These air fryer beets are tender, caramelized, and full of flavor. If you’ve never tried cooking beets in the air fryer before, you’re going to love how easy and quick it is.
The beets get seasoned simply with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Then the air fryer does most of the work for you.
Once they’re done, a quick drizzle of balsamic-honey glaze and some crumbled goat cheese take everything to the next level. It sounds fancy but it’s really not.
You can serve these as a side dish with pretty much any protein, or toss them over some mixed greens for a light meal.
The whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes, and most of that time is just the beets cooking on their own in the air fryer.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Perfectly Caramelized Edges – The air fryer gives these beets crispy golden edges while keeping the inside tender and sweet.
No Oven Needed – Your air fryer roasts beets faster and with less energy than a traditional oven would.
Creamy Goat Cheese Makes It Feel Fancy – The tangy crumbled goat cheese pairs with the sweet roasted beets like they were made for each other.
Ingredients
- 4 medium Beets (about 1.5 lb), peeled
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tsp Honey
- 2 oz Goat Cheese, crumbled
- Fresh Parsley, chopped, for garnish
How To Make
Step 1
Peel the beets and cut each one into 1-inch wedges. Try to keep the wedges roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
Step 2
Place the beet wedges in a bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, and dried thyme until every piece is well coated.
Step 3
Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F. Arrange the beet wedges in a single layer in the basket. Air fry for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking the basket every 8 minutes, until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork and the edges are slightly caramelized.
Step 4
While the beets cook, whisk together the balsamic vinegar and honey in a small bowl to create a quick glaze.
Step 5
Transfer the roasted beets to a serving plate and drizzle the balsamic-honey glaze over the top. Scatter crumbled goat cheese and chopped fresh parsley over the beets. Serve warm as a side dish or over a bed of mixed greens.
Tips
Don’t Skip Preheating
Preheating the air fryer for this recipe really matters. If you put the beets into a cold air fryer, they’ll start by steaming instead of roasting, and you won’t get those caramelized edges that make this dish so good.
Give your air fryer a full 3-5 minutes at 390°F before you add the beets. You want that basket hot when the beets go in so they start sizzling right away.
Peel Beets Under Running Water
Beets will stain everything they touch – your hands, your cutting board, your countertop. Peel and cut them under cold running water or right after running your hands under the faucet. This makes cleanup way easier.
If you want to avoid pink-stained hands, wear disposable gloves while peeling and cutting. It sounds extra, but you’ll be glad you did when your hands aren’t bright pink for the next two days.
Cut Your Wedges Thin Enough
When the recipe says 1-inch wedges, make sure you’re measuring the thickest part of the wedge. If your wedges are too thick, the outside will dry out before the inside gets tender.
A good rule is to cut each beet in half, then cut each half into 4 wedges. If your beets are on the larger side, go for 5-6 wedges per half so nothing is too chunky.
The goal is pieces that are all roughly the same thickness so they finish cooking at the same time.
Related Recipes
- Air Fryer Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks
- Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli
- Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower
- Air Fryer Tomatoes
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to peel the beets before air frying them?
You don’t strictly have to, but peeling them first gives you the best results in the air fryer. Peeled beets caramelize better on the outside and have a more pleasant texture overall.
If you really want to skip peeling, you can roast them whole and then slip the skins off afterward – they come off much easier once cooked. Just know that cooking them whole will take significantly longer than the wedges in this recipe.
Air Fryer Beets
- 4 medium Beets, peeled
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tsp Honey
- 2 oz Goat Cheese, crumbled
- Fresh Parsley, chopped, for garnish
- Peel the beets and cut each one into 1-inch wedges. Try to keep the wedges roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
- Place the beet wedges in a bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, and dried thyme until every piece is well coated.
- Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F. Arrange the beet wedges in a single layer in the basket. Air fry for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking the basket every 8 minutes, until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork and the edges are slightly caramelized.
- While the beets cook, whisk together the balsamic vinegar and honey in a small bowl to create a quick glaze.
- Transfer the roasted beets to a serving plate and drizzle the balsamic-honey glaze over the top. Scatter crumbled goat cheese and chopped fresh parsley over the beets. Serve warm as a side dish or over a bed of mixed greens.