Air fryer beets come out perfectly every time! Tender on the inside with a bit of crisp on the edges is so good as a side dish. Make in a Ninja Foodi or Cosori to serve with your dinner tonight.
OH MY I couldn’t believe how well these beets in the air fryer turned out. I mean, I’ve only had them once and was the first time I made them myself but man were they good. Another easy air fryer recipe we love. (affiliate links present)
Roasted Air Fryer Beets
This is one of those hmmmm vegetables right? If you weren’t served them as a child they may be totally new to you right now. You may have only had them out of a jar pickled but fresh and roasted is another sort of wonderful. A great healthy side dish for sure.
Seriously, you need to try them diced up this way. SO much flavor served on the side for dinner, as a snack or chilled and thrown on to a salad as well.
Table of contents
If you love extra crispy food and quick recipes, here are some resources to start with:
- My Favorite models are this Cosori or for a dual machine, the Foodi.
- You can find more Ninja Foodi recipes here as well; bookmark them both!
- It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. this is how to preheat air fryer first.
- Here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
Ninja Foodi Beets
You can use any brand you might have at home. There are many out there but they all work very much the same. The biggest difference is how they look on the outside and the size of the basket, that’s pretty much it. Here are a few questions you might have before you get started:
The most nutritious way to cook beets would be to steam them, or air fry. That way you’re using hot air or water instead of submerging them and losing vitamins in the process.
Beets are low in calories but high in essential nutrients such as folate, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. They also contain beneficial compounds like antioxidants and nitrates.
Are you supposed to peel beets before cooking?
For sure. I mean if you boil them they will just fall off but air frying beets need the tough outer skins peeled off. Just make sure you use gloves or a paper towel to hold it so you don’t get dyed. This is what they look like, I mean before washing and/or peeling them so these are kinda’ dirty.
How Long to Cook Beets in Air Fryer
There is a range. You will want to slice these or cut into bite size chunks like you see here. 12 minutes is about right for this size here where you may need up to 15 if you have thicker slices. The biggest tip is protect your hands!! I just used a few paper towels like you see here. If you have disposable gloves that is a bit easier.
Ingredients
- Medium Large beets
- Olive oil
- Seasonings you love but I used salt and pepper
- Vegetable peeler
- Knife so you can dice them into 1 inch pieces so they get fork tender
The smaller you cut them the shorter the cooking time will be of course. Another biggie is the amount of roasting you get on the outside. If you want a lot then smaller is best. The biggest thing to remember is to lay in a single layer so each piece in your Cosori gets done at the same time.
This is about how big mine were. I really liked the smaller pieces the best really. With just olive oil, salt and pepper they were super flavorful with the natural taste of the veggie. If I am going to cure salmon with beets I will buy double so I can make this side and dinner at the same time.
How to Cook Air Fryer Roasted Beets
Time needed: 12 minutes
Air Fryer Beets
- Prepare
Peel and slice the beets into 1-inch pieces. Use gloves or handle with paper towels to avoid staining your hands. Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees F for 5 minutes. Put beets into bowl and toss with olive oil and seasonings, stir.
- Cook
Pour into air fryer basket in a single layer. Set for 12 minutes total, after 7 minutes shake the air fryer basket. When done allow to stay in closed basket for 5 minutes to continue to soften.
The last step of leaving them in the hot basket when the timer is done is very important in this beets recipe to get them tender.
Do cooked beets need to be refrigerated?
You can put them into a freezer bag or container and leave them at room temperature for a few days. I don’t care to do that, I’d rather refrigerate them. They’ll last longer that way.
Do cooked beets freeze well?
They’re fine to do so. Just transfer room temperature pieces into airtight containers. They’ll last up to 8 months this way. To reheat you could use your Cosori again for a few minutes. Spray with olive oil first.
Looking for other easy air fryer vegetable recipes to try?
We love this simple mixed air fryer vegetables recipe with zucchini, onions, squash and mushrooms all cooked together.
- You can easily make air fryer corn on the cob or an air fryer artichoke.
- Our air fryer cauliflower gets five stars from everyone.
- We have a lot of potato recipes to choose from like multi colored air fryer roasted potatoes and lots more.
Now you can add this pretty purple vegetable to the list of favorites. Of course if you want to try another method, try Instant Pot beets. See which one you like best, or mix it up, and let us know what you think.
Air Fryer Beets
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 2 beets, peeled, cut into 1" pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt, I used truffle salt
Instructions
- Peel beets and cut into 1×1" cubes. Use gloves or handle with paper towels to avoid staining your hands.
- Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Put beets into bowl with olive oil and seasonings, stir.
- Pour into air fryer basket, do not overlap.
- Set for 12 minutes total, shake after 7 minutes.
- When done allow to stay in closed basket for 5 minutes to continue to soften.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
