Air Fryer Baby Carrots with Honey Butter

Air fryer baby carrots with honey butter, ready in just 10 minutes. A sweet, buttery side dish that wins over even the pickiest eaters.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine North American

Diet Low Lactose, Vegetarian

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 8

Total Time 10

Servings

Calories 59kcal

Author Emmeline Kemperyd

Equipment

Ingredients

1 lb baby carrots see note for other types of carrots
½ teaspoon olive oil or cooking spray
1 tablespoon butter
½ tablespoon honey
1 squeeze lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt flakes
2 tablespoon parsley chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Coat carrots with olive oil, or spray lightly with cooking spray. Place in air fryer basket. Air fry 8 minutes at 400°F (200°C) , shaking them once halfway.
1 lb baby carrots, ½ tsp olive oil
Meanwhile, melt butter and honey and mix together. Add squeeze of lemon and set aside for 5 minutes.
1 Tbsp butter, ½ Tbsp honey, 1 squeeze lemon juice
When the baby carrots are fork tender but not too soft, toss with the butter and honey. Mix in parsley and salt flakes. If you can, allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
1 tsp salt flakes, 2 Tbsp parsley

Video

Notes

This recipe has been tested in the following air fryer models (affiliate links): Philips HD9252/90 Air Fryer, Ninja DZ401 DualZone XL Air Fryer and Cosori Pro II. Cooking time can vary with your specific model.

Note on carrots:

You can use baby carrots, new, tender carrots or 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.

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.

Nutrition