Air Fryer Maple Roast Parsnips are a gloriously easy way to up your roast dinner game. Sweet, sticky, and perfectly golden, they’re everything you want from a roasted parsnip with the maple glaze adding a rich sweetness that balances beautifully with their natural earthiness.
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First came straight up roast parsnips cooked in the oven. Then the simple air fryer recipe. Then I added a honey glaze so the obvious next step was to try cooking them with a maple glaze. And I’ve not been disappointed. This version of my favourite root veg is a total winner.
Like with all of my other roast parsnip recipes, this recipes first part boils the parsnips. Although you might think that this is a finickity extra step, I can assure you that this is by far the best method for ending up with beautifully soft insides with a lovely crisp outer.
This step combines with my instructions to remove the core of the parsnips and my method to cut them. This prevents you from ending up with skinny fibrous pieces which are liable to become dry and burnt. Instead you have evenly cut and cooked, perfect roast parsnips every single time.
How to Serve
Maple Roasted Parsnips are a pretty versatile side dish. They’re an obvious candidate for a cracking roast dinner. You can mix and match all of my roast dinner recipes in my collection. Or you can really go to town with the air fryer and just check out my Air Fryer Roast Dinner recipe collection.
They can also be used in simpler midweek meals. Serve with chipolata sausages or pork chops, creamy mashed potatoes and a rich onion gravy. Add some other roasted root vegetables like swede and some simply buttered greens and/or carrots.
Although you can eat a roast parsnip cold, I would generally err on serving them as a hot side.
Ingredients
Parsnips
Try to look for big thick parsnips if at all possible. I find this the best way to make them easy to cut and remove the core whilst leaving a good amount of parsnip to roast. However you cut them, the biggest trick is to make sure all the pieces are as evenly sized as possible. Even if that means cutting each parsnip a little differently.
Removing the core of the parsnip is essential as this is the part that doesn’t go soft and can be stringy to eat. I’m more than aware that many people don’t bother with this stage when roasting parsnips but I do firmly believe that if they tried it, they’d realise that it really does make a difference. There is a reason that I get amazing feedback whenever I cook them.
Maple Syrup
You need to be quite savvy when buying maple syrup. There are a lot of products available that say “Maple Syrup” in rather large letters on the packaging that turn out to be maple flavoured sugar syrup when you look a little closer. In theory you could use any of these products in this recipe. But they are generally overly sweet and can have an artificial taste to them.
So I make sure to only buy 100% pure maple syrup – usually from Canada. I don’t really trouble myself with much past this point, there are different grades and of course the price can vary wildly. I normally buy mine from Aldi and the price is pretty reasonable considering it’s in a traditional glass bottle.
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 Maple Roast Parsnips
Cooking these parsnips is a three stage process but that makes it sound much more labour heavy than it actually is.
First you need to boil the parsnips for around 20 minutes before draining them and air frying for 10 minutes. Then it’s time to add the maple syrup and air fry for a further 10 minutes.
The parboiling results in a beautifully soft interior, the first air fry with a coating of oil and seasoning crisps up the outside of the parsnip and that last blast with the syrup gives you that wonderful tasty sweet glaze.
How to Air Fry Parsnips From Frozen
I like to part boil and then part air fry parsnips before freezing them. They can then be air fried for 5 minutes directly from frozen before the maple syrup is added as normal and then they’re air fried for the remaining 10 minutes.
I don’t tend to add the maple syrup and then freeze the parsnips because you either need to practically finish cooking them entirely before freezing. Or they just stick together in a sticky lump in the freezer.
Although you can buy premade honey roast parsnips from the freezer section, I can’t find any ready made maple versions. If you can find some, they can be thrown straight into the air fryer and cooked for around 10 minutes. Although you should check the package instructions as many now include air fryer cooking instructions.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Any leftovers can be easily stored in the fridge in an air tight container for several days. I often make extra with the intention of doing just this. You can reheat in around 4 minutes in the air fryer – start with a short time then add extra if needed. The maple syrup can easily catch and burn so it is best to be cautious.
They can also be frozen and air fried directly from the freezer.
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 Fryer Maple Roast Parsnips Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g Parsnips
- 2 tsp Fine/Table Salt
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
Instructions
- Put a full kettle onto boil and grab a small saucepan. Or put a saucepan of water onto a high heat.
- Top, tail and peel 500g Parsnips.
- Quarter each parsnip lengthwise. If the thin end is especially thin, cut this off and set it aside first.
- Hold each quarter upright and use a sharp knife to cut the core out. You will be able to see the colour difference between the stringy core and the tender parsnip. Be sparing and try not to cut any flesh away with the core.
- Depending on the size of the parsnips, you can cut them down further if needed. You are looking for pieces around the size of, and a little longer than an adult thumb.
- Put the parsnips into the saucepan and cover with boiling water. Add 2 tsp Fine Salt and bring the water to a boil over a high heat. Allow them to boil for around 20 minutes until the parsnips are just fork tender.
- When the parsnips are just cooked through, thoroughly drain them. Leave them to sit in the hot pan for a minute to steam dry.
- If your air fryer has a preheat setting, start this now.
- Drizzle over roughly 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil, 2 tbsp Maple Syrup and sprinkle on 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes.
- Carefully move the parsnips into the air fryer basket. I like to use tongs for this to prevent the parsnips from breaking up. Try to aim for one layer. Set the empty saucepan aside for the time being.
- Air fry for 10 minutes at 200c/390f.
- Return the part roasted parsnips to the saucepan (or another bowl if you like extra dishes to clean). Toss the part cooked parsnips in any oil/syrup salt remaining in the pan.
- Place the parsnips back into the air fryer basket. Air fry for a further 10 minutes at 200c/390f.
- The parsnips should be golden and crispy – if you want them to be darker, cook for a little longer until you are happy.
Notes
- Portion Size – The portion size given assumes that the parsnips are being served as a main side. If wanting to serve as part of a larger meal like a roast dinner with multiple side options, Halve the recipe (or consider the portion number doubled).
- This recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I managed to fit in 500g of prepared parsnips with room for air flow but not many more parsnips at all.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time. Some models include stacking shelves which will increase capacity.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Jen says
What a great tasting side dish, I love roast parsnip and the maple syrup was a tasty change from the honey I normally use.