Air Fryer Roasted Beets made with a simple seasoning under 30 mins. This roasted red beets recipe is great for meal preps, on salads or just as such! This recipe is also vegan and naturally gluten free.
Air Fryer Beets
Beets in air fryer is perhaps the easiest and tastiest way to include this nutrient dense root vegetable in your diet. You will get sweet, subtly caramelized, slightly crispy roasted beets that are perfectly cooked with a slight bite on them.
Toss the earthy beet slices in a simple homemade seasoning to enhance the flavor. You'll love how easy it is to roast red beets in the air fryer. Not much prep work, few ingredients and incredible result! They also last long in the fridge.
If you hate beets you might want to give this roasted beets air fryer recipe a try. It might change your mind! So much flavor and packed with nutrients. You might also love Instant pot beets, they are steamed whole & no peeling required!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.
- Red whole beets: We peeled the beets and than diced them. But that's an optional step. You can keep the skin intact. The edible skin will almost disappear during the roasting process .
- Best spices for roasted beets: Sweet paprika, fresh crushed black pepper, dried thyme, red pepper flakes for a slight kick and Himalayan pink salt (use according to your own personal taste preference). Skip the red pepper flakes if you are making it for kids.
- Cooking fat: Use extra light or light olive oil. You can also use avocado oil.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice. This will help to assimilate the iron in the beets. You can also sub it with balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar or regular cooking vinegar. We love the bright fresh flavor of fresh lemon juice.
Tips for success
- Peel or no peel: You don't need to peel the beets if you don't want to. The skin, which is completely edible ,will almost disappear during the roasting process in the air fryer. However, we chose to peel our beets.
- Avoid stained hands: Wear gloves and an apron while handling beets to avoid staining your hands and fingernails. The gorgeous color of beets can stain your hands, fingernails and chopping boards. But the stain is not permanent, it can be rinsed off easily with hand soap. We don't mind the stain!
- How to prep beets: Scrub beets very well to remove dirt, trim off tops and ends, peel if you want (optional), quarter the beets if they are small or dice them into thick chunks if your beets are large.
- More flavor: Toss the diced red beets in a large bowl with the oil and all the seasonings. Do not discard the leftover seasonings and juices from the bowl. Toss the air fried roasted red beets in the leftover juices and seasonings just before serving. You'll be amazed how much flavor this simple hack builds. It makes such a huge difference! This step is optional.
- Shake air fryer basket: Shake the air fryer basket halfway through. This will ensure even cooking.
How to cook beets in air fryer?
Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.
Roasted red beets with skin on or off are not only easy to make in the air fryer but they are delicious too! Even if you hate beets just give this recipe a try, you might change your mind! Here's how to roast beets in air fryer:
- Prep beets: Scrub the whole beets very well under running tap water to remove any dirt or debris. Trim off the top and ends. Dice the beets into large chunks. We used small beets and quartered them. Peeling the beets is optional!
- Season beets: Place the diced beets in a large bowl. Add the seasonings and oil and toss the beets to coat them well. Do not discard any leftover seasonings and juices from the bowl.
- Air fry: Layer them in a 350 F pre-heated air fryer in a single layer and air fry for 17 mins shaking the basket half way through.
- Serve: Transfer the roasted beets into the same bowl in which you tossed them with seasonings. Coat the roasted beets with the leftover seasonings and juices and serve them immediately. You can top or garnish the beets with fresh chopped herbs, lemon/orange zest, maple syrup or toasted nuts and seeds.
Beets in oven
- Prep beets: Scrub the whole beets very well under running tap water to remove any dirt or debris. Trim off the top and ends. Dice the beets into large chunks. We used small beets and quartered them. Peeling the beets is optional! Place the diced beets in a large bowl. Add the seasonings and oil and toss to coat the beets evenly. Do not discard any leftover seasonings and juices from the bowl.
- Bake in oven: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Arrange the seasoned beets in a single layer across the pan. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, tossing halfway, until you’re able to pierce through the beets with a fork with light pressure. Garnish with your favorite toppings like fresh herbs, toasted nuts & seeds and enjoy!
What to do with roasted beets?
You can serve roasted red beets as a side or include them in your meal preps. We love to use them in our protein bowls, buddha bowls, salads and rice bowls. The possibilities are endless.
For a complete meal serve the air fryer beets with the following soups, beans and crusty whole wheat bread:
- Instant pot 15 beans soup vegetarian.
- Instant pot lentil soup with potatoes.
- Instant pot Cuban black beans.
How to store
Fridge: Store the air fryer roasted beets in the fridge for up to 5 days in air tight containers.
Freezer: You can freeze them for up to 3 months in freezer safe bags or containers. Thaw the beets overnight in the fridge first and than follow the reheating directions shared below.
Reheating directions
- Microwave oven: Reheat the air fried beets in the microwave oven until warm or hot.
- Air fryer: You can also reheat the beets in a 350 F pre-heated air fryer for 3-4 mins.
FAQs
Scrub the beets really well under running tap water to remove all dirt and debris.
No, you do not need to peel beets before roasting. The skin is perfectly edible and almost disappears during the roasting process.
The best way to cook beets to either roast them in an air fryer or oven or steam them in the instant pot.
You can make beets taste better by adding seasonings before roasting them. You can also add garnishes and toppings like maple syrup, toasted walnuts, pecans, seeds like pepitas, hemp and lots of fresh herbs like parsley and dill to enhance the taste of beets.
Fresh herbs like dill, basil, chives, mint, parsley, cilantro, tarragon and thyme go very well with beets.
Yes, you can freeze roasted red beets for up to 3 months in freezer safe bags or containers.
More air fryer recipes you might like
- Air fryer mushrooms and onions.
- Air fryer carrots and potatoes.
- Hasselback sweet potatoes air fryer
- Air fryer roasted radishes.
- Air fryer baby gold potatoes.
- Butternut squash fries air fryer.
- Broccoli and cauliflower air fryer.
Recommended
I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU! If you try this Air fryer roasted beets recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I would love to hear how it turned out for you, or any changes you make.
Air Fryer Roasted Beets
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups beets - **about 6 small beets quartered.
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes - **skip if heat intolerant.
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper - **or use freshly crushed black pepper.
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon paprika - **use sweet paprika.
- ½ tablespoon olive oil - **use extra light or light olive oil.
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - **freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- salt to taste - **use according to your own personal taste preference.
Instructions
Prep Beets
- Scrub whole beets to remove any dirt or debris. Trim off the tops and ends. Than peel them with the help of a vegetable peeler. The beet skin is completely edible you can totally skip the peeling part! Quarter the small beets. If using large beets dice them into ½ inch thick and 2 inch long chunks or slices. Transfer the diced beets into a large bowl.
Season beets
- Add all the seasonings mentioned above in the ingredients list along with the fresh lemon juice, oil and salt (use salt according to your own personal taste preference). Toss the beets to coat them well with the seasonings.
Air Fry beets
- Pre-heat the air fryer at 350 F for 4 mins. Transfer the seasoned beets into the air fryer basket with the help of a ladle. Layer them in a single layer. Do not discard the leftover seasonings and juices from the mixing bowl in which you seasoned the beets. Air fry for 17 mins at 350 F shaking the basket halfway through. Transfer the roasted beets into the same mixing bowl and toss them well to coat them with the left over seasonings and juices. This step is optional. This post contains lots of tips, step by step photo, lots of ideas and frequently asked questions, do SCROLL UP to get them all!
Serve roasted beets
- Serve the roasted red beets as such or garnish them with toasted nuts and seeds, fresh herbs, lemon or orange zest and maple syrup! The possibilities are endless.
Notes
- Cook time: The cook time might slightly vary depending on your air fryer make, model and brand. You might have to slightly adjust the cook time. We tested this recipe using our Instant pot vortex, Bella Air Fryer and also using the instant pot air fryer lid.
- Peel or no peel: You don't need to peel the beets if you don't want to. The skin, which is completely edible ,will almost disappear during the roasting process in the air fryer. However, we chose to peel our beets.
- Avoid stained hands: Wear gloves and an apron while handling beets to avoid staining your hands and fingernails. The gorgeous color of beets can stain your hands, fingernails and chopping boards. But the stain is not permanent, it can be rinsed off easily with hand soap. We don't mind the stain!
- More flavor: Toss the diced red beets in a large bowl with the oil and all the seasonings. Do not discard the leftover seasonings and juices from the bowl. Toss the air fried roasted red beets in the leftover juices and seasonings just before serving. You'll be amazed how much flavor this simple hack builds. It makes such a huge difference! This step is optional.
- Shake air fryer basket: Shake the air fryer basket halfway through. This will ensure even cooking.
Lisa says
Excellent recipe! The flavors are spot on. Thank you so much, even my picky eater ate these roasted beets 🙂
mtr_admin says
So glad you and your little one loved the recipe Lisa 🙂 Thanks much for the lovely feedback, appreciate it! - Meghna xoxo
Antoinette says
Is it possible to use canned beets with this recipe?
mtr_admin says
We have not yet tested this recipe using canned beets, so not exactly sure about the exact cook time. I would guess, canned beets will roast much faster in the air fryer as they are already cooked. I would roast them at 380 F for 5 mins and than check them, than, add more time if required. Hope this helps 🙂 - Meghna xoxo