Air Fryer Beets are my new obsession. They cook faster since there's no need to preheat. And roasting beets in the air fryer frees up your oven during the holidays!
It may be tempting to air fry chopped beets for speed...but they won't taste or look nearly as good. Try my method of roasting whole beets in the air fryer. You'll never want to air fry beets another way again!
Don't miss these other popular air fryer vegetable recipes for: tomatoes, shishito peppers, cabbage wedges, broccolini, and the best air fryer peppers.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Better flavor: We tested multiple methods of roasting beets in the air fryer. This recipe yields the sweetest, juiciest beets that aren't dry or wrinkly.
- Better color: With this method you can roast different colors of beets, without worrying about them bleeding into each other.
- No peeling, chopping, or staining: Beets are notorious for staining. This recipe minimizes the mess because you don't peel or chop the beets before roasting. After cooking, the beet skins are much easier to remove...they just slide off with your fingers!
- Less oil: Using foil to steam-roast the beets allows you to use less oil.
What's the best way to roast beets in the air fryer?
The best way to cook beets in the air fryer is to wrap them in foil. This method is better than roasting whole or sliced beets plain (without foil). See the photo below for a comparison.
Why the foil wrapped method is the best:
- Appearance: Beets roasted without foil get dry and wrinkly. They definitely don't look as good as the plump, juicy foil-wrapped beets.
- Taste: In side-by-side tests, the beets wrapped in foil tasted noticeably sweeter. They were juicier and less dry too. The plain roasted beets tasted less sweet and more earthy.
- Prep time: If you want to roast sliced beets, then you'll need to peel them first. This is messy and time consuming. I prefer roasting them whole. Once cooked, the beet skins slip off easily with your fingers or under running water.
- Convenience: You can easily roast different colored beets in separate foil packets, to keep their colors intact. Otherwise the colors would bleed into each other.
- Less oil: You can use very little oil when roasting whole beets in foil packets, because they trap moisture. Not only is moist air more efficient at transferring heat than dry air (Serious Eats), but it also helps prevent sticking.
Want more beet recipes? Make Beet Pineapple Juice, Beet Lentil Salad, or Mushroom Beet and Goat Cheese Sandwiches.
Ingredients (and substitutes)
You only need 2 ingredients to make the best roasted beets in the air fryer:
- Beets: You can use any kind of raw beet—such as red, golden, or Chioggia ("Candystripe"). I recommend smaller beets so they cook faster. Smaller beets also tend to be sweeter and more flavorful (source).
- Olive Oil: I like to use olive oil when air frying or roasting beets. It adds subtle flavor and you can drizzle more on top for garnish. But, you could substitute a neutral oil instead (such as grapeseed or vegetable).
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
How to make (step-by-step photos)
This recipe only takes 5 minutes of active prep time. Then the air fryer does the rest. Here's how to roast beets in the air fryer:
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Tips
- Choose small, similar sized beets: Smaller beets taste sweeter and cook faster. Use beets around 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 4 cm) wide. Picking beets that are the same size helps them cook evenly.
- Trim beet greens right away: If your beets still have the greens attached, cut them off when you get home. The greens draw moisture from the beet roots and can dry them out. Once trimmed, the beet greens can be stored separately in the fridge.
- Don't toss the beet greens: You can eat beet greens! They can be used similarly to Swiss Chard. Try swapping beet greens for Swiss Chard in recipes like: salad with crispy breadcrumbs, lemon pasta, or lentil soup.
- Seasoning options: These roasted air fryer beets are sweet and delicious on their own. You could add salt, pepper, or fresh herbs (like chives, dill, basil).
- Make ahead tip: Refrigerate cooked red and golden beets separately. Otherwise, the red beets will dye the golden beets. Roasted beets will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- How to remove beet stains from fingers: Simply rub baking soda and a bit of water on your hands, then rinse (and repeat if needed). As I shared in the Evergreen Kitchen cookbook, this also works for pickled red cabbage.
Recipe FAQs
No, you don't need to peel the beets before roasting. Instead, roast the beets with the skin-on (wrapped in foil). Once the beets are cooked, the skins can be easily removed with your fingers.
Roasted beets can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Beets (Best Method!)
Ingredients
- ½ lb small beets (1 to 1.5 inches—3 to 4 small beets, any color, see note 1)
- 1½ to 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Prep beets: Scrub and trim ends off beets (if needed). Don't peel the beets!
- Wrap beets: Place ½ lb small beets on foil. (If using different colored beets, divide onto different pieces of foil; I like to have 2 to 4 beets per piece of foil). Drizzle 1½ to 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil over the beets. Use your fingers to coat. Tightly seal the foil to create a pouch, so steam cannot escape.
- Air fry: Place foil packets into a single layer in an air fryer basket. Bake in an air fryer (no need to preheat) at 375°F (190°C) until beets are tender through the center, 40 to 50 minutes. (Baking times vary based on size of beets and air fryer model, see note 1).
- Serve: Open foil packets to let cool slightly. Remove beet skins with your fingers or run under cool water to help loosen. Slice and serve as desired.
Notes
- Beets: Use small, similarly sized beets so they cook fast and evenly. Small beets also tend to taste sweeter. This recipe was tested with small beets 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 4 cm) in diameter. Larger beets will take longer to cook.
- How to know when beets are cooked: Although you can eat beets raw, typically you want roasted beets to be completely tender. There should be no resistance in the middle when poked with a cake tester, fork, or knife.
- Serving Suggestions: Enjoy roasted beets on their own—or garnish with salt, pepper, and/or fresh herbs. Roasted beets can be served with crumbled cheese (such as goat cheese or feta), added to salads, sandwiches, etc.
- Storage Tips: Store roasted beets in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you roasted different colors of beets, store them separately.
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