Name: Air Fryer Baby Carrots with Honey Butter
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 lb baby carrots (see note for other types of carrots); ½ tsp olive oil (or cooking spray); 1 Tbsp butter; ½ Tbsp honey; 1 squeeze lemon juice; 1 tsp salt flakes; 2 Tbsp parsley (chopped)

Total time: 10

Prep time: 2

5 from 2 votes

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Air Fryer Baby Carrots with honey butter are ready in just 10 minutes start to finish, with almost no prep. This is an air fryer take on classic French Carrots Vichy, and the sweet, salty, buttery glaze wins over even the pickiest eaters.

Air fryer baby carrots on a green plate.

Baby Carrots Dressed Like the French

I've always loved what my dad calls "French carrots" - basically Carrots Vichy, or carrots cooked with sugar and butter. It might just be the best way ever to eat veggies!

For this version we cook the carrots in the air fryer (easier!) and use honey (even better flavor!) for that sweet touch. It's all done in under 10 minutes and requires just a few simple steps. And that flavor combo? Sweet, salty, buttery... hard to beat!

It's a great dish for a weeknight veggie treat, or serve it for Thanksgiving - it goes perfectly with all those flavors.

And once you've discovered how amazing the air fryer is at cooking veggies, make sure you try these Air Fryer Bell Peppers as well.

Seven Simple Ingredients

You Don't Have to Use Baby Carrots

I like this recipe best with baby carrots or new, tender carrots. But, you can also cut larger carrots into smaller pieces. Just adjust the cook time accordingly. Larger carrots require more time, especially if they are a bit "older".

You can also use frozen carrots. Just add a few more minutes to the cook time.

How to Make Them in 3 Simple Steps

1. Air Fry

Add a bit of olive oil to the carrots and air fry 8 minutes at 400°F (200°C), until softened but not too soft. You still want them to have a little bit of a bite. Halfway through the cook time, bring the air fryer basket out and shake the carrots around a bit.

2. Prep the Seasoning

While the carrots are air frying, microwave the butter and honey 30 seconds or so, until melted. Then mix in lemon juice and let it sit for about 5 minutes before mixing with the carrots. This will help it start to solidify just slightly, which means it will coat the carrots better.

Melted butter and honey in a small bowl.

3. Coat & Serve

Transfer the baby carrots to a shallow bowl, and toss with the butter and honey. Then add the parsley and sea salt flakes, and serve!

Top Tips

Don't overcrowd your air fryer basket. It's fine if the carrots overlap a bit, but you shouldn't have multiple layers.

Cook time can vary. This will depend on the carrots you use as well as your specific air fryer.

Don't overcook them. You want them to be soft, but not soggy - they should still have a slight bite left.

Allow the butter & honey to rest before adding to the carrots. This allows it to start solidifying just slightly and get some of its stickiness back, so it adheres better to the carrots.

Add the honey butter after air frying, not before. Honey burns fast at 400°F, so adding it before air frying can give you carrots that are burnt in spots. Air frying them plain and tossing with the honey butter afterwards keeps the glaze glossy and the flavor on point.

If you can, allow the finished dish to rest as well. Letting it sit for about 5 minutes allows the butter & honey to stick better to the carrots and gives maximum flavor.

What to Do with Leftovers

Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Freezing: I do not recommend freezing leftovers.

Reheating in microwave: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 30-second increments.

Reheating in air fryer: Reheat leftovers in the air fryer for a few minutes at 300°F (150°C). Don't use higher temperature or the honey can burn.

Air Fryer Baby Carrots with Honey Butter

Baby Carrots Dressed Like the French

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