How to Roast Carrots
on Mar 27, 2024
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Roasted carrots are beautiful, sweet, ridiculously easy to make, and add great color to any meal.
Oven-roasted carrots are so easy to make and add wonderful color to any plate. They are inexpensive, available year-round, and have an earthy sweetness that is amplified by the roasting process.
If you have a bunch of carrots in your fridge, then you always have a simple side dish waiting to happen. And then you can take it one step further if you like and make Roasted Carrots with Creamy Cilantro Sauce, Roasted Carrots with Tapenade Dressing, or Roasted Carrots with Spinach Parsley Pesto. The possibilities are pretty endless, all starting with a simple bunch of carrots!
Table of Contents
Roasted Carrots are beautiful, sweet, ridiculously easy to make, and add great color to any meal.
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Ingredients
- Carrots – Choose from orange, purple, white, or multi-colored. If they are young, you can just scrub them, but if the skins are thick, they should be peeled.
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Recipe Variations
- These carrots are perfect as is. Or, you can pair them with a condiment of sauce or vinaigrette if you want them to be a little more showy. Try Green Olive Tapenade, Spinach Parsley Pesto, or an Olive Rosemary Drizzle.
- You can make extra and see how to use them in 7 Ways to Use Leftover Roasted Vegetables!
How to Make Oven-Roasted Carrots
- Prepare to roast: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel or scrub the carrots. Slice the carrots lengthwise, unless they are very skinny, less than ½ inch wide at the top — then leave them whole. Large carrots can be cut into sticks or sliced thickly.
- Season the carrots: Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss, then spread out in a single layer.
- Cook the carrots: Roast them for about 20 minutes unless you like them softer — then keep going.
FAQs
If you have young, fresh carrots, nothing is prettier than slicing them lengthwise and roasting them in elegant, long pieces. Sometimes, I roast carrots in chunks, peeling and slicing them fairly thick (about 1 inch or more at the top). But if you can get ahold of some slender whole carrots, preferably with some green at the top, then you can make a roasted carrot dish that will suck the attention from every other dish and almost glow on the table.
Yes, usually. If your carrots are young and the outside looks nice and fresh, with just a paper-thin skin and no cloudiness or bristly hairs, you might be able to skip the peeling and just give them a scrub. Otherwise, you want to peel the carrots to avoid possible bitterness and an unwelcome texture. This dish works best when the carrots are young and sweet!
IMO, roasting is best. While boiled carrots can be delicious, the roasting process highlights the sweetness of this veggie. Roasted carrots have the perfect, soft texture and seem to just melt in your mouth.
I just roast them as is. If your carrots are nice and fresh, you can skip the boiling step.
Pro Cooking Tips
- If you have the oven set at 400 degrees or 450 degrees for another dish, that’s fine. Just check the carrots a little earlier at a higher temperature, and be prepared to let them cook for a few extra minutes at a lower temperature. Watch that they don’t brown too much at a higher temperature.
- If your carrots are young and the outside looks nice and fresh, with just a paper-thin skin and no cloudiness or bristly hairs, you might be able to skip the peeling and just give them a good scrub.
- For skinny carrots, less than ½ inch wide at the top, you don’t need to cut them in half lengthwise. Just leave them whole.
- Line the baking sheet with foil or parchment first, if you like, for easier cleanup.
What to Serve With Roasted Carrots
More Carrot Recipes
- Carrot Apple Salad
- Carrot Fries with Sriracha Sauce
- Moroccan Carrot and Cauliflower Soup
- Sesame-Honey Quinoa and Carrot with Sliced Avocado
- Indian Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
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How to Roast Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds carrots (preferably multi-colored; peeled)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Slice the carrots in half lengthwise. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and toss the carrots so they are well coated with the oil.
- Spread them out in a single layer. Roast for about 20 minutes until they are tender but not soft and browned along the edges.
Notes
- If you have the oven set at 400 degrees or 450 degrees for another dish, that’s fine. Just check the carrots a little earlier at a higher temperature, and be prepared to let them cook for a few extra minutes at a lower temperature. Watch that they don’t brown too much at a higher temperature.
- If your carrots are young and the outside looks nice and fresh, with just a paper-thin skin and no cloudiness or bristly hairs, you might be able to skip the peeling and just give them a good scrub.
- For skinny carrots, less than ½ inch wide at the top, you don’t need to cut them in half lengthwise. Just leave them whole.
- Line the baking sheet with foil or parchment first, if you like, for easier cleanup.
so simple and flavorful and can’t believe it but the kids love it!