This simple vegan roasted carrots recipe makes a delicious, healthy side to serve with almost any entree, particularly meaty items. If you’ve never been enchanted with boiled or steamed carrots, I hear you! For me, roasting is the way to go. When roasted, carrots are transformed to a sweet, tender, and beautifully caramelized side dish that goes with nearly any entree (roast turkey breast is an obvious one). And I’ll put them up there with my crispy fried brussels sprouts and roasted sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving sides. They’re also perfect in a warm-your-belly carrot soup! You can stick with my basic roasted carrot recipe, tossed in extra virgin olive oil and simply seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper, or go the extra mile and jazz the carrots up with more flavors of your choice (I have some ideas below).
How to roast carrots in the oven
Roasted carrots are super simple to make, and almost impossible to mess up. And you can flavor them so many ways depending on your mood or what you’re serving along. Here are a few basic things to keep in mind:
Should you cover vegetables when roasting?
If you’re aiming for perfectly tender roasted veggies with those perfectly charred or caramlized parts, do not cover them while roasting. (There are a couple of exceptions including roasted cauliflower, which does benefit from covering for a few minutes to allow the steam to cook the inside of the larger florets first. But small-cut carrots and baby carrots do not need to be covered).
And as mentioned earlier, higher-heat oven is best for roasted vegetables, the sweet spot is somewhere between 400 and 425 degrees F (ovens do vary a little). Another important thing to remember, be sure to spread the carrots in one single layer on a large pan. And do flip them partway through to get even coloring on both side.
I use this cast iron pan (affiliate). The added benefit of cast iron is that it provides even, steady heat. But a rimmed sheetpan is also great here!
Flavor variations: savory or sweet
The sky is the limit as far as what flavors you can add to your roasted carrots. And the beautiful thing about this basic recipe is that the carrots are simply roasted with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper, allowing you to add what spices and flavors you like after they’ve been roasted…(hit them up with flavor while they’re still warm through). This time, I went for a bit of a Moroccan twist and added fresh minced garlic, and pinch of turmeric and harissa spice blend. Harissa is such a beautiful, warm blend of three types of chili along with sumac, caraway, fennel, cumin, coriander, garlic and peppermint. It adds a nice kick, but it is not too spicy or overwhelming. (Learn more here.) To finish things up, I squeezed a little bit of fresh lime juice and tossed in some fresh parsley. Together, the lime juice and parsley really enhanced the flavor and added some brightness here. When I serve these roasted carrots as a side to fish entree like pan seared trout or baked cod, I may use a different combination of spices like cumin, coriander, and a dash of oregano. Like them sweet? Try a combination of ground cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg, and brown sugar or a drizzle of warm honey instead. Or, for a brighter lemony flavor, try my oven roasted carrots with sumac. Or for a garlicky, refreshing vibe, try Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Dukkah, Garlicky Yogurt and Mint.
Serve them with
Roast Turkey Breast Roast Chicken Easy Lemon Chicken Lamb Chops or Boneless Leg of Lamb Slow Roasted Salmon
Leftovers & storage
Store cooked carrots in the fridge in a shallow container that is tightly sealed. They should last somewhere between 3 to 5 days. Hungry for more? Here are all our Mediterranean Recipes! Check out our 50+Top Mediterranean Diet Recipes. JOIN MY FREE E-MAIL LIST for weekly meal plans and more! *This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2016 and has recently been updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit. Enjoy!
