Sweet Air Fryer Carrots Recipe For Your Next Movie Night

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Are you looking for a side dish that’s healthy and perfect for date night? These air fryer carrots have just the right amount of brown sugar, butter, and honey to turn this simple vegetable into a gourmet dish worthy of a sophisticated dinner party and easy enough for a simple weeknight movie date at home.

Why You Will Love Air Fryer Carrots

• Quick Cooking Time: Compared to traditional oven roasting, air fryer carrots are ready in only a fraction of the time. This is especially helpful during busy weeknights or when you want to prepare a meal on short notice for a spontaneous date night.
• Minimal Effort, Maximum Flavor: You can transform ordinary carrots into a gourmet side dish with just a few simple ingredients. 
• Perfectly Tender: Air fryer carrots are tender all the way through for a satisfying texture, just like oven-roasted recipes, allowing the natural flavors of the carrots to stand out and meld perfectly with the sweet glaze.
• Budget Friendly: Carrots are affordable produce that provides exceptional value for your money and has a long shelf life if stored properly. 

Ingredients

• Carrots: The star of this side dish, carrots, are low in calories and full of nutrients. 
• Melted Butter: While melted butter also helps prevent the carrots from drying out during the air frying process, its distinctive and savory flavor complements the sweetness of brown sugar and honey.
• Olive Oil: A small amount to help tenderize the carrots and thin the brown sugar honey glaze.
• Honey: A natural sweetener that retains the carrots’ moisture, ensuring the carrots are perfectly tender.
• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is made with molasses, which adds a richer flavor to the glaze, creating a sweet caramel-like taste.
• Fresh Parsley (optional): Fresh parsley adds a vibrant burst of green color to the dish, contrasting the warm tones of the roasted carrots and creating a more appetizing presentation. 

Equipment

• Air Fryer: You can use any size or type of air fryer, as they all cook your food evenly by circulating hot air.
• Peeler: Use the peeler to remove the thin outer skin of the carrots. 
• Sharp Knife and Cutting Board: To slice carrots into evenly sized pieces.
• Small Microwave Safe Bowl: To melt the butter in the microwave.
• Small Bowl: You only need a small bowl to combine the brown sugar and honey glaze ingredients.
• Medium Bowl: Use a bowl large enough to hold your sliced carrots and stir in the sweet glaze.
• Air Fryer Parchment Paper: Add parchment paper underneath your basket to catch drippings and make cleaning a breeze.

Instructions

Wash and peel all your carrots. Slice the carrots into 1 ½ inch long pieces to ensure they cook evenly in the air fryer. For extra thick parts of the carrot, also slice them long ways to create two 1 ½ inch pieces. Place in a medium sized bowl.

Melt butter in the microwave for 6-8 seconds. Add olive oil, honey, and brown sugar to the melted butter and stir well until combined. Pour glaze over the sliced carrots and stir well to coat all sides of the carrots. Preheat your air fryer for 2 minutes at 370 degrees F.

Add the coated carrots to your air fryer basket in a single layer. Carrots shrink as they cook, so it is ok to have slight overlaps in the basket. 

Air fry for 8 minutes. Then, shake the basket to rearrange the carrots. Drizzle any remaining leftover glaze on top of the carrots. Continue to air fry for 4 minutes. 

Test the tenderness of the thickest carrot with a fork. If needed, add 2 minutes to achieve more tenderness.

Place the air-fried carrots into a serving dish and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Substitutions

Feel free to substitute honey for a sweetener like maple syrup or a medium caramel agave nectar.

You can use other types of carrots for this recipe, such as baby carrots. The key is ensuring your carrot pieces are the same size to reach tenderness at the same cook time.

Variations

Add ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt to tone down the sweetness of these air fryer carrots.

Include your favorite spices to change up this easy side dish each time you serve it for dinner. A touch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice will yield a deliciously different flavor.

Glam it up! Top your carrots with feta cheese or goat cheese crumbles.

Storage

• To Store: Have leftovers? Store in an air-tight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• To Reheat: Place them back in your air fryer at 370 degrees F for 4-5 minutes or microwave on high in 30-second intervals until heated all the way through.
• To Freeze: Place your air fryer carrots in a freezer-safe container or baggie and store for up to 3 months. Let thaw in your refrigerator before reheating.

Serving Suggestions

Air fryer carrots are the perfect side dish for any protein you serve as a main dish. 

• Chicken: Enjoy with these seasoned air fryer chicken leg quarters or as a healthy side for these chicken burgers.
• Salmon: Air fryer roasted carrots are the perfect accompaniment to this air fryer honey garlic salmon or any of these tasty salmon dinners.
• Beef: Pair carrots with your main beef dishes, such as beef Wellington or prime rib. 

Air Fryer Carrots FAQs

Why Are Carrots So Good For You?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, carrots are an essential source of vitamin A and are high in carotenoids, which can help you fight infections and may help protect you from a variety of cancer-related diseases. Plus, it can lower your cholesterol.

Can I Use Frozen Carrots

Frozen carrots cannot absorb the flavors and moisture from the glaze. You’ll need to thaw your frozen carrots fully before air frying.

How Long to Air Fry Carrots?

For fully tender carrots, the cooking time is 12 to 15 minutes. The thickness and size of your carrots will determine how long they should be air-fried.

Related Recipes

• Garlic Air Fryer Green Beans
• Air Fryer Asparagus

Air fryer carrots are the secret to a quick, no-nonsense upgrade to your dinner spread. Simple, speedy, and downright delicious, air-fried carrots add that extra punch to your dinner table.

This article originally appeared on Pink When.