Easy and Delicious Air Fryer Parsnips
Ready in just 15 minutes, Air Fryer Parsnips are your new favorite vegetable side dish! Sweet and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, parsnips are a great healthy alternative to fries. Perfect with dinner or as a snack to share.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sweet, herby, salty, garlicky, crispy, and flavorful.
- So easy to make – just peel and slice the parsnips, drizzle with oil, season with salt and Italian Seasoning, and cook until they are fork-tender and turning golden brown.
- Quick! This recipe is ready in just 15 minutes.
- This is the perfect root vegetable for a snack, side dish, or appetizer.
- Parsnips are high in potassium, a mineral that aids in heart function, blood pressure regulation, and the prevention of kidney stones. They’re also a great source of vitamin C.
- More convenient than roasting – not only is it quicker and easier to air fry parsnips, but clean up is much easier too!
- Naturally vegan, low-carb friendly, gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, and soy-free.
Ingredient Notes
Parsnips: Parsnips are one of my favorite root vegetables! They taste a lot like carrots, with a natural sweetness, and even more carroty flavor. You can usually find this sweet vegetable at the supermarket. Carrots are a great substitution if you can’t find them!
Oil: I like to use extra virgin olive oil. It’s so good for you and tastes great in this recipe. You can use any healthy oil you desire! Light olive oil or avocado oil are some good substitutes.
Seasoning: I stuck with simple seasonings for this recipe: garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and a little salt to bring out all of the flavors. Check out my list below for more seasoning ideas!
How to Make Air Fryer Parsnips
- Begin by peeling the parsnips and then halving them cross-wise, and slicing them length-wise.
- Place the prepared parsnips in a single layer in the air fryer basket, with the cut sides up.
- Drizzle the parsnips with the oil and then sprinkle evenly with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt.
- Air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes or until the parsnips are fork-tender and beginning to turn golden brown.
- Enjoy!
What Do Air Fryer Parsnips Go With?
You can treat parsnips just like carrots: as a side dish or a healthy snack. Here are some great recipes to serve Air Fryer Parsnips with:
- Jackfruit Gyros
- BBQ Walnut Veggie Burgers
- Cheesy and Crispy Quinoa Cakes
- Spicy Baked Cauliflower Wings
- Zucchini Fritters
- Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Due to their soft flesh on the inside and crispy on the outside nature, you can also serve air fryer parsnips like fries with dips and sauces. I love to use this Mediterranean Herbed Tahini Sauce or my Algerian sauce recipe.
More Spice and Seasoning Ideas
Experimenting with your favorite spices and herbs is a fun way to add variety to your side dishes! You can substitute the garlic powder and Italian seasoning for premade seasonings like Taco Seasoning, Cajun Seasoning, Lemon pepper, or Za’atar Seasoning, or try some of these suggestions:
Honey Butter: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, and add it to a large bowl. Add the prepared parsnips and toss to coat. Cook the parsnips in the air fryer as directed in the recipe card. When they have finished cooking, drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons of honey and serve!
Maple Cinnamon: Prepare and cook the Air Fryer parsnips, omitting the garlic powder and Italian seasoning. When they’re finished cooking, drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup and sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. You can also use butter instead of oil, just like the honey butter parsnips suggestion above.
Rosemary, Black Pepper, and Sea Salt: Prepare and cook the air fryer parsnips, omitting the Italian Seasoning, and instead chopping the leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary and sprinkling it over the parsnips along with 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
Smoky and Spicy: Prepare and cook the air fryer parsnips, omitting the Italian Seasoning, and instead adding 1/2 a teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika.
It’s always a great idea to garnish vegetables with fresh parsley if you have some on hand!
How to Store & Reheat
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat the parsnips in the air fryer or on a baking tray in the oven until piping hot. You can also microwave them, however, they won’t turn out as crispy.
Top Tips
Turn this recipe into Air Fryer Parsnip Fries by slicing them thinly, like fries. They’ll cook a little quicker so it’s best to check them after 5 minutes instead of 10!
Make parsnip chips by slicing the parsnips into thin, round discs. You may need to roast them in batches as chips take up a little more room in the air fryer basket. Be sure to place them in a single layer so they cook evenly!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re watching your carb intake, parsnips are a good substitute for potatoes or even sweet potatoes because they are high in vitamins and flavorful yet mild.
There is no need to parboil parsnips before roasting them in an air fryer. In fact, it’s best to skip straight to the air fryer! Parboiling them will make the vegetables very soft, and with all that excess moisture they will have a tough time becoming nice and crispy.
Yes, you can! The vegetables may not turn out as crispy, but they will still cook well and taste great!
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
Gluten-Free Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
Homemade Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
Air Fryer Parsnips
Ingredients
- 3 parsnips peeled, halved cross-wise, and then sliced lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon oil of choice I like to use extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the prepared parsnips in a single layer in the air fryer basket, cut sides up.
- Drizzle the parsnips with the oil and then sprinkle evenly with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning and salt.
- Air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes or until the parsnips are fork-tender and turning golden.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Turn this recipe into Air Fryer Parsnip Fries by slicing them thinly, like fries. They’ll cook a little quicker so it’s best to check them after 5 minutes instead of 10!
- Make parsnip chips by slicing the parsnips into thin, round discs. You may need to roast them in batches as chips take up a little more room in the air fryer basket. Be sure to place them in a single layer so they cook evenly!
Seasoning ideas:
- Honey Butter: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, and add it to a large bowl. Add the prepared parsnips and toss to coat. Cook the parsnips in the air fryer as directed in the recipe card, omitting the Italian seasoning and garlic powder. When they have finished cooking, drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons of honey and serve!
- Maple Cinnamon: Prepare and cook the Air Fryer parsnips, omitting the garlic powder and Italian seasoning. When they’re finished cooking, drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup and sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. You can also use butter instead of oil, just like the honey butter parsnips suggestion above.
- Rosemary, Black Pepper, and Sea Salt: Prepare and cook the air fryer parsnips, omitting the Italian Seasoning, and instead chopping the leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary and sprinkling it over the parsnips along with 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
- Smoky and Spicy: Prepare and cook the air fryer parsnips, omitting the Italian Seasoning, and instead adding 1/2 a teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika.
Loved this delicious and easy veggie snack! Great use for my air fryer!
Served these with dinner tonight and it couldn’t have been easier! Quick, easy and delicious; even my picky eaters gobbled them up!
My kind of side dish. Easy to make, great seasonings and everyone will love it.
The Italian seasoning tasted so good with these parsnips! It was a delicious side to our dinner tonight!
So happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing!
this looks so easy to make and perfect as a winter side dish! I can’t wait to try it!