Air Fryer Carrots

Name: Air Fryer Carrots
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 pound carrots; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder; 1 tablespoon cornstarch

These Air Fryer Carrots are seasoned to perfection, tender with a slight crisp exterior, done in less than 15 minutes and are amazing served with a tangy yogurt sauce. Forget french fries and make this instead for a healthy snack or side dish.

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white parchment lined tray with cooked carrot fries and white sauce in a small bowl.

Healthier french fries? Yes please! Although it is hard to beat the quintessential comfort food, it is good to have a healthier alternative like this air fryer carrots in your back pocket for guilt free snacking or as a healthy after school snack recipe.

Carrots are a favorite any way you serve them. Raw ones with an outstanding crunch, sweet honey roasted carrots and parsnips, baked into a carrot cake with walnuts or made into carrot raisin salad.

Just like the oven roasted baby carrots, air frying completely transforms carrots, intensifying the natural flavor, caramelizing the sugars and accentuates the color by browning the outsides. It has become our favorite way to cook vegetables like this air fryer zucchini or air fryer butternut squash.

These air fryer carrots are roasted in a moderately hot temperature rather than a very high heat so the vegetable has time to sweeten and caramelize evenly.

Although these are amazing with the greek yogurt sauce, they make a fabulous side dish with it's sweet and savory flavor complimenting almost any main dish espcially this baked chicken burger.

If you’d like to prep in advance, then cut them into sticks and refrigerate in a sealed zip lock bag or air tight container for up to 2 days. Season and air fry just before serving.

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Why you'll love these fries?
Ingredients
Variations
How to make?
How to serve?
How to store?
Recipe FAQs
More air fryer vegetables to try:
Air Fryer Carrots

Why you'll love these fries?

Texture perfection: They turn supremely tender yet have a slight crisp exterior from the cornstarch with caramelized ends.
Effortless: If you can cut a vegetable into the shape of french fries then you can make this with ease.
Flavorful: This ain't your boring boiled mushy carrots back from childhood. The natural sweetness along with a little heat is amazing when paired with the creamy, spicy and tangy sauce.
Great anytime: Nibble away when enjoying your favorite movie on a Friday night or serve as a side dish for dinner.

Ingredients

Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.

Carrots: I like to use regular sized carrots with or without tops that I peel and cut myself, so they all can have even thickness.
Olive oil: It ensures that the spices and cornstarch stick to fries and prevents them for drying out. You can use melted butter or avocado oil instead.
Spices: A simple spice blend made by combining garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, black pepper and salt. Cayenne is entirely optional, but it adds a touch of warmth and color to the already colorful vegetable.

Tip: If you like to add a hint of fresh garlic, then stir a smashed whole garlic clove along with the skin (it busts open but is mostly in one piece) along with the spices. It imparts a lovely garlic flavor throughout the fries without getting burned as chopped or minced garlic would.

Variations

Try using different colored carrots like red, purple or yellow ones.
Making them as a side dish? Slice them or cut into chunks instead of sticks.
Switch the seasoning blend with you favorite spices.
Serving with a pasta dish? Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and then finally sprinkle grated parmesan on top.

How to make?

You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.

2 photo collage of two hands cutting carrots into sticks on a wooden board.

2 photo collage of two hands mixing cut carrots with seasoning using wooden spoon.

1 & 2: To cut carrots into ¼-inch thick sticks, remove the skin using a vegetable peeler and slice off both the ends. Chop each carrot into two chunks, slice each chunk in half, lengthwise and then cut each half into 2, 3 or 4 sticks (depending on the thickness), lengthwise.

Tip: Aim for the pieces to be relatively close in size so they cook in the same time.

3: Place all cut sticks into a bowl, add olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne powder.

4: Toss until all the spices are evenly combined.

2 photo collage of mixing cornstarch with carrot sticks in a glass bowl.

2 photo collage of an air fryer basket with seasoned carrot sticks.

5 & 6: Sprinkle cornstarch on top and toss until it is well coated.

7: Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees F. When hot, add all prepared sticks into the hot basket.

Tip: Cooking at a moderately hot temperature is key here to get some lovely color and they have enough time to crisp up. Most recipes use a higher temperature which will cook them just fine, but it’s not low enough to deeply caramelize them.

8. Spread them evenly so they are in one layer. Cook for about 13 to 15 minutes, shaking the pan once half way through cooking.

air fryer basket with cooked carrot fries.

How to serve?

They are best piled high on a platter with a bowl of the creamy yogurt sauce (we like to stir a dash of paprika along with the sauce to amp up the compatibility) for a guilt free snack just about any time. They also make a great side dish at your Holiday table or pair with any entree for weeknight dinner.

How to store?

To Store. Air fryer carrots can last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but they loose the crispness.
To Reheat. Air fry at 390 degrees for 2 to 3 minutes or until warmed through.

partially dipped carrot fry in white yogurt sauce.

Recipe FAQs

Do I have to peel the carrots?

It is a personal preference. I like to peel them before cooking, so they have a cleaner appearance and you are guaranteed that they are not bitter in taste. If you choose not to peel, give them a good scrub to make sure you get rid of any dirt or debris before cooking.

Why aren't my carrot fries crispy?

It might be because you overcrowded the basket which will cause them to steam instead of roasting. Make sure that they are in a single layer and the pieces are not mostly not touching.

Can I use baby carrots?

I like the texture and flavor of whole, larger carrots for this recipe. Although baby ones make a tasty snack, you'll more likely to have a hard time getting them to crisp up due to their relatively high water content.

More air fryer vegetables to try:

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