This recipe for honey roasted carrots is whole carrots, bathed in honey and seasonings, then roasted over high heat until tender and caramelized. A super easy yet elegant side dish!

I always have a bag of carrots in my fridge; they’re inexpensive, last for weeks and my kids will always eat them! Whether it’s glazed carrots or sauteed candied carrots, this sweet and savory veggie is definitely a big hit. These roasted carrots take just minutes to put together, but are fancy enough to serve for company. Pair them with baked chicken wings for a memorable meal!

In my opinion, the best way to eat vegetables is when they’re roasted. Some of my favorites include brown sugar delicata squash, roasted butternut squash and of course, carrots. After a trip through the oven, most veggies get browned and caramelized and their flavor intensifies in the best possible way! These honey roasted carrots are my all time favorite way to eat carrots. In fact, my whole family devours them, even the kids!

Making this recipe is quite simple and only requires a handful of ingredients. Given that the ingredient list is so short, I try to get the best quality ingredients I can find to make these honey roasted carrots extra special.

How do you make roasted carrots?

For this recipe, you’ll need carrots, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. That’s it! I like to buy bunches of small carrots with the tops on, they look so much more elegant and are sweeter than larger carrots. If you can’t find small carrots, it’s totally fine to use larger carrots that have been cut into sticks, it’ll still be delicious. line up the carrots on a baking sheet and toss them with seasonings before they take a trip through the oven. Add a sprinkle of parsley, then serve and enjoy.

Tips for roasted carrots

Your bake time may vary depending on how thick your carrots are. If you’re using carrots cut into sticks, those will also cook faster than whole carrots.
I would not use those pre-cut baby carrots that come in bags for this recipe. Typically those carrots don’t have as much flavor as whole carrots.
I like to add a sprinkling of parsley as a finishing touch for these roasted carrots, but if you don’t have parsley on hand, it’s totally fine to skip this step. You could also try garnishing with other fresh herbs like thyme, chives or dill.
You can peel the carrots and coat them in the honey mixture up to 4 hours before you plan to roast them.
This dish will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the cooked carrots for future use, but the texture will be softer upon thawing and reheating.

Baked carrot variations

I think this recipe is delicious as-is, but there are different ways to add other flavors to customize the carrots to your tastes.

Sweetener: Try using an equal amount of maple syrup or brown sugar instead of the honey.
Spices: Feel free to add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice to the olive oil mixture.
Bacon: Wrap each carrot in 1/2 slice of bacon before roasting.
Garlic Lovers: Reduce the honey to 1 teaspoon and add 1-2 teaspoons of freshly minced garlic.
Vegetables: Add other vegetables to the mix such as wedges of red onion, brussels sprouts, diced sweet potatoes or cubed butternut squash.

These honey roasted carrots are the perfect side dish for:

The next time you head to the grocery store, be sure to grab some carrots so that you try this recipe, it’s pretty much guaranteed to turn veggie haters into veggie lovers!

More side dish ideas