Learn how to cook carrots in an air fryer or how to roast carrots in the oven to make these flavourful Mediterranean Roasted Carrots with Feta and Pistachios. This post will help you decide how long to roast carrots and how many carrots to cook.
Roasted carrots make an easy side dish. These Mediterranean Garlic Roasted Carrots with Feta and Pistachios make an easy but spectacular side dish! Holiday dinners or Weeknight Wednesday, this roasted carrot recipe is ideal for any meal.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
Roasting carrots, whether in the oven or in an air fryer, draws out their natural sugars, caramelizing them and giving them slightly crispy edges. It intensifies their already sweet natural flavour.
Two of my favourite ways to cook carrots are these recipes for Roasted Carrots with Honey-Mustard Glaze and Easy Roasted Carrots with Honey-Ginger Glaze.
Who knew that carrots could taste so good with just a little dressing up?
Whether you roast them in the oven or in an air fryer, they'll be delicious, especially when tossed with garlic and paprika and topped with feta cheese, chopped pistachios and parsley!
🛒 Ingredients
Ready to get started?
Before we get to the full recipes for roasted carrots with feta cheese, here are a few notes about the ingredients.
- carrots: the freshest you can find! Rainbow carrots make a showstopper presentation, but they're not always readily available. If you plan to make oven-roasted carrots, you can leave them whole (or split them lengthwise down the center.) If you are roasting carrots in the air fryer, you may have to slice them into smaller pieces, depending on the size of your air fryer. You can always use baby carrots, too. They won't take as long to roast.
- olive oil, or a high-smoke point oil like avocado oil. You'll need just enough to lightly coat the carrots
- garlic cloves: fresh is always best
- smoked paprika: adds a touch of smoky spice!
- feta cheese: gives a salty contrast to naturally sweet carrots
- chopped pistachios: salted pistachios are delicious in this side dish, but you can substitute other nuts like pine nuts, walnuts, almonds or pecans, or leave them out entirely!
- parsley: for garnish
- lemon: squeeze over all to brighten flavours just before serving.
🔪 How to cook carrots in an air fryer
Air Fryer roasted carrots are so easy to make and incredibly flavourful!
Step 1: Prepare the carrots: Peel the carrots and remove their tops. Cut into uniform sizes that will fit in the basket of your air fryer in a single layer. Toss with 1 teaspoon oil, smoked paprika, minced garlic and salt and pepper.
Step 2: Cook the carrots: Preheat the air fryer to 360°F. for 3 minutes. When hot, remove the basket and arrange the prepared carrots in a single layer.
Replace the basket and air fry at 360°F. for 7 to 8 minutes.
Remove the basket, shake it or use tongs to flip the carrots.
Replace the basket again and continue cooking for 5 to 6 minutes or until carrots are fork tender.
Step 3: Serve: Transfer the carrots to a serving dish. Top with crumbled feta cheese, chopped pistachios and minced parsley. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over all and serve! I know you'll love these air fryer roasted carrots.
🔪 How to roast carrots in the oven
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a sturdy baking sheet with low sides in the oven while it is preheating.
- Prepare the carrots. Peel or scrub and trim the tops to 2 inches.
- Toss with 1 teaspoon oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and minced garlic.
- Once the oven is preheated, remove the baking sheet and line it with parchment paper for easy cleanup. You want the natural sugars in the carrots to caramelize to develop lightly browned, crispy surfaces. If the baking dish has high sides, heat tends to be trapped inside and the carrots will cook by steaming instead of roasting.
- Spread the carrots out on the baking sheet (using two sheets, if necessary) so they aren't touching one another.
- Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, turning once part way through until the carrots are fork tender.
- Transfer to a serving dish and top with feta cheese, chopped pistachios and parsley. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over all to brighten the flavours and serve!
❓Readers' Questions
How many carrots to cook per person will depend on several factors.
For example, what else are you serving? Lots of other vegetables?
Consider your friends' appetites. Are they big eaters? Then scale up. Children? Scale down.
Generally, however, one serving of carrots is one cup. One large carrot about 8 inches long or 3 - 4 ounces in weight will yield one cup.
If you're serving mini carrots, one serving (or one cup) is about 12 mini carrots.
Read more about estimating amounts of vegetables to cook in this article What is a Serving of Vegetables?
How to reheat vegetables in an air fryer
Leftovers? No problem. Preheat the air fryer to 320°F for 3 minutes. Arrange leftover carrots in a single layer, then heat for 3 to 4 minutes. If not hot enough, continue to heat and check at 1-minute intervals.
Whichever way you choose, to cook carrots in your air fryer or in your oven, they will make a delicious side dish. Enjoy, everyone!
🗒 More Air Fryer Vegetable Side Dishes
When you make these Mediterranean roasted carrots, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I love hearing when you've made one of my recipes. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer (or Oven) Roasted Carrots with Feta and Pistachios
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 young carrots, with (or without) tops
- 2 teaspoon olive oil, extra virgin, or avocado or grape seed oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp each salt and pepper
- ⅓ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ⅓ cup salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
For Air Fryer Roasted Carrots
- Peel the carrots and remove their tops. Cut into uniform sizes that will fit in the basket of your air fryer in a single layer. Toss with 1 teaspoon oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and minced garlic.
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F. for 3 minutes. When hot, remove the basket and arrange the prepared carrots in a single layer. Replace the basket and air fry at 360°F. for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the basket, shake it or use tongs to flip the carrots. Replace the basket again and continue cooking for 5 to 6 minutes or until carrots are fork tender.
- Transfer the carrots to a serving dish. Top with crumbled feta cheese, chopped pistachios and minced parsley. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over all and serve!
For Oven Roasted Carrots
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place a sturdy baking sheet with low sides in the oven while it is preheating.
- Prepare the carrots. Peel or scrub and trim the tops to 2 inches.Toss with 1 teaspoon oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and minced garlic.
- Once the oven is preheated, remove the baking sheet and line it with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Spread the carrots out on the baking sheet (using two sheets, if necessary) so they aren't touching one another.
- Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, turning once part way through, until the carrots are fork tender. Transfer to a serving dish and top with feta cheese, chopped pistachios and parsley. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over all to brighten the flavours and serve!
Zoe
Love our air fryer! These were fantastic
Mackenzie
A different way to make carrots! I was doubtful that the feta cheese would be good, but everyone loved these! A nice change.
Elaine
Thanks Mackenzie! I love this recipe too.
Paula
I just got an air fryer and tried these. They turned out so good! I used pecans as I didn't have pistachios. Thank you!
Flavour & Savour
So glad to hear that!
Elise
I never thought about roasting carrots in my air fryer, but they were amazingly good! My kids loved the feta cheese on top too.
Flavour & Savour
So glad to hear your kids loved them too!