A Roasted carrots recipe with a vinaigrette dressing is a delicious side to add to any meal. Sweet golden carrots combined with a light dressing will brighten up your holiday feast or weeknight dinner.
Don’t you love having a side dish that you can add to almost any dinner menu. These roasted carrots are great alongside turkey and all the heavy Thanksgiving side recipes but are also great for a dinner party or weeknight dinner.
You can make the dressing ahead of time and all you have to do is pop the carrots in the oven. They’re great with bacon wrapped pork tenderloin and can turn a simple rotisserie chicken dinner into something special.
Over the holidays I was trying to find something healthy to throw in with all the decadent food we were eating. Since my girls are not fond of broccoli, and we were making our favorite green bean casserole for our big dinner, I decided to try this roasted carrots recipe topped with a homemade vinaigrette out on them and they LOVED it. So much so that I made them a second time the following week!
Now they ask for them every time they come home. Natalie loves The Pioneer Woman’s cookbooks which is where we got the idea for this recipe.
Roasting carrots is a great way to bring out their natural sweetness and I’ve found that most people like roasted carrots even if they’re not fond of other vegetables. I throw them with chicken and wine, add them to a ranch chicken sheet pan dinner and they are the star of the show roasted in chicken with couscous.
Why you’ll love these Oven Roasted Carrots
- The natural sweetness of the carrots makes them delicious and you don’t have to use honey or brown sugar so you can save your calories for another dish!
- It’s an affordable, under used vegetable that most people like
- Be prepared for an amazing dish that is just as good warm as at room temperature
- Even picky eaters will love them
- They’re the perfect Thanksgiving Side to combat all the other rich foods
You’ll see a lot of recipes for carrots where they add brown sugar or honey, but roasting them in the oven brings out their natural sweetness. Save your calories for dessert and enjoy this perfect side to almost any meal.
What you’ll need for this Roasted Carrots in Oven recipe
- Carrots – whole carrots are perfect for this, peeled or just scrubbed. You can also use baby carrots, just adjust the cooking time,
- Olive oil – to drizzle over the carrots before roasting.
Simple Vinaigrette Ingredients
- Olive oil – for the base
- White wine vinegar – this is milder than distilled white vinegar
- Dijon mustard – for flavor and to keep the dressing from separating
- Fresh herbs – thyme and rosemary can be found in the refrigerated section of your grocer’s veggie department and they’re easy to grow in a pot. Depending on where you live, they’ll come back every year.
- Garlic – always use fresh
How to make the Best Roasted Carrots
Step 1: Cut carrots into 3 inch long strips and drizzle with olive oil on a baking sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Roast in a hot oven, 425º. Toss about ½ way through.
Step 3: Drizzle with vinaigrette.
Adding an easy homemade vinaigrette that takes no time to prepare creates the perfect combination of flavors in this recipe. You’ll love how the fresh herbs make the flavors pop.
What temperature is best for roasting vegetables?
Roast carrots in a hot oven of at least 400º. I prefer a little hotter at 425º to brown the outside of the carrots.
How to make Vinaigrette Dressing
Add oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, fresh thyme and rosemary to a jar with a lid.
Shake! Don’t forget the mustard. It’s the secret to keep it from separating.
How long to roast carrots?
Roast the carrots at a high temperature, 475º for about 15 minuets depending on how thick they are. You’ll be able to easily pierce them with a fork when they’re done.
Serving Oven Roasted Carrots
Roasted carrots are one of those vegetables that goes with just about anything. Try serving it when you have richer sides like scalloped potatoes, to add some contrast to your meal.
Oven Roasted Carrots Storage
To store leftover carrots, let them come to room temperature then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them and warm up in the microwave or oven.
Roasted Carrots In The Oven FAQS
You can leave the peelings on, just scrub well first.
Since baby carrots are generally small and have a lot of water in them, you just need to reduce the cooking time.
Yes, you can reheat them but I recommend you do it in the oven. Place them on a cooking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and honey if you like, then reheat them for 10-15 minutes.
You can refrigerate them for up to 3 days.
If you want to make a delicious carrot soup, try this Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup from Cookie + Kate.
Put together a sheet pan recipe Ranch Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes and just add the carrots for the last 10 minutes since they just need to reheat.
If your carrots are browned on the outside and still crunchy inside, try cutting them into thinner slices.
Depending on how thick the carrots are, slice them in half from top to bottom. If they are very thick, slice them one more time into quarters.
You can enhance the flavor of carrots with several herbs and spices, some of the most common are garlic, curry, cinnamon, basil and dill.
If some of your carrots are tough, they may not have cooked long enough. To avoid uneven cooking, try to cut the carrot pieces so that they are roughly the same size.
More simple side dishes
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Oven Roasted Carrots
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- salt and pepper
- 3-5 lbs carrots cut into 3 inch pieces
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º.
- Vinaigrette:
- In a jar with a lid, combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, thyme, rosemary and salt and pepper. Shake to combine and set aside.
- Cut carrots in to halves or quarters depending on the thickness of the carrot and then cut into 3 inch pieces. Place on 1-2 baking sheets depending on the amount of carrots. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper.
- Roast carrots for 10-12 minutes until slightly tender and brown on the edges, tossing half way through the cooking time.
- Remove and drizzle with vinaigrette. You won’t need all of it.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- For perfectly roasted carrots, spread them out on the pan so they have plenty of room.
- Try to cut the carrots the same thickness so they roast evenly.
- If using baby carrots, decrease the cooking time.
- If you don’t want to peel the carrots, just scrub them well beforehand.
Nutrition
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Wow! Another great recipe! So simple and delicious and perfect for Birthday dinner coming up!
Hope these make your Birthday great.