This roast celeriac recipe is quick and easy and absolutely delicious! Roast chunks of celeriac in the oven or quickly in the air fryer to transform this under-appreciated root vegetable into a light lemony veggie side dish. This is a low carb, vegan, keto-friendly alternative to roast potatoes. Or, cut the celeriac into long wedges and serve them as celeriac chips to dip into spicy vegan mayonnaise.
Those who know me know that I’m a massive fan of Ottolenghi. The whole-roasted celeriac recipe in his “Simple” book is absolutely sublime. Unfortunately it requires about 3 hours of cooking and I often don’t start cooking until it is too late to make that recipe. So… this is my mid-week quick version of that amazing slow-roast celeriac recipe.
Why you will love this roast celeriac recipe
- It’s quick and easy to make in the air fryer or in the oven.
- You can use it as a low carb vegetable side dish or as a snack with a dipping sauce for entertaining.
- Celeriac is a delicious alternative to potatoes with half the carbs so it’s suitable for keto and low carb fans too!
- The lemon juice perfectly balances the soft celeriac flavour to make a truly tasty veggie side dish.
What is celeriac?
You might get this odd looking vegetable in your vegetable box and wonder what on earth it is! Let’s face it, celeriac (also known as celery root) is one of the less appealing looking root vegetables!
Celeriacs are round and large (like a small pumpkin size) with a rough yellowy-green-brown skin, rougher than a potato but with similar colouring. The most peculiar thing about it though, is that it has these funny looking roots coming out of the bottom that make it look quite alien!
Once you get past its unsightly exterior by cutting off the roots and slicing off the skin, you find this pale creamy coloured flesh that you can chop and use just like you would a potato. In fact, you can substitute it for potato in most recipes!
There is a mild celery flavour, but don’t let that put you off! That slightly floral, celery flavour works absolutely brilliantly with the sharpness of lemon! It’s a match made in heaven!
Nutrition
Celeriac is packed with nutrients and is particularly rich in vitamin K. Those following low carb or keto diets tend to like celeriac as it is much lower in carbs than some of the other root vegetables. Given its versatility and mild flavour, it makes a great low carb alternative to potatoes. See this healthline article for more information on celeriac.
Ingredients
This roast celeriac recipe is so simple to make, it hardly deserves a list of ingredients!
- Celeriac
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for amounts.
Basic Instructions
You can choose whether to roast or air fry this celeriac.
- Peel and cut the celeriac into chunks. The cooking time depends on how big or small you chop your celeriac. The smaller the chunks, the less time it takes to cook.
- Mix the celeriac chunks with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.
Drizzle olive oil over the celeriac chunks. Mix with oil, lemon juice and seasoning.
- Air fry at 180°C for 15-20 minutes (depending on how large the pieces) or roast on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 190°C for 25 minutes, turning half way through cooking time.
Lay on a lined baking tray and roast in the oven. Place celeriac wedges in the air fryer basket.
- Serve with more lemon juice squeezed on top and a scattering of fresh herbs.
Please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full details.
Knife Skills
It can be hard to peel a celeriac because they are knobbly and unwieldy. I find the easiest way to prep a celeriac is:
- Use a large sharp knife to chop the bottom off (where all the roots are).
- If the skin is not too tough, you can use a peeler to peel the skin off the rest of the celeriac.
- Or, if it is a little older and the skin is thick and tough, use the same sharp knife to carefully slice the skin off. Do this by resting the celeriac on the flat cut bottom so that it is stable. Then slice the skin off in strips from top to bottom along the curved sides. Keep doing this doing turning the celeriac slightly after each strip is peeled so that you get around the whole celeriac.
Chop off the roots. Peel the skin off in downward strips.
Serving Suggestions
Think of this air fried or roast celeriac as an alternative to potatoes. So, wherever you might serve roast potatoes, you can use this roast celeriac instead!
- For cosy comfort food, pair this easy side dish with a full roast dinner or as a side to creamy pot pie.
- If you want something lighter, it also goes brilliantly with salads and buddha bowls.
- Or just make a big bowl of them and eat them like chips with vegan mayonnaise spiked with spicy sriracha sauce. Yum!
Making ahead
This roast celeriac recipe can be prepared in advance if you roast for 5 minutes less time, then when ready to serve, throw them back in the air fryer for 5 minutes (or in the oven for 10 minutes) to finish off roasting and crisp them up.
Leftovers
If you have any leftover roast celeriac, re-heat them again the next day to eat with a salad or even add some vegetable stock and whizz it into a delicious celeriac soup. It would be wonderful with a handful of nuts or chickpeas added into the blender to give the soup some protein as well.
Roast Celeriac FAQs
No. If you cut it into wedges or chunks, then you can just roast it straight from raw.
It takes 25 minutes in the oven or 15-20 minutes in the air fryer (depending on how large your chunks are).
Quick Roast Celeriac with Lemon (Oven or Air Fryer)
Ingredients
- 1 celeriac
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lemon
- salt and pepper
- handful of fresh herbs
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 190°C and line a baking tray with baking paper OR set the air fryer to 180°C.
- Cut the root end off the celeriac then lay the flat end on the chopping board and, using a sharp knife, carefully slice off the skin in downward strips. Once peeled, cut the celeriac into slices and then again into chunks.1 celeriac
- Put the celeriac pieces into a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, some salt and pepper and the juice of half the lemon. Mix together well.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 lemon, salt and pepper
- For oven-roasting: lay the celeriac pieces on the lined baking tray and place in the oven. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning the celeriac pieces over half way through cooking.
- For air-frying: lay the celeriac pieces in the air fryer basket, trying to keep them in a single layer. Air fry for 15-20 minutes, shaking the basket half way through cooking.
- The cooking time depends on the size of the celeriac pieces. Check whether the celeriac is cooked through by piercing with a knife. It should feel soft and easy to slide the knife in. If there is resistance, just pop it back in the oven or air fryer for a few more minutes until soft. If it starts to brown too much, turn the oven temperature down a little.
- Serve with another generous squeeze of lemon and some fresh herbs scattered over the top.handful of fresh herbs
Notes
- The cooking time will depend on the size of the celeriac pieces. The larger they are, the longer they will take to cook through.
- Serve roast celeriac wedges as a substitute for roast potatoes or serve celeriac chips with vegan mayonnaise mixed with spice sriracha sauce.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ star rating ⭐ on the recipe card!
More Recipes
If you like this air fried roast celeriac recipe, you may like these other delicious vegan and gluten-free side dishes too:
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