Easy air fryer parsnips with a sticky maple and sea salt glaze!
A quick, delicious, and healthy vegetable side dish for your roast dinner or Christmas lunch!
I love cooking vegetables in my air fryer. They free up valuable oven space when I'm cooking for large numbers of people (at Christmas for example), and they also need minimal fat or oil so are a healthier option too.
Best of all, these air-fried parsnips are golden and crispy on the outside and tender and soft in the middle! The sweet sticky maple glaze finishes them off nicely!
Check out my eBook⭐Easy Air Fryer Recipes⭐ which includes 20 straightforward and easy-to-follow recipes for your air fryer. You'll be a pro at air fryer cooking in no time! Don't miss out, get your copy today!
👩🍳 Love air fryer vegetables? Try my easy air fryer Brussels sprouts next!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Easy air fryer vegetable side dish.
- Naturally sweet, so kids tend to like them.
- They cook much quicker than oven-roasted parsnips.
- Perfect for Christmas lunch and roast dinners.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Parsnips - Choose parsnips that are firm, with no discoloration or soft spots. Peel, quarter and remove any woody cores. Trim off the pointy ends if you don't like really crispy slightly burnt bits (I do!)
Oil - I use light olive oil for coating the parsnips, which helps prevent them from sticking to the air fryer basket. You can also use vegetable oil.
Maple Syrup - or swap for honey instead.
Sea Salt & Pepper - for seasoning.
🥄 Equipment
Which air fryer? I use the Ninja Foodi 5.8 litre Grill and Air Fryer with 4 customisable cooking functions including air fry, roast, bake, and dehydrate!
What is an air fryer?
Air fryers are small(ish) kitchen appliances that operate like a convection oven—except in a smaller, more concentrated space.
The air is circulated at a high temperature and evenly around the food, which makes the food cook more quickly than in a conventional oven and helps give foods a crispy coating without the need for lots of oil and fat.
🔪 How to cook parsnips in air fryer?
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Place the peeled and quartered parsnips in a bowl and stir in the olive oil, maple syrup, sea salt and black pepper.
Two: Air fry at 200C (400F) for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and tender. Shake often (every 2-3 minutes) to ensure the parsnips cook evenly.
💭 Expert tips
- Try to find parsnips that are all similar in size for even cooking.
- Make sure the parsnips are in a single layer in the air fryer basket to ensure they cook evenly. Depending on what size air fryer you have, and how many parsnips you want to cook, you may need to air fryer them in several batches.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the maple glazed parsnips for Christmas lunch with slow cooker turkey crown, air fryer pigs in blankets, air fryer roast potatoes, slow cooker red cabbage, roasted brussels sprouts, sausage meat stuffing, and bread sauce.
They are also great with regular roast dinners (try my slow cooker roast beef, slow cooker lamb breast, and air fryer whole chicken!).
Or, why not serve them as air fryer parsnip fries with air fryer baked camembert?
📖 Variations
- Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the parsnips before air frying.
- Swap the maple syrup for honey.
- Add some carrots for air fryer carrots and parsnips.
- Season with herbs such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary, or use herb blends such as Italian seasoning.
🥡 Storage
The parsnips are best eaten fresh, straight out of the air fryer.
Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat: In the air fryer at 180C for 3 minutes, oven, or microwave.
Freeze: Not suitable for home freezing.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Frozen parsnips purchased in the freezer section of the supermarket have been prepared in a way that allows them to be cooked from frozen in an air fryer.
It's not necessary to parboil parsnips before air frying.
Young, small parsnips don't really need peeling – you can just scrub them clean and pat dry. Older parsnips should be peeled and the central core cut away.
😋 More air fryer sides
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Air Fryer Radishes
- Air Fryer Broccoli Parmesan
- Air Fryer Cauliflower
- Air Fryer Butternut Squash
- Air Fryer Baby Carrots
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Recipe
Easy Air Fryer Parsnips
Ingredients
- 400 g Parsnips peeled, quartered, woody cores removed.
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400F).
- Place the peeled and quartered parsnips in a bowl and stir in the olive oil, maple syrup, sea salt and black pepper.400 g Parsnips, 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup, 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, ½ teaspoon Sea Salt, ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- Ar fry at 200C (400F) for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and tender. Shake often (every 2-3 minutes) to ensure the parsnips cook evenly.
Notes
- Try to find parsnips that are all similar in size for even cooking.
- Make sure the parsnips are in a single layer in the air fryer basket to ensure they cook evenly. Depending on what size air fryer you have, and how many parsnips you want to cook, you may need to air fryer them in several batches.
- Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the parsnips before air frying.
- Swap the maple syrup for honey.
- Add some carrots for air fryer carrots and parsnips.
- Season with herbs such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary, or use herb blends such as Italian seasoning.
Joy
Such an easy air fryer parsnip recipe for Christmas. Everyone loved the maple glaze.