Crispy Air Fryer Carrot Fries are a nutrient-packed alternative to traditional fries, both vegan and Whole30-approved. Ready in just 10 minutes, roasted carrot fries caramelize beautifully in the air fryer, making them the perfect side dish or snack to pair with a drizzle of tahini.
If you love crispy vegetable fry sides, try my delicata squash fries or baked zucchini fries.
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✔️ Why this recipe is great
Simple Enough for Beginners: this recipe for carrot fries in the air fryer was developed with my husband in mind, set out in 3 simple steps to make even novice cooks comfortable enough in the kitchen.
Nutritious Swap: rather than the typical carb-laden potato side dishes, these carrot fries offer a sweet and savory but still nutritious crispy alternative. They're most aptly compared to sweet potato fries, especially if you get the thickness right.
With all the dietary restrictions, finding healthy versions of low histamine comfort foods can be hard, but these carrot fries fulfill the requirements of warm, crispy, savory, and satisfying!
Can't Tell They're Vegan: thanks to some simple tricks covered below, you can't even tell these caramelized carrots fries are vegan! While you could use butter or even ghee as the oil, I've always enjoyed carrot fries made with olive oil or avocado oil (as pictured).
🥕 Ingredients
Carrots: amounting to around 4-5 large carrots, you can use any color and size of carrots you enjoy, but the fresher they are, the crisper they'll get once roasted.
Oil: I used avocado oil for this recipe, but you can use any neutral-tasting oil you tolerate. Butter is another good option if you tolerate dairy, but check out my post on low histamine oils for more ideas.
Coconut Sugar: this optional sweetener adds around 1-2g of added sugar per serving, but it helps encourage crisping and caramelization as well as flavor balance in the seasoning, so feel free to leave it out. There are some great alternatives to coconut sugar as well, so feel free to swap it instead.
Spices: I love using garlic powder, paprika, optional cumin, sumac, and salt to taste, but oyu can use whatever combination of low histamine spices you enjoy.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🍽 Substitutions
Carrots - other than regular carrots, you could also use baby carrots, or any type of sweet potatoes, squashes, or almost any type of root veggie. All of them crisp up decently and hold their shape as well as the orange ones, though be sure to dry whatever you pick thoroughly before frying.
Other Oils - you can't make seasoned carrot fries without oil, but you can use as little as ½ tablespoon of oil on the fries to make sure every drop has a purpose. Some other great oils you can use include frozen lard, ghee, butter, high-heat olive oil, avocado oil, or even refined coconut oil.
Spices - you can create a low histamine spice blend using whole or ground versions of spices, meaning they can stand up to the high heat of the oil in the air fryer. Some favorites include za'atar, sumac, and turmeric or curcumin. Sauce recommendations to go with any include macadamia nut pesto, creamy tahini, or a homemade chimichurri.
📋 How to make carrot fries at home: step-by-step
Step 1. First preheat your air fryer to 380°F (195°C) for 3-4 minutes. Then wash then peel the carrots, slicing them into fries of roughly even thickness, about ¼ inch wide (image 1). This ensures they cook evenly and get that crispy crunch on the outide.
💡Tip* The smaller the fries are, the faster they'll cook, though larger fries will maintain their shape and texture the best (so don't cut them too thin).
Step 2. In a large bowl, toss the carrot fries with the oil, coconut sugar (if using), garlic powder, paprika, cumin, sumac, and a generous sprinkle of salt (image 2). Make sure each fry is well-coated with the seasoning and oil for maximum flavor (image 3).
Step 3. Once the timer goes off, place the seasoned carrot fries in the air fryer basket in a single layer, ensuring they're not overcrowded to allow for proper air circulation and cooking (image 4).
Cook for 8-10 minutes - shaking the basket halfway through or using tongs to flip the fries - or until they reach your desired level of crispiness. Once done enough for you, toss them with crushed raw garlic, if desired.
👨🏻🍳 Expert notes & tips
Go for Fresh: opt for fresher carrots if you want crispier fries; these are the ones with a strong snap when they're bent, and more moisture content to evaporate away and crisp up the carrots as they cook.
Overcrowding the Basket: placing too many carrot fries in the air fryer basket can lead to steaming rather than roasting, preventing the carrots from getting as evenly crispy as they can.
Extra Crispy Carrot Fries: for extra crispiness, raise the temperature of the air fryer to 400°F (205°C) for the last 3 minutes of the cooking time.
Too Little Oil: not using enough oil for the fries can cause the carrots to dry out instead of crisping up; a generous coating helps facilitate the crisping process, so use an oil you don't mind eating a fair amount of (depending on how many people you're cooking for).
🍟 Variations on carrot fries
Brown Butter Carrot Fries - for crispier, even more savory carrot fries, you can swap the oil for butter, which will caramelize and brown as the carrot fries bake. Try making them this way with halved baby carrots and a dash of dried sage for some extra zest.
Garlic Parmesan Carrot Fries - though not a low histamine flavoring option, doubling the garlic powder and swapping the other spices for some shredded parmesan cheese could make for even crunchier, more savory carrot fries.
Baked Carrot Fries - like any good veggie fries, you could also bake carrot fries in the oven or toaster oven at the same temperature, though they'll take about twice as long to cook.
For another healthy french fry swap, try my delicata squash fries in the air fryer.
🌟 Freezing and reheating
If you're not on a low histamine diet, these crispy carrot fries can stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days when stored in an air-tight container and cooled to room temperature beforehand.
But if you want to freeze them, I recommend cooking them fully beforehand, and cooling them to room temp before freezing. They’ll stay good in the freezer for up to 2 months, though the texture will get softer and soggier the longer they stay in there.
It's ideal to reheat carrot fries in the air fryer for even heating, pouring in the fries and heating to 380°F (195°C ) for 3-4 minutes if refrigerated, or 5-6 minutes if reheating from frozen.
🙋🏻♂️ Frequently asked questions
Carrot fries have a slightly sweet and earthier flavor than sweet potato fries, as their inherent taste becomes more pronounced when roasted. However their natural sugars also caramelize with heat, offering a savory flavor with a hint of sweetness.
To cut carrots into fries, first peel the carrots, then slice them into even sticks approximately ¼ inch thick and 4 or so inches long, helping them better resemble the shape of traditional French fries.
Carrot fries are generally healthier than any type of potato fries due to their lower calorie content and higher levels of key nutrients, such as beta-carotene and fiber, which are actually made more bioavailable when baked or roasted rather than deep fried or eaten raw.
The health benefits of carrot fries include being a good source of dietary fiber, vitamins A, C, and K, and antioxidants. They support eye health, immune function, and can contribute to a well-balanced diet.
When carrots are fried, some nutrient loss can occur, particularly of water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and some B vitamins. However, the beta-carotene content remains relatively stable during the cooking process and is actually made more bioavailable when heated.
😋 What to serve with carrot fries
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📖 Recipe
10-Minute Crispy Carrot Fries (Air Fryer)
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots 4-5 large carrots (about 450g)
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar optional
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cumin optional
- ¼ teaspoon sumac
- ½ teaspoon sea salt to taste
Instructions
- First preheat your air fryer to 380°F (193°C) for 3-4 minutes. Then wash then peel the carrots, slicing them into fries of roughly even thickness, about ¼ inch wide. This ensures they cook evenly and get that crispy crunch on the outide.The smaller the fries are, the faster they'll cook, though larger fries will maintain their shape and texture the best (so don't cut them too thin).
- In a large bowl, toss the carrot fries with the oil, coconut sugar (if using), garlic powder, paprika, cumin, sumac, and a generous sprinkle of salt. Make sure each fry is well-coated with the seasoning and oil for maximum flavor.
- Once the timer goes off, place the seasoned carrot fries in the air fryer basket in a single layer, ensuring they're not overcrowded to allow for proper air circulation and cooking. Cook for 8-10 minutes - shaking the basket halfway through or using tongs to flip the fries - or until they reach your desired level of crispiness. Once done enough for you, toss them with crushed raw garlic, if desired.
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