Add an easy, healthy, and delicious side dish to your fall or Thanksgiving dinner table in about 35 minutes with this low FODMAP Air Fryer Root Vegetables recipe! This simple recipe includes low FODMAP quantities of rainbow carrots, sweet potato, parsnips and rutabaga tossed in garlic-infused olive oil, maple syrup, rosemary, and other spices, and air fried to crispy perfection. In addition to being low FODMAP, this root vegetables recipe is also a Paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan side dish.
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Quick and Easy Low FODMAP Thanksgiving Side Dish
Originally from the states, I've never been able to get fully used to Thanksgiving being in mid-October while living in Canada. There have been years where I've not made anything special for Thanksgiving at all or have hastily thrown something together last minute simply because Thanksgiving isn't top of my mind at this time of year. Quick and easy side dishes like my Low FODMAP Air Fryer Red Potatoes, the low FODMAP option of my Instant Pot "Garlic" Mashed Potatoes, and my low FODMAP Instant Pot Glazed Carrots have been my go-to side dishes when these situations have arisen.
These low FODMAP Air Fryer Root Vegetables are another great dish to add to that list of quick and easy Thanksgiving side dish recipes. If you're looking for something that might be a bit more interesting than plain white potatoes, is vibrantly colored and truly celebrates fall, this low FODMAP root vegetables recipe is for you.
Low FODMAP Root Vegetables
According to Monash University's Low FODMAP Diet App, carrots and parsnips are both free of FODMAPs. However, rutabaga and sweet potato do contain FODMAPs: sorbitol and mannitol, respectively. A low FODMAP serving of rutabaga is up to 1 cup - this recipe calls for 1 ½ cups across 4-6 servings. A low FODMAP serving of sweet potato is a bit lower at ½ cup; this recipe calls for 1 ½ cups across 4-6 servings. Even though that leaves a bit of wiggle room, as this is a side dish to be consumed with other things, if you are unable to tolerate the FODMAP mannitol, be mindful of what else you may consume with these root vegetables that might contain that FODMAP to prevent FODMAP stacking. If you have concerns, you can always reduce the amount of sweet potato or replace it altogether with another root vegetable that is lower in FODMAPs.
Why Air Fryer Root Vegetables?
I initially wrote this low FODMAP root vegetables recipe to be cooked in the oven. However, I didn't like how the vegetables just sit in their own oil on the baking sheet, so I tried them in the air fryer. They came out less oily, more crispy, and more evenly cooked. Also, they cooked a lot faster in the air fryer than in the oven. Overall, the level of deliciousness and simplicity of this side dish was greatly enhanced by using the air fryer.
If you're like me and have a small air fryer, only one batch equaling 4-6 servings will fit at a time, which might be a problem for larger Thanksgiving gatherings. If you haven't bought an air fryer yet, I recommend buying a large one with multiple racks so that you can cook larger quantities of vegetables and larger items (like meats, etc.) in a single batch.
Necessary Equipment
- Air Fryer (I use this one, which is 3.7 quarts and cooks 4-6 servings of root vegetables all in one batch. However, if you're thinking of buying an air fryer and would like to cook larger batches or larger things like chicken wings, pork chops, etc., I recommend getting a larger air fryer so you can cook these recipes all in one batch.)
- Large bowl
- Small bowl
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Stirring spoon
- Serving bowl
Low FODMAP Air Fryer Root Vegetables: Ingredients & Success Tips
Low FODMAP Root Vegetables
To start, I preheat my air fryer to 400°F for 10 minutes. If you're using the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Air Fryer or another air fryer with a built-in preheat, you can skip this step.
I add the following root vegetables, peeled and chopped into 1" chunks, to a large bowl:
- Multi-colored carrots - also known as rainbow carrots. I used all purple carrots for these photos to achieve a color balance, but all colors of carrots are okay to use. If you are unable to find multi-colored carrots, regular orange carrots are perfectly fine, too.
- Rutabaga - a delicious, highly underrated and underutilized root vegetable. As mentioned above, it's low FODMAP in quantities of up to 1 cup per serving.
- Sweet potato - one of my favorite root vegetables but higher in FODMAPs than the rest, with a low FODMAP serving being only ½ cup. See my notes above regarding further information on FODMAPs.
- Parsnips - very similar to carrots in shape and texture but not in flavor. I personally don't care for all preparations of parsnips, but using this root vegetable glaze, they taste pretty good. Plus, they're healthy, cheap, widely available in grocery stores, and FODMAP free!
Low FODMAP Root Veggie Glaze
To make a glaze of sorts for the root vegetables, I add the following ingredients to a small bowl:
- Garlic-infused olive oil - adds garlic flavor without the FODMAPs!
- Fresh chopped rosemary - a flavorful herb that goes well with vegetables.
- Maple syrup (or coconut aminos for Whole30) - brings balance to the glaze and a touch of sweetness that's not over-bearing. Substitute coconut aminos if doing a Whole30 as maple syrup is not Whole30 compliant.
- Salt and pepper - enhance flavor.
- Cayenne (optional) - makes the vegetables a bit more interesting by adding a touch of heat, but is totally optional if you don't care for or can't tolerate spicy food.
I whisk the glaze ingredients together and pour them over the vegetables. Then, I stir the vegetables with a large spoon to coat them evenly in the glaze.
Air Fry & Serve
I spray the preheated air fryer pan with cooking spray and add the root vegetables, shaking the pan to distribute them evenly. Then, I air fry them for 24 minutes total, tossing them every 8 minutes. I serve them immediately. As they don't store very well, I try to serve them fresh.
Low FODMAP Air Fryer Root Vegetables (Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
Low FODMAP Root Vegetables:
- 1 ½ cups multi-colored carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks (about 3 medium carrots)
- 1 ½ cups rutabaga, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks (about ½ of a medium rutabaga)*
- 1 ½ cups sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks (about ½ of a medium sweet potato)*
- 1 cup parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks (about 2 medium parsnips)
Low FODMAP Root Vegetable Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup, substitute coconut aminos for Whole30
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, optional*
- Avocado oil cooking spray, or your cooking spray of choice
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer at 400°F for 10 minutes.
- While the air fryer preheats, add chopped carrots, rutabaga, sweet potato and parsnips to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together garlic-infused olive oil, chopped rosemary, maple syrup, salt, pepper, and cayenne (if using). Using a spatula, scrape the oil mixture into the bowl containing the root vegetables and stir with a spoon until evenly coated in oil and spices.
- Spray your preheated air fryer pan with cooking spray. Add root vegetables and shake the pan to spread them evenly. Cook for 24 minutes, tossing to redistribute in the pan every 8 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Notes
- Rutabaga: According to Monash University's Low FODMAP Diet app, rutabaga is low FODMAP in servings of up to 1 cup per serving.
- Sweet potato: low FODMAP in servings of up to ½ cup. Sweet potato contains the FODMAP mannitol, so if you malabsorb mannitol, be mindful of other foods you might consume with these vegetables containing the FODMAP mannitol to mitigate the risk of FODMAP stacking. The amount of sweet potato can also be reduced or another root vegetable substituted to further reduce this risk.
- Cayenne: while generally believed to be low FODMAP in small quantities, cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which can trigger symptoms in some people with IBS.
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