Honey roasted baby carrots are delicious! This recipe is a simple way to dress up baby carrots and take them from a raw lunchbox staple, to an elevated, but simple side dish for any meal. Much like my carrot bacon recipe, you just need a few pantry ingredients and a sheet pan, and this recipe too, will become a dinnertime staple.
The Quickest Veggie Side Ever
The sweetness of the carrots, paired with a roasted honey glaze elevates this easy side dish. Serve it for a weeknight dinner and it will quickly become your families favorite way to eat their veggies. One of the best things about this perfect side dish is just how easy it is to make. Dump, toss and roast to perfection.
Ingredients
- Baby carrots: You can buy baby carrots in just about any grocery store and just use them straight from the bag. One bag of carrots is all you will need. Alternatively, you can cut larger carrots down to baby carrot size. You can use orange carrots in this recipe, but rainbow carrots work well and are super fun for kids.
- Honey: Any honey works well. Just remember not to serve this dish to your kiddos under 1 year old. If you want to serve them roasted carrots, try this carrot puree as an alternative.
How to make honey roasted carrots
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
In a large bowl add the fresh carrots, olive oil, honey and salt and toss well to combine. It's a bit of a sticky mixture, so I like to wear gloves when I do this.
Then, spread the coated carrots on your prepared baking tray and put into the oven to roast for about 30 minutes.
You are looking for the carrots to soften and get a little bit of color on them. They will appear a little wrinkly when you take them out of the oven.
Let cool a few minutes and serve. You can optionally garnish with chopped fresh herbs that you like. Fresh thyme and fresh parsley both work really well.
FAQ's
I like to reheat these carrots on the stove in a sauce pan. Add a little bit of olive oil or butter to your pan over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add the carrots and saute them until they are warm through.
Yes, absolutely. If you don't have a bag of baby carrots in your fridge, simply use a bag of big carrots. To prep them, peel and then cut the big carrots into smallish pieces and follow the recipe as written. You can also make honey roasted rainbow carrots with a mixed rainbow bag of carrots (I find mine at Trader Joe's, they have both baby and full size carrots).
Yes. If you don't have honey on hand, you can easily substitute maple syrup. It's also a great way to ensure that your little ones under a year old can enjoy the tender carrots as well.
What to serve with these roasted carrots
Since these honey glazed baby carrots are such a delicious side dish, they pair well with ton of other recipes. I like to serve them with salmon patties, a simple pasta dish like pasta pangratatto or as a perfect addition to my holiday table.
I'll be honest, I like to make them and then just snack on them as an appetizer because they are so yum right out of the oven!
Other flavors that work well in this recipe
With just a few additional simple ingredients, you can change this easy recipe into one that's both simple and elevated...people with think you are so fancy, but you'll know that you just love good flavors 🙂
- Hot Honey: Hot honey is honey that is a little spicy and it just adds something special to this already great recipe
- Garlic Butter: Skip the honey and use a homemade garlic butter melted over the carrots before roasting
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar can also substitute for the sweet flavors of the honey in a pinch
- Honey Soy: Add an additional layer of umami by adding a tablespoon of soy sauce to the rest of the ingredients
One last tip:
The roasting time on this recipe may vary. Depending on the size of the carrots (baby vs whole carrots cut into smaller pieces) and how your oven runs, you will want to start keeping an eye on the roasted carrots after the 25 minute mark. When you see the carrots getting some roasted brown color and they are fork tender, you'll know they are just about done.
📖 Recipe
Simple Honey Roasted Baby Carrot
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby carrots typically one bag
- 2 TB olive oil
- 2 TB honey
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cover a baking sheet in parchment paper.
- In a large bowl add the carrots, olive oil, honey and salt and toss well to combine.
- Spread the coated carrots on your prepared baking tray.
- Put into the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy!
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