Perfect Air Fryer Baby Carrots

These air fryer baby carrots are a quick and simple side dish that’s parent and kid approved! These air fried roasted carrots are tossed in a sweet and savory glaze that’s a cinch to make. This delicious recipe is a perfect weeknight side dish, but also special enough for your holiday table!

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This recipe was originally published in September of 2021. It was updated in February of 2022 to include new photos and slight tweaks to make this recipe even more delish!

Roasting veggies is hands down my favorite way to enjoy vegetables. Roasting brings out the sweetness, while preserving all those wonderful flavors!

“Roasting” in the air fryer is no different! An air fryer is just a glorified convection oven that circulate heats, so you’ll get the same “roasted” effect in the air fryer…in usually a lot less time, too! I am an air fryer roasting crazy person! I feel like this is the only way I can veggies any more!

Some of my current faves are my Air Fryer Roasted Root Veggies (fall vibes!), Air Fryer Broccoli (with a touch of lemon and parm) and my Air Fryer Chinese Style Green Beans (sweet, sticky perfection!).

And of course, these roasted carrots in the air fryer are a new family fave! Cooking carrots in the air fryer is quick, simple and family-approved!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• Quick and easy recipe with very little chopping!
• The sweet glaze on the carrots makes this appealing to both adults and kiddos!
• It’s a perfect quick side dish for weeknights, but also special enough for your holiday table.
• There’s always an option use regular carrots, too if you don’t have baby carrots.
• Roasting carrots in the air fryer is takes less time that the oven.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this delicious air fryer baby carrots recipe:

INGREDIENT NOTES

Baby Carrots: Baby carrots are a great option in this recipe because they are just so easy! No peeling or chopping is required! However, you can absolutely use regular carrots, too! You just may have to adjust the cooking time a bit, depending on how big you cut your carrots. This recipe calls for one 16 oz. bag of baby carrots, but you can double the recipe for more than 4 servings.

Rosemary: I love fresh rosemary because it gives me all the “holiday vibes!” It smells SO AMAZING! But you can use dried rosemary if you don’t have any fresh. Dried or fresh thyme works great too. Also see: 15 Best Substitutes for Rosemary.

HOW TO MAKE BABY CARROTS IN THE AIR FRYER: STEP BY STEP

Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below.

Step 1: In a medium bowl, toss carrots with olive oil and a little salt.

Step 2: Air fry at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until fork tender. For best results, give the air fryer basket or tray a good shake at the halfway mark.

Step 3: While carrots are air frying, make the glaze. In a small pan over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, garlic powder, and rosemary leaves. Cook 1-2 minutes until butter is melted and everything is well mixed.

Step 4: Remove carrots from air fryer and toss with the butter/sugar mixture. Top with hazelnuts/walnuts/pistachios (optional) and fresh chopped parsley (optional) and serve immediately!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS

• When removing your baby carrots from the bag, make sure you drain off any excess water that may have been in the bag and pat your carrots dry, if necessary. You want your carrots dry before tossing them in the olive oil and air frying.
• Finishing off the carrots with some chopped nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts and pistachios work great!) gives the perfect little crunch to the dish. I also love adding a little chopped parsley for a bit of freshness, too!
• People have a wide range of preference for how they like their carrots cooked. My husband is on Team Mushy and I am on Team Crunchy! This recipe is written with a range on cooking time–the lower end is more #teamcrunchy and the higher is more #teammushy. Your best bet is to actually taste a carrot at around the 12-15 minute mark and adjust cooking to your preference. I highly recommend not overcooking them and err on the more “al dente” side, as that seems to work best with the glaze.
• Cook the glaze just a few minutes before the carrots are done. You don’t want the butter to cool as the glaze becomes less pourable.

OTHER AIR FRYER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

• AIR FRYER CORNISH GAME HENS
• AIR FRYER ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES
• AIR FRYER BAKED APPLES WITH CINNAMON GLAZE

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Perfect Air Fryer Baby Carrots

4.78 from 9 votes

These air fryer baby carrots are a quick and simple side dish that's parent and kid approved! These air fried carrots are tossed in a sweet and savory glaze that's a cinch to make. This is a perfect weeknight side dish, but also special enough for your holiday table!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:5 mins

Cook Time:20 mins

Total Time:25 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer, carrots

Servings: 4

Calories: 173kcal

Equipment

• Air Fryer

Ingredients

• 1 lb, baby carrots one 16 oz. bag
• 2 tbsp olive oil avocado oil works great too!
• 1 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
• fresh chopped parsley and nuts for topping optional

For the glaze

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (light or dark)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Instructions

• Preheat air fryer to 400. If your air fryer doesn't have a preheat setting, just turn it to 400 and give it about 3-5 minutes to come to temperature.
• In a medium bowl, toss baby carrots, olive oil and salt. Note: when taking baby carrots out of the bag, make sure to drain off any excess water that might have been in the bag. You want your carrots to be dry before tossing them in oil and air frying them.
• Add baby carrots to your air fryer basket or tray in an even layer. If you are using a basket, it's OK if the carrots overlap, just don't stack the carrots too high.

  Then air fry for 15-20 minutes until fork tender (or cooked to your desired texture, See Note 1). Shake the basket at the halfway point so the carrots cook evenly. If you are using larger baby carrots, you may need to add 2-5 minutes to the cooking time.
• A few minutes before the carrots are done, make the glaze. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, garlic powder and rosemary for 1-2 minutes until butter is melted and ingredients are combined. Stir a few times while cooking so butter doesn't burn.
• Remove carrots from air fryer and toss with the glaze. Top with chopped nuts and parsley if you like!

Notes

Note 1: This recipe is written with a range on cooking time–the lower end is more #teamcrunchy and the higher is more #teammushy. Your best bet is to actually taste a carrot at around the 12-15 minute mark and adjust cooking to your preference. I highly recommend not overcooking them and err on the more “al dente” side, as that seems to work best with the glaze.

Nutrition information is only an estimate. Info is based on the Very Well Fit Nutrition Calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4.7g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 712mg | Potassium: 286mg | Fiber: 3.3g | Sugar: 10.6g | Vitamin D: 4µg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg