Go with Carrots

This easy side dish pairs well with a lot of different recipes. Here are some suggestions for the best main courses that pair with this recipe.

Chicken: Try these carrots with Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts, Mustard Glazed Chicken, or Beer Can Chicken.
Beef: Carrots are a great alternative to potatoes when looking for something to pair with beef. Try them with my Cast Iron Cowboy Steak or Chili Rubbed Flank Steak.
Fish: Pairing this carrot side dish with fish creates the perfect dinner. Some of my favorite recipes include Dijon Maple Glazed Salmon and Grilled Snapper.

Storing and Reheating

Make sure that you keep any leftovers! They are easy to store and reheat perfectly.

I recommend storing them in an air-tight container in the fridge. You can keep them this way for up to 5 days. To reheat, you can use the microwave or the air fryer again.

Can I Freeze Air Fryer Carrots?

This is a pretty easy recipe to make ahead of time and store in the freezer. Though the flavor and texture are best when they are made fresh, there’s no harm in making batches for an even quicker side option another day!

It’s best to make sure that they are cooled completely before freezing. Next, simply store them in a freezer-friendly bag. Make sure that they are thawed before reheating. Then you can reheat them in the air fryer and it will take about 5-8 minutes.

Alternatively, one way to assure the best-tasting carrots post-freezer, you can “par-cook” the carrots ahead of time. What does that mean? That means that you cook the carrots halfway before freezing and then finish cooking them when you’re ready to eat.