Air Fried Roasted Radishes are a bit of a revelation! They crisp up on the outside and go beautifully soft and creamy in the middle. They can be air fried from raw and are a really versatile veggie side – try in salads or even serve them in place of baby potatoes!
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I kept hearing on the grapevine that roasted radishes tasted just like roast potatoes. So when I found myself in possession of an excessive amount of radishes (don’t ask), I had to try it.
Well I’m here to tell you that if anyone tells you roasted radishes taste like roast potatoes, you should immediately question their sanity and cook them some actual roast potatoes. Because the word “roast” is the only commonality.
However, the roasting process does change the flavour of the radish quite a lot. I don’t really enjoy them raw at all, but I did really enjoy this roasted version. So if you’re on the fence, give them a try – they’re quick and pretty economical too.
How to Serve
I made these radishes as a snack/lunch, serving them on a bed of strained Greek yogurt and drizzled with a little olive oil, chilli flakes, balsamic glaze, sea salt and chopped fresh coriander (cilantro). The radishes were room temperature rather than hot and this is definitely my preference.
This kind of dish served with or without the yogurt base is great served simply with some green salad or crusty bread. Or served as part of a mezze feast. Try pairing with some of these dishes:
Ingredients
Radishes
Radishes are a root vegetable from the mustard family. Which goes some way to explaining that light spiciness that they have. Weather depending they’re usually in season between May and October in the UK. But of course like most things, they’re readily available year round.
There are many varieties of radish but I’ve used the most common option available in the UK which are small red radishes aka spring radishes. They’re generally around the size of a ping pong ball but will vary a little, especially depending on the actual variety and the season.
You may want to quarter any especially large ones or leave any especially small ones whole.
Radishes don’t freeze well and they’re not generally sold this way for a reason. So look for nice fresh ones with no shrivelled skin.
Oil
I mixed things up with this simple air fryer recipe and used olive oil rather than a neutral vegetable oil. Radishes have a good strong flavour of their own so they hold up well to the extra flavour from the oil.
You can use any oil you choose or even melted butter if you prefer. But don’t skimp on the fats – they are essential to the roasting process.
Seasoning
In the same way that radishes can stand up to the flavour of a good olive oil, they can also take a good bit of seasoning.
I’ve gone generous with the sea salt but you can add any other seasonings you choose. I largely like to use Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours as that’s most often the kind of dishes I serve them with.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg, dairy, gluten and nuts.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry Radishes
The radishes take 20 minutes to roast in a pre-heated air fryer. I do like to give them a shake a couple of times during the cooking time but this is less important to do if you haven’t overfilled the basket.
How to Air Fry Radishes From Frozen
I don’t recommend freezing radishes – they lose a lot of their crunchy texture when frozen then defrosted. And I don’t think they roast nearly as well from frozen.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Leftovers can easily be stored in the fridge for a few days. This makes them quite useful as a dish to get ahead with.
Air fry to reheat and re-crisp. They will take no longer than around 5 minutes.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
Come on over to Facebook and join my community discussing all things air fryer. Get involved in sharing your experiences and trials, help out others and find out what wonderful things everyone is cooking in their air fryers!
What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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The Recipe
Air Fried Roasted Radishes Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g Radishes
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes
Instructions
- If your air fryer requires pre-heating, start this setting now.
- Clean and dry 400g Radishes.
- Top and tail the radishes then cut in half. You only need to take off the nubbly bits, don't waste lots of radish.
- Drizzle with 2 tbsp Olive Oil and 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes. Toss well to make sure all the radish halves are fully coated.
- Tip the radishes into the air fryer.
- Cook for 20 minutes at 200℃/390℉. Shake the radishes a couple of times during cooking, especially if they do not fit in all in one layer. This will ensure an even cook.
- Allow to cool slightly then serve!
Juan says
I would never have thought of air frying radishes but I had some in the fridge and thought I’d try it. They were very tasty!
Karen says
I love cooked radish, and this recipe was so quick and easy.
Janice says
I had a bit of a glut of radishes growing in my garden so I tried your recipe and I’ll definitely be making roasted radishes again. They are delicious.