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Air Fryer Roasted Veggies
These air fryer roasted veggies is the easiest side dish I make at home! They go with pretty much everything, and the air fryer gets them perfectly golden and tender without any fuss.
These air fryer roasted vegetables have become our go-to side for pretty much every non-veg meal we make at home. They need barely any oil and no babysitting, which frees me up to focus on the main dish. Plus, that roasted, slightly charred flavour of the veggies makes them so addictive!
To make these roasted air fryer veggies, I have used babycorn, carrots, broccoli, beans, zucchini, and onions, but you can swap in whatever vegetables your family enjoys. If you’ve been using your air fryer regularly for recipes like our air fryer chicken tikka or air fryer lemon garlic chicken, these roasted vegetables make the perfect side to go with them.
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Ingredients for Air Fryer Veggies
Vegetables: Babycorn, carrots, broccoli florets, beans, zucchini, and onion
Seasoning: Salt and crushed pepper
Dijon mustard: Adds slight tanginess and depth of flavor. You can also use kasundi instead
Oil: Olive oil or any neutral cooking oil
Water: A couple of tablespoons added to the outer basket to prevent the vegetables from drying out while roasting
Frequently Asked Questions
Root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes work brilliantly because they hold their shape and caramelise well. Broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini, beans, and onions are all great too. The key is to group vegetables with similar cooking times together so nothing ends up overcooked or underdone.
Fresh is recommended because frozen vegetables release a lot of water as they thaw, which prevents them from crisping up in the air fryer. If frozen is all you have, thaw them completely and pat them very dry before tossing with oil and seasoning.
Usually one of three reasons. Not enough oil on the surface, too many vegetables crowded in the basket, or the air fryer wasn’t preheated. The vegetables need space for the hot air to circulate, a thin coating of oil to help them brown, and a fully preheated air fryer to start crisping immediately.
You don’t need to flip individual pieces, but giving the basket a gentle shake or toss halfway through helps everything cook more evenly.
Richa’s Top Tips
- Cut the vegetables into large pieces. They shrink significantly while roasting, so what looks like a big chunk raw will be the perfect size by the time it’s done. Small pieces will shrivel up and dry out.
- Add the vegetables in stages based on cooking time. Babycorn and carrots take longer, so they go in first. Broccoli, beans, zucchini, and onions cook faster and get added halfway through. This way everything finishes at the same time without anything being overcooked or undercooked.
- Line the basket with baking paper. This traps the natural juices from the vegetables and prevents them from drying out while roasting. It also makes cleanup much easier.
- Add water to the outer basket. Just a couple of tablespoons. This creates a little steam that keeps the vegetables moist on the inside while the air fryer crisps up the outside.
Storage Tips
- In the fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The vegetables hold their flavour well but will soften as they sit.
- Freezing: Not recommended. Roasted vegetables lose their texture once frozen and thawed, especially broccoli and beans, which turn mushy.
- Reheating tip: Pop them back in the air fryer at 200°C for 3-4 minutes to crisp them up again. The oven works too but takes longer. Avoid the microwave, as it makes them soft and steamy rather than crispy.
Serving Ideas
These air fryer vegetables are a side dish at heart, so they pair well with almost anything:
- With Chicken Ghee Roast: A plate of rich, spicy ghee roast with these roasted vegetables on the side makes for a really balanced meal.
- With Pepper Mutton Fry: The simplicity of the roasted veggies pairs perfectly alongside a bold, peppery mutton fry.
- In a grain bowl: Pile them over some cooked quinoa or rice, add a spoonful of hummus, and drizzle with olive oil for a healthy, filling lunch.
- In a wrap: Stuff them into a warm whole wheat pita with some hummus and pickled onions for a quick vegetarian meal.
- With Mediterranean Quinoa Salad: Toss the roasted veggies into this salad while they’re still warm for a heartier, more substantial version.
Customisation Ideas
- Go Mediterranean: Toss the vegetables with dried oregano, garlic powder, and a squeeze of lemon after roasting. Crumble some feta on top while they’re still hot.
- Make it Indian: Swap the salt and pepper for chaat masala, amchur, and kashmiri chilli powder. Finish with a squeeze of lemon, and your masaledar roasted veggie chaat is ready.
- Add paneer or chicken: Toss marinated paneer cubes or chicken pieces in with the second batch of vegetables. They crisp up beautifully in the air fryer alongside the veggies.
- Try different vegetables: Sweet potatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, and cauliflower all roast really well in the air fryer. Use whatever is in your fridge and adjust the timing accordingly.
Did You Know?
Roasting vegetables at high heat triggers the Maillard reaction, the same chemical process that makes a steak taste so good. When vegetables are exposed to temperatures above 150°C, the natural sugars and amino acids on their surface react with each other and create hundreds of new flavour compounds that don’t exist in the raw vegetable. That’s why roasted carrots taste sweeter than boiled ones, and why roasted broccoli has a nuttiness that steamed broccoli never will. The air fryer is particularly good at this because it circulates heat directly around the food, creating more surface contact than an oven.
If you’ve never roasted vegetables in the air fryer before, give this recipe a try, and I think you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner. It’s one of the easiest, most useful things your air fryer can do. Share your pictures with me on Instagram @my_foodstory when you try it.
Watch Roasted Vegetables in Air Fryer Recipe Video
Air Fryer Roasted Veggies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 carrots peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 8 baby corn cut into 4 lengthwise
- 1 onion cut into wedges
- 10 beans cut into 2
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 zucchini cut into 6-8 length wise
- ½ teaspoon pepper crushed, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard or kasundi
- 3-4 teaspoon olive oil or any neutral flavoured cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Pre-heat the airfryer at 200C and line the basket with baking paper. Refer note 1
- Add carrots and babycorn to a bowl, add ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard or kasundi and 1.5 teaspoon oil and toss to combine well.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water to the outer basket of the airfryer to prevent the veggies from drying out while roasting.
- Add the carrots and babycorn to the airfryer basket and air fry for 12 minutes at 200C.
- While the veggies are airfrying, prep the other veggies. Add onion, beans, broccoli and zucchini to the same bowl. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon mustard, 1.5 teaspoon oil and toss to combine well.
- Once the baby corn and carrots are semi-roasted, pause the air fryer and add the remaining veggies to the basket. Toss everything together.
- Air fry for 12 minutes at 180 C till everything is roasted well. Depending on your air fryer and how tender you prefer the veggies, you might have to roast them for another 2-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and serve.
Video
Notes
- Cut the veggies into 1.5 inch long thick batons as they reduce in size while roasting.
- You can line your air fryer basket with parchment paper if you wish.
Nutrition
This article was researched and written by Harita Odedra.
The post Air Fryer Roasted Veggies appeared first on My Food Story.
