Our roasted carrot recipe shows you how to transform humble carrots into delicious fork-tender bites with a mouthwatering hot honey glaze.
Expect perfectly caramelized, browned carrot chunks. For more tasty carrot recipes, try Moroccan carrot salad, raw carrot salad, carrot ginger soup, and egg-free carrot cake.
Why you’ll love this recipe…
Our roasted carrots are one of our favorite side dishes; perfect for Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.
Louise and I love roasting them with a hot honey glaze. It’s quick, easy, and totally customizable – use your favorite hot sauce, whether it’s Sriracha, Tabasco, Harissa, or Gochujang.
The natural sweetness of the carrots caramelizes beautifully in the oven, while the spicy honey glaze adds a bold, tangy kick that keeps you coming back for more.
For the ultimate flavor combo, serve them over smooth whipped ricotta for a hot-cold-creamy contrast. Add warm pita on the side, and you’ve got a simple yet indulgent meal.
These carrots shine as a cozy holiday side, but they’re just as delicious tossed into grain bowls, salads, or enjoyed on their own with pita. However you serve them, they’re guaranteed to be a hit!
Ingredients
Find complete ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Carrots: substitute baby carrots for shorter baking time.
- Olive oil: we recommend extra virgin for roasting the carrots.
- Fresh garlic: Substitute garlic powder.
- Salt and black pepper.
For the hot honey sauce
- Honey: Substitute maple syrup to make this recipe vegan.
- Hot sauce: Pick your favorite hot sauce. We recommend Gochujang, Harissa paste, Sriracha, or Tobasco hot sauce. Here we used Gochujang.
- Apple cider vinegar: substitute lemon juice or white wine vinegar.
- Smoked Paprika: Add it if you like a hint of smokeyness with your carrots.
Serving Ideas
- Top with fresh herbs like parsley and cilantro or toasted chopped pistachios.
- Serve on our silky-smooth and creamy whipped ricotta.
How to make roasted carrots with hot honey glaze
Step 1: Pre-Bake the Carrots
Preheat the oven to 425°F or 220°C.
Peel and chop carrots into even bite-sized pieces, toss them with olive oil, salt, and black pepper and spread them on a baking tray without overlapping.
Pour ½ cup of water onto the tray; this speeds up cooking without the need for pre-boiling. Bake for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Hot Honey Glaze.
In a small saucepan, combine:
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 – 2 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce (gochujang, harissa, sriracha, Tabasco)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- A pinch of salt.
Simmer on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
Step 3: Glaze & Roast
Remove the carrots from the oven, drain any excess water from the baking tray, and toss them with half of the hot honey sauce until evenly coated.
Add 2 cloves crushed garlic and bake for 20 more minutes, or until the carrots are fork-tender and caramelized.
Reserve the remaining hot honey sauce for serving.
Step 4: Serving suggestions
Louise and I love serving these over whipped ricotta, drizzled with the remaining hot honey sauce and sprinkled with toasted chopped pistachios for crunch.
You can also enjoy them as is with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
They make the perfect side dish for a cozy easter dinner menu, thanksgiving side dish, or a bold tasty addition to grain bowls and salads.
Tips
- 💧 Don’t skip pre-baking with water. This step is necessary to shorten baking time, rendering the carrots tender without over-browning.
- 🍯 Add hot honey sauce to enhance the carrot’s natural sweetness. If you don’t care for spicy, skip the hot sauce and just add 1 – 2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup.
- 🌡️ Bake at high heat for caramelization. Temperature should be between 400-425°F (200-220°C).
- 🥕 Creamy and crunchy! Serve with something cold and creamy as a base (whipped ricotta, yogurt tahini sauce, Labneh) and something crunchy on top (toasted pistachios, almonds, or other nuts).
Frequently Asked Questions
It comes down to personal preference. You can peel them, scrub them, or keep the peel on if they are organically grown.
If the hot honey sauce is not enough you might consider tossing in spices like cumin and cinnamon.
Alternatively, serve them with chimichurri, chermoula sauce, cashew sour cream, green goddess dressing, cilantro lime dressing, tahini sauce, or Italian salsa verde.
Drain any excess water leftover on the tray from pre-baking. Also, spread them on a single layer without overcrowding the pan, keep temperature high at around 400°F (200°C) and don’t overbake.
Make Ahead: For the best texture, roast the carrots halfway, then finish baking just before serving.
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.
Freeze: Once completely cooled, transfer the carrots to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or in the microwave, then reheat before serving.
More easy carrot recipes
If you tried this roasted carrots recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Roasted Carrots (With Hot Honey Glaze)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup water
Hot Honey Glaze
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 – 2 tablespoons hot sauce (gochujang, harissa, sriracha, or Tabasco)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar + 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Pre-Bake the Carrots: Preheat the oven to 425°F or 220°C.Peel and chop 2 pounds carrots into even bite-sized pieces, toss them with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper and spread them on a baking tray without overlapping.Pour ½ cup water onto the tray; this speeds up cooking without the need for pre-boiling. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Make the Hot Honey Glaze: In a small saucepan combine ¼ cup honey, 1 – 2 tablespoons hot sauce, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt.Simmer on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
- Glaze & Roast: Remove the carrots from the oven, drain any excess water from the baking tray, and toss them with half of the hot honey sauce until evenly coated.Add 2 cloves garlic (crushed) and bake for 20 more minutes, or until the carrots are fork-tender and caramelized.Reserve the remaining hot honey sauce for serving.
- Serving suggestions: Louise and I love serving these over whipped ricotta, drizzled with the remaining hot honey sauce and sprinkled with toasted chopped pistachios for crunch.You can also enjoy them as is with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.They make the perfect side dish for a cozy easter dinner menu, thanksgiving side dish, or a bold tasty addition to grain bowls and salads.
Notes
- Carrots: substitute baby carrots for shorter baking time.
- Fresh garlic: Substitute garlic powder.
- Honey: Substitute maple syrup to make this recipe vegan.
- Hot sauce: Pick your favorite hot sauce. We recommend Gochujang, Harissa paste, Sriracha, or Tobasco hot sauce. Here we used Gochujang.
- Apple cider vinegar: substitute lemon juice or white wine vinegar.
- Smoked Paprika: Add it if you like a hint of smokeyness with your carrots.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We’re here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
I liked
I have a 2 questions about the steps. The written directions say to initially bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 min. Remove and toss with maple syrup and crushed garlic and bake 15-20 min. more. But in the video Nico says to bake initially for 30 minutes and then toss with the maple syrup and garlic. Back to the oven again for 20 min.
I am not the best cook and I really don’t want to make a mistake. I plan to use baby carrots. So 20 minutes initially and then 20 minutes again? Also (2nd question) do I leave the crushed garlic in the pan after tossing? Or remove after tossing? Thank you so much.
Hi Linda,
Thank you so much for your message and apologies for the confusion with the video. Both methods work but we should have updated the video to match the written content.
If you are using baby carrots follow the written directions.
The crushed garlic should stay in the pan for the second bake, so do don’t remove it. It will infuse the carrots with a mild garlic flavor.
You can remove the garlic after baking, before serving the carrots.
I hope this helps, but do let us know if you have any other questions.
Have a wonderful day 🙂
Nico
Lovely recipe, I made this last night and my daughter who came later at night was snacking from it and couldn’t stop :). Thank you !
This recipe is so simple and delicious, like many of your other recipes! I loved this sweet flavor and the fragrance of cumin! It went really well with couscous. I am going to make it quite often!
Hi Nancy,
I’m so delighted you enjoyed the carrots (and the cumin!). Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating here ❤️
All the best,
Louise
Black bean salad, ¡tiene un sabor sorprendente! hoy la preparamos y ¡vamos a seguir preparándola! ¡muchas gracias! por compartir.
Such great flavor from the cumin. Will make this again and again!
Oh yay, Sharon, I’m delighted to hear! The cumin does lift them to another level, thanks for making them! Have a great Thursday, cheers Louise