Air Fryer Beets Recipe

Balsamic Beets Cooked in an Air Fryer

balsamic air fryer beets

Air fryer beets are absolutely delicious, especially when this easy side dish is drizzled with thick, dark balsamic vinegar.

When I’m cooking for a crowd, I do roasted beets in the oven.

However, that just doesn’t make sense for a small batch or on hot days when I don’t want to heat up the house with the oven.

On a whim, I tried a cooking beets in my air fryer and they came out great.

Now I use this method often.

Air Fryer

Years ago, I was content with what I had and thought I did not need another kitchen appliance cluttering up my kitchen.

Then I tried an air fryer and was hooked.

Now, we used ours just about every day.

It gives food a crispy texture that tastes great.

And it allows us to cook small batches of food quickly without using the oven.

This is my favorite feature during hot Summer weather when I absolutely do not want to turn on the oven.

There are plenty of air fryers to choose from ranging from inexpensive to pricey ones with extra features.

My air fryer is a basic cheap one that I haven’t had any issues with for the years we have been using it.

This recipe works just fine in a basic air fryer, but you may need to adjust the time a bit depending upon how powerful yours is.

Parchment Paper

I am a fan of parchment paper in general, but I especially like using it in the air fryer.

It keeps food from sticking and makes clean up easy.

The precut air fryer sized parchment comes in sizes to fit round or square air fryer baskets and you can get it in a solid sheet or with ventilation holes.

I prefer parchment with holes for this, since it allows the air to flow freely around the beets.

Beets

When I was younger, the only beets I knew were the crinkle cut ones that came in a can and were often seen at salad bars.

Then I discovered fresh beets and realized just how much I love this root vegetable.

I enjoy beets no matter how they are cooked, pickled or juiced, but my favorite way to eat them is roasted.

The flavor is great, they are nutritious and, of course, they are an absolutely beautiful color.

Fortunately, beets also do well when cooked in an air fryer.

The huge beet that I used this time was from a farm stand and it weighed over a pound.

Grocery store beets will typically be smaller than mine.

Balsamic Vinegar

When you want to add instant bold flavor to a dish, balsamic vinegar is a great way to do it.

Balsamic vinegar has the “bite” of a regular, distilled white vinegar.

However, the flavor profile is sweet, rich and much more complex.

I used a thick Ponti balsamic vinegar for this recipe, since the flavors are concentrated.

Choose an aged balsamic vinegar, one that has ‘thick’ on the label or a balsamic glaze.

This gives the beets bold flavor without adding so much that they end up sitting in a puddle of liquid.