This easy honey roasted baby carrots recipe is made with just a handful of ingredients and is ready in about 30 minutes.
The natural sweetness of the tender carrots and sweet honey are balanced perfectly with a bit of garlic and spice. Roasted baby carrots with honey make an easy side dish for weekday meals but are pretty enough for a holiday table as well. It’s a simple side dish but an elegant side dish.
My apricot glazed carrots are holiday ready too!
Why We Love This Recipe
- The perfect balance of sweet and savory is wonderful.
- It’s the ideal way to enhance baby cut carrots which tend to be a little less sweet than whole carrots, in my opinion. BUT, you could use whole fresh carrots, if you prefer.
- 5-minute prep and only 30 minutes in the oven.
- Roasted vegetables have the best flavor, fork tender texture and appearance.
Ingredient Notes
- Baby-cut carrots – Prep is simple! Rinse, dry, and season. If you prefer whole carrots, you can rinse, peel and slice the larger carrots into evenly sized sticks or chunky rounds, but you’ll need about a pound of carrots.
- Olive oil – You may use vegetable oil, but olive oil has the best flavor.
- Melted butter – For a little savory richness.
- Minced garlic – Fresh minced is always best, but the coarse texture of granulated garlic would be nice too.
- Honey – Brings out the natural sweetness of the carrots.
- Salt – Fine or flaked. I like using kosher salt or sea salt.
- Pepper – Fine or cracked black pepper
How to Make Honey Roasted Carrots
Step 1: Place carrots in a large bowl.
Step 2: In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, butter, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, and honey together.
Step 3: Pour the mixture over the carrots and toss to coat.
Step 4: Spread the glazed baby carrots in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Step 5: Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 30 minutes or until carrots reach desired tenderness, stirring and turning after 15-20 minutes. Poke carrots with a fork to check tenderness. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley (if desired), and serve the oven roasted baby carrots immediately.
Recipe FAQ
You bet! You can rinse and peel whole carrots and cut them evenly into sticks. The cooking time may need to be adjusted.
If you give them a good scrub, you don’t have to peel them. It’s a personal preference.
Maple syrup makes a good substitute, but use REAL maple syrup, not imitation-flavored.
Recipe Twists
- Try it with rainbow carrots or heirloom carrots. You could leave the green tops on for visual appeal.
- Add a little bit of Italian seasoning to the honey mixture.
- If you love fresh herbs, add a pinch of thyme, basil, oregano and sage.
- Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice or orange juice to add a bit of tartness.
- If you have a sweet tooth, add a small amount of brown sugar for extra sweetness.
- Use maple syrup instead of honey and sprinkle with cooked crumbled bacon before serving.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Honey Roasted Baby Carrots
Ingredients
- 16 oz baby carrots rinsed and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced about 1/2 teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon salt kosher salt, sea salt or table salt
- 2-3 tablespoons honey
- Optional garnish: chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or spray the pan with cooking spray.
- Place carrots in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, butter, black pepper, garlic powder, salt and honey. Pour the mixture over the carrots and toss to coat. Spread carrots evenly on the baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven 30-35 minutes or until carrots reach desired tenderness. Use a fork to check. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.
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