These easy air fryer beets are healthy, tasty and really easy to make. Dice em up, toss them in some oil and salt and then let the air fryer do the heavy lifting. Voila, your air fryer beets are ready to go!
The Best Air Fryer Beets Recipe
Beets are deliciously sweet and earthy in flavor, not to mention good for you! And when you roast beets, it brings out their flavor, making them addictively tasty. Now, they’re easier than ever to make in the air fryer!
Not only do diced beets cook quicker than whole beets, but this way gives you perfectly caramelized edges in every bite. It’s a win-win! Seriously, these air fryer beets are a total show stopping recipe. And they’re so healthy too.
Best of all, you can use red beets, rainbow (candy cane) beets, and golden beets interchangeably in this recipe! So whatever variety of beet you have, you can enjoy this quick and easy air fryer recipe any day of the week!
Pair this great healthy side dish with some yummy meals like air fryer tilapia for a dinner that’s loaded with nutritional benefits. You’re gonna love em!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
What’s not to love about an easy side dish that tastes amazing too. It’s quickly going to become your favorite way to prepare fresh beets:
- These beets are diced, tossed in olive oil and seasoned lightly, then cooked in the air fryer, which cooks them much faster than roasting in the oven.
- Beets full of fiber, minerals, and vitamins like folate, B6, and C. Cooked beets don’t lose any of those nutritional and health benefits!
- You only need three ingredients for this air fryer beets recipe. And it won’t add much time in the kitchen when you’re prepping the main dish too.
Ingredients
This easy air fryer recipe is a total game changer. It’s my favorite way to maintain the slightly sweet taste of fresh beats without having that earthy flavor. You only need a few simple ingredients:
- beets: Red beets are most commonly used, but rainbow (or candy cane) beets, and golden beets can be used interchangeably in this recipe! Air-fried beets are so tasty and easy to make, no matter what type of beets you choose.
- sea salt: A bit of salt is really all that’s needed to bring out the rich flavor of beets. Feel free to add extra spices, like garlic powder, to make more seasoned beets.
- olive oil: If you do not have olive oil on hand, you can use avocado oil or another high heat oil.
- optional ingredients: Feel free to include other root vegetables that cook similarly. Dice carrots, radishes, and/or potatoes into pieces the same size as the beets, and cook them all together for a medley of delicious root vegetables!
How to Make Air Fryer Beets
First, preheat your air fryer. If you don’t have a preheat setting, turn on the air fryer and wait at least five minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the fresh beets. You’ll need to cut off the beet tops and use a sharp peeler to peel beets easily.
Your hands will stain a bit from handling red beets, so you can wear gloves if you’d like to avoid that!
Dice the beets into bite sized pieces, being careful not to cut them too small.
Make sure each piece is at least twice the size of the holes in your air fryer basket. The pieces will reduce in size as they cook, and you don’t want them falling through the holes!
Next, toss the diced beets with extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper. Turn to coat the pieces fully on all sides.
Pour the seasoned beets into the air fryer basket, being careful not to overfill the air fryer basket! Aim to keep the beets in a single layer, as much as you can.
Halfway through cooking, open the air fryer basket and shake well. This turns and rotates the beets in the basket, allowing for more even cooking.
Finish the cooking, then open the air fryer basket. Season lightly with salt and pepper and enjoy right away!
How to Make Beet Chips
If you’d prefer beet chips, follow the same steps, but use a mandoline or very sharp knife to slice the beets into thin pieces.
Toss with a bit of oil and seasonings, and carefully lay in a single layer in a preheated air fryer basket. Cook for 15-17 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Storage tips
Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze leftover cooked beets! Just allow them to cool completely to room temperature and then spread them onto a baking sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours. Transfer the partially frozen beets to a freezer safe bag or container, and remove as much air as possible. Return to the freezer.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Beets
Make my beet and feta salad, serve on any tossed salad, or with air fryer main dishes like roasted chicken, meatloaf, pork tenderloin, or any of your favorite dinner recipes!
It’s also great with dishes like grilled chicken salad with hummus. Some simple grilled chicken thighs area great easy dish to pair with air fried beets too.
Tips for Success
Check out these simple tips to ensure your air fryer beets turn out extra extra tasty and perfect:
- Wear gloves and an apron! If you’d like to avoid stained hands and clothes after handling raw red beets, protect them!
- Don’t dice the beets too small. Cut the beets into pieces at least twice the size of the holes in your air fryer basket to keep them from falling to the bottom as they cook. Smaller pieces will likely burn too.
- Don’t overfill the air fryer basket. It’s better to cook in batches than to overcrowd your air fryer. This will lead to unevenly cooked beets.
FAQ
For this recipe, I do highly recommend peeling the beets before you roast them. It will help keep down on the earthy flavor and they also tend to roast better without the skin.
Yes! Beets are known to be great for your liver, have anti-inflammatory properties, are rich in fiber, and are also know to improve digestive health. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals!
More Healthy Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Carrots
- Air Fryer Broccoli
- Air Fryer Eggs
- Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
- Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes
- Air Fryer Zucchini & Onions
- Or get my Air Fryer Cook Times Chart! It’s a free printable guide to air frying almost everything!
Making this recipe? I’d love to hear about your experience!
Please leave a star rating below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom.
Air Fryer Beets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium beets – red, golden, or rainbow (candy cane) beets.
- 1.5 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 325°F (162°C).
- Meanwhile, cut away the beet tops and peel the skin. Dice the beets into bite-sized pieces. Note: The pieces should be at least twice as big as the holes in your air fryer basket so they don't fall through.
- Toss the diced beets with oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to the preheated air fryer basket.
- Cook for 25-30 minutes, stopping halfway to shake the basket and turn the beets. Near the end of cook time, test the beets for doneness. They should be crispy on the outside and easily pierced with a fork.
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