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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).
Easy Oven Roasted Carrots
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
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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!
I make these carrots ALL the time for my family. It’s so convenient to pick up a 2lb bag of baby carrots, toss them in oil, salt, and pepper, and then throw them in the oven for twenty. Voila! A healthy side dish or snack. Thanks again. I come back over and over for these.
I can always count on Samantha & Spend With Pennies whenever I need a quick & simple recipe idea. I had part of a bag of baby carrots that needed to be used. Your instructions for Roasted Carrots was perfect & delicious. Thanks very much !
So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe was great, made then today, thanks for posting
It is really easy totally a emergency lunch side dish I love putting some extra flavor on my food so I put some garlic powder and brown sugar, it makes everything savory and caramelized. most amazing recipe ever for carrots, I highly recommend but make sure you add brown sugar and garlic not to much though or it will taste to sweet or to garlicky and we don’t want that!
Thanks for sharing your tips, Ellie! They sound great.
“to garlicky and we don’t want that!” I mean…speak for yourself XD
So easy and delicious!
It’s hard for me to find a way to like carrots, but this is IT!!! I sprinkled thyme and oregano on mine. If you extend the cooking time (maybe up to double), the natural sugars begin to caramelize and it becomes much sweeter without adding any sweetener.
This recipe works well and helps a first time bulk carrot roaster learn the ropes! I had about 10 pounds of fresh carrots with stems and needed to know what shortcuts work and don’t, so thank you! Used it and it was very helpful.
Hi there! I ‘ve made these and so simple and exquisitely delicious! Could these be made using frozen baby carrots? If so, do they need to be defrosted first or cook directly from frozen? Would there be an increased cooking time?
Hi Darrin, I have never tried this recipe using frozen baby carrots. I think it should work, but I would defrost them first. Since baby carrots are smaller than regular carrots, they may need slightly less roasting time. Let us know how they turn out for you!
Thank you! I did end up cooking with fresh baby carrots that you get in the bag instead…as I was cooking with pork chops, i cooked them at 400F for about 30 mins and it turned out perfect!
I’m so glad to hear that, Darrin! Thanks for leaving a comment
absolutely delicious. everyone loved them. easy recipe to follow. mine took a little longer than 20 minutes due to some thicker carrots. shared the recipe when asked and will definitely make again. great addition to our Thanksgiving dinner!
would love to make ahead for Thanksgiving! any recommendations for re-heating please?
Hi Nina! To make ahead, bake as per recipe instructions and store (covered) in the fridge. Take them out of the fridge about 30-45 minutes before baking. Then bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes (Give them a stir halfway through) until heated. Let us know how they turn out for you!
Great recipe! So easy and quick and the results were stunning. Everyone said the carrots were the best they ever tasted. Thanks!
I am going to try this recipe this coming weekend.
We hope you love it!
These taste like candy! So so yummy!
They look good.
where in the oven? bottom, middle or top rack?
I use the middle rack.
So simple but sooooooo good! Don’t know why I haven’t tried making my own roasted veggies before this instead of buying frozen store-bought. Thanks a million!
Made these tonight with skinny carrots from the farmer’s market. Had just under 1 lb of carrots. I left them whole and they cooked in about 15 mins at 425F. Just right! Will definitely make again.
OMG so good changed my love and appreciation for carrots thank you. I will be snacking on carrots always
This is my go-to carrot recipe! We got a 6lb bag of carrots from our local Costco for $1.99 (!!!) and we’ve enjoying them roasted with almost all of our meals. :-)
What a deal! I am so glad you are enjoying this recipe Cindy!
I made this dish and everyone raved about how delicious it was. It is so simple and memorable. I’ll make it again soon.