Simple, garlicky roasted air fryer beets are tender and flavorful. Serve them as a side dish or as a salad topper.
Table of Contents
Recipe notes
There are a few secrets to perfect, tender air fryer beets.
The first, and arguably the most important, is to cut your beets to a uniform size. You can choose to peel or not; that's totally up to your personal preferences. Uniform pieces will cook uniformly, so take your time on this bit.
More air fryer veggies: Air Fryer Okra, Air Fryer Zucchini, Air Fryer Butternut Squash
Next, that half-inch dice is very important. Smaller pieces cook more quickly, so if you cut your beets into larger pieces, you will need to air fry them for longer. That's part of why I give a big, five minute range in cooking times -- to account for variation in size.
Finally, you really do need to shake the air fryer basket every five minutes. Shaking makes sure that your beets roast evenly in the air fryer.
The only other thing I do want to mention is that you don't add the garlic to the air fryer right away. Minced garlic will cook very quickly, so you'll add that during just the last minute of cooking time.
Once that last minute of cooking is up, add a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and serve!
Choosing your beets
You can make this recipe with any raw beets you like. Golden beets or purple beets both roast like a dream in the air fryer!
I have not tested this recipe with frozen beets, but I imagine that it would work. Cooking time may vary, though, so keep an eye on that basket!
You also do not want to use pre-cooked beets with this air fryer method. You can warm up cooked beets in the air fryer, but you only need to cook for a few minutes. The full cooking time below would severely overcook them.
Ready to roast some beets, y'all? Grab your air fryer, and let's do this.
Garlicky air fryer beets
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced beets - ½" pieces
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1-2 lemon wedges - for serving
Instructions
- Combine the beets, oil, and salt in a large bowl, tossing the coat well. Transfer to your air fryer basket.
- Cook at 400° F for 15-20 minutes, shaking every 5 minutes, until the beets are tender.
- Add the beets back to the bowl and toss with the minced garlic. Transfer back to the air fryer basket and cook at 400° F for just 1 more minute. Transfer to your serving bowl, squeeze on some lemon juice, and serve!
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