Oven Roasted Carrots are easy to make and need just minutes of prep! Fresh carrots are tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted until tender and golden for a family favorite side dish!
Add these as a side for any holiday dinner served alongside your favorite stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and baked mac and cheese, or serve them with any main course!
Savory or Sweet
As much as I love glazed carrots and steamed carrots, this recipe for savory roasted carrots is especially simple. Seasoned with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, the carrots’ natural, slightly sweet flavors to really shine through. This is also a great base recipe for you to play with if you’d like to get more adventurous with your roasted carrots.
If you prefer these to be sweeter glazed roasted carrots, add a tablespoon or so of brown sugar or even honey to make Honey Roasted Carrots!
How to Roast Carrots in the Oven
Roasting carrots is easy and this technique can be applied to most many Roasted Vegetables.
- Prep Carrots: Wash, peel (optional, see below), and cut if they’re large. (Baby Carrots or smaller carrots can stay whole).
- Season: Toss carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper
- Roast: Place carrots on a pan and roast (per recipe below) until browned and tender.
Serve, garnished with parsley (if desired).
Do You Have to Peel Carrots for Roasting? I prefer to peel my carrots before roasting but it is not required. Peeling the carrots gives them a cleaner appearance. If you choose not to peel, scrub them with a veggie brush to make sure you get rid of any dirt or debris before cooking.
How Long To Roast Carrots
These carrots need about 20 minutes or so at 425°F. The high temperature is needed to caramelize the outside for the best flavor. Pierce the carrots with a fork, if they are tender then they are finished!
To Roast Baby Carrots
This recipe works just the same with baby carrots however they might need a bit less time! Because some brands of baby carrots are quite small, start checking your roasted carrots after about 15 minutes (see notes below).
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots washed, peeled and cut if large
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus additional to taste, as needed
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper (for easy clean-up).
- Toss carrots with oil and seasoning.
- Pour onto prepared baking sheet. Arrange carrots in a single layer.
- Bake 18-20 minutes for baby or garden carrots, 25-30 minutes for larger store bought carrots. Ensure carrots are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Serve warm, garnished with parsley if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
More Roasted Veggies
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
- Green Beans with Bacon – Make Ahead
- Easy Baked Zucchini – Reader Favorite!
- Roasted Root Vegetables
- Easy Roasted Cauliflower – Easy!
Hi there! If I were to make these at 375 degrees, about what is the cook time? I want to make them for Thanksgiving but trying to time everything! Thanks! Love your website!
I would cook them for about 35 to 45 minutes depending on the size of your carrots. However, if you do not cook them at the higher temperature, they will not get the same caramelization.
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes Kyler. Happy Thanksgiving!
I never know how to cook carrots, coming from a family where boiling everything was the norm.. these were so tasty!
easy recipe, delicious
Perfect ! as your recipes typically are, Holly!
Followed recipe, only adjusted for # of servings needed.
THIS TIME, We served as a ‘side’ for a Pesto (Chicken & Bacon store bought tortellini on sale!) dinner.
Yum & Done.
I used dill as the seasoning and cooked as printed. Turned out fabulous
Honey loses all nutritional value at temperatures above 350 degrees and in fact become unhealthy at 400 degrees and more. If you use honey, I suggest slightly heating it in a saucepan and then when your carrots are done dumping them in the saucepan to roll them in the honey.
Super easy way to prepare those large carrots. We loved them!
Can I boil and cook the carrots a little before roasting them?
I haven’t tried that way as I find they soften enough in the oven. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
I included an onion cut in thin wedges then halved and a yellow summer squash quartered and sliced. Added rosemary and garlic powder to the seasonings. They were amazing!
It was well into my life before I realized how delicious roasted veggies are and how easy they are to make. Making up for lost time now. Just roasted 4 pounds of carrots, yum. Remember to look for larger carrots if you want to spend less time peeling. I cut them into strips.
I love these carrots! I add honey and thyme along with the olive oil, salt and pepper. The thyme is a great savory addition if you like thyme.
how much honey did you add? or just a drizzle?
I think a drizzle would be delicious!
Made these carrots, loved them!!! Thank you!
Yummy
Can the carrots be roasted 2 days before the event and then be reheated the day of the event?
Yes, they can.
I shall enjoy thank you I did not realize how easy they were to cook
Exactly what I was hoping for. Super yum.
turned out great! I used rainbow carrots and added a pinch of chili flakes and sechuan pepper to the honey. Great side dish!