Air Fryer Broccoli and Carrots

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Air Fryer Broccoli and Carrots make the perfect healthy side dish for almost any meal! You just need 6 ingredients and 20 minutes. Elevate dinner with this kid-friendly, colorful veggie side.

Air fried broccoli and carrots in a bowl. — Air Fryer Broccoli and Carrots make a super easy side dish for almost any meal!

I absolutely love making veggie sides in the air fryer. Some of my favorites include Air Fryer Asparagus, Air Fryer Summer Squash, and Air Fryer Green Beans! Now I can add Air Fryer Broccoli and Carrots to the list!

The trick to making these air-fried broccoli and carrots come out perfectly is precooking the carrots. When I first started testing this recipe, I tried adding everything to the basket at once and the carrots didn't have enough time to cook. I had to fish out the broccoli with tongs and cook the carrots longer! It was not ideal. Cooking the carrots at a slightly lower heat before adding the broccoli solves this problem perfectly.

Another important part of this recipe is adding a little water to the basket. This will kind of steam the broccoli before it starts roasting, ensuring that your broccoli tips don't dry out or burn, but instead come out perfectly crispy.

If you're looking for a healthy, vegan, kid-friendly side dish that can be served with a variety of dishes, then this Air Fryer Broccoli and Carrots recipe is for you!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Variations
Equipment
How to serve
Storage
Top tip
FAQ
Related
Air Fryer Broccoli and Carrots
Air Fryer and food safety tips

Ingredients

Here's what you need to make this recipe.

fresh broccoli: For this recipe I used fresh broccoli. For tips on air frying frozen broccoli, see this recipe.
carrots: I also used fresh carrots.
olive oil or avocado oil: to help with flavor and browning.
garlic powder: For a rich, earthy flavor.
oregano: To add a little more variety to the flavors.
salt: To enhance the flavors.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Here are step-by-step instructions with photos.

Preheat the air fryer to 375F or 190C. Wash and peel the carrots (peeling is optional). Slice the carrots into ½cm rounds. Add them to a mixing bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil.

Add the carrots to the air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes.

Air fried carrots mixed with raw broccoli in a bowl.

While the carrots are cooking. Chop the broccoli into small florets. Transfer the cooked carrots back to the bowl and add the broccoli. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, oregano, garlic, and salt.

Roasted broccoli and carrots in an air fryer.

Add two tablespoons of water to the basket (below the liner--this will help keep the broccoli from burning). Return the carrots and broccoli to the air fryer. Turn up the heat to 400F or 200C. Cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, stopping halfway to shake the basket. Serve and enjoy!

Hints: Cutting the broccoli into smaller florets and the carrots into ½cm rounds will help this dish cook more evenly.

Be sure to add one to two tablespoons of water to the basket before cooking the broccoli. This trick will keep the tips from drying out and burning.

Variations

Here are a few seasoning variations you might like.

Sweet & Spicy - Sriracha and Maple Syrup or agave balance perfectly!
Maple Balsamic - whisk together maple syrup and balsamic glaze for a classic combo. This version can be oil-free!
Romanesco - Swap out the broccoli for Romanesco!

You can find measurement ratios in this recipe for Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts.

Hand presenting a bowl of air fryer broccoli and carrots. — These Air Fryer Carrots and Broccoli are super nutritious and delicious!

Equipment

For this recipe, you need an air fryer, a cutting board and knife, and a mixing bowl.

All of my favorite products and kitchen tools can be found in my Amazon shop.

How to serve

Air Fryer Broccoli and Carrots make a perfect side dish for almost any meal! Pair them with these Chick-fil-A style Tofu Nuggets and Air Fryer Tater Tots for a super kid-friendly meal! Or change up the seasonings and serve them alongside this Teriyaki Tofu.

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the air fryer!

Top tip

The most important part of this recipe is to pre-cook the carrots before you add the broccoli. Trust me! I made this mistake when I first started testing the recipe and I ended up with the undercooked carrots. Carrots are much denser than broccoli and they just need a little extra cooking time.

Air Fryer carrots and broccoli in a bowl. — This dish is vegan, kid-friendly, and gluten-free!

FAQ

Why cook the carrots first?

Carrots are denser than broccoli, so they just take a little longer to cook. If you add them together the carrots will be undercooked (or the broccoli will be overcooked).

Can I use baby carrots?

I have tested this recipe with baby carrots and although it does work, the initial cook time of the carrots could be different depending on the size. However, if you have thicker baby carrots cut into rounds, it should work.

Can I use frozen broccoli and carrots?

You can definitely use frozen veggies, however, you wouldn't need to precook the carrots, since they are already precooked before they are frozen. You also wouldn't need to add any water to the air fryer. I don't recommend using a basket liner for cooking frozen veggies, because the excess moisture tends to collect in the liner and you just end up with soggy veg.

What air fryer should I buy?

Choose the air fryer that best meets your needs. Consider things like price, size, and functionality. I personally love my Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer, because it has a bigger capacity, which better suits my family of four.

For more info, see my post What Air Fryer Should I Buy? or check out Good Housekeeping's review of the Best Air Fryers of 2023.

Looking for more air fryer recipes? Try these: