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These Honey Roasted Carrots are the perfect Thanksgiving Side Dish! Super tender baby carrots with a sweet honey butter glaze that are roasted in the oven until tender and delicious.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
Roasted Carrots are a fantastic, traditional side dish for the holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, because they pretty much go with anything. They add a nice light sweetness to all of the heavy, savory dishes like potatoes or stuffing. Of course carrots are sweet on their own, but add a little honey butter and they are over the top delicious!
The honey butter is pretty straight-forward. A sweet combination of honey and butter with a little brown sugar is mixed together then coats the carrots. As the carrots are roasting this honey butter creates a delicious glaze that you’ll wish you could just lap up with a spoon.
These Honey Roasted Carrots are gorgeous on their own, but if you’d like to add some color, try garnishing with some fresh chopped thyme or parsley. The herbs add a lovely contrast in color, as well as some earthy freshness.
Ingredients for Honey Roasted Carrots
- Baby carrots – I like to sae time anduse baby carrot because they are already peeled and cut down to size. However this recipe will work great with regular peeled carrots as well. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Honey Butter glaze – A mixture of butter, honey and brown sugar to give a sweet glaze to the carrots.
- Salt and pepper to taste – to balance the sweetness.
- Optional – Feel free to add some optional herbs to the honey glazed carrots, like thyme of fresh parsley.
How to Roast Baby Carrots
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. No need to spray with nonstick cooking spray – the glaze on the carrots helps to keep them from sticking.
- Melt the honey, brown sugar and butter in the microwave. Place the carrots in a large bowl and toss with the honey mixture.
- Arrange carrots on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast in the preheated oven for about 25-35 minutes. About halfway through, remove the sheet from the oven and scooch the carrots around a bit. They be starting to caramelize, but If they are getting really dark on the bottom you can turn them over, otherwise just move them around a bit to keep them from burning.
FAQs
If you use baby carrots, there is no need to peel them. However if you opt for larger carrots, it’s best to peel them and cut them into uniform chunks for even cooking.
Depends on the size of the carrot. Baby carrot are smaller and often skinnier, so they take about 25-35 minutes. Larger carrots cut into chunks will take 30-40 minutes, and whole carrots take 40-50 minutes.
You can use frozen carrots but will need to alter the recipe, and they likely won’t caramelize because the roasting time will be short. Thaw the carrots and pat them completely dry. Toss them with the honey butter mixture and arrange on the baking sheet. Roast for about 10 minutes. You won’t get the caramelization like if you used fresh carrots, but the glaze is still tasty.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
You can also freeze the carrots, but I don’t recommend it as the texture will change and they will become softer upon thawing.
Serve with:
- Chicken Fried Chicken
- Skillet Pork Chops with Gravy
- Grilled Salmon Kabobs
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Baked BBQ Chicken
These sweet glazed carrots will be a great side dish to just about anything you’re serving.
Expert Tips
- Size is important – when cutting larger carrots, try to keep them as even in size as possible. With baby carrots, you might want to pull out the really tiny one, or slice really large ones in half lengthwise.
- If your carrots become too tender before they caramelize, you can stick them under the broiler on low for a few minutes. Just be sure to watch carefully to avoid burning.
- I highly recommend completely covering your baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. The sugars in the sauce can burn easily, making clean-up difficult.
- Make-Ahead: You can prep the carrots and the honey butter sauce a few hours before you plan to roast them.
More delicious side dishes we love:
- Cranberry Pecan Roasted Vegetables
- Crispy Baked Brussels Sprouts
- Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Green Beans
- Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
Honey Butter Roasted Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Wash and scrub carrots. Dry well. Peeling is optional but not necessary. Slice diagonally on a bias into 1 1/2-inch pieces. If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise, if they are narrow, leave them whole.
- Place carrots in a large bowl.
- Melt the honey, brown sugar and butter together in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Stir to combine. Pour over carrots and toss to coat.
- Arrange carrots on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven and turn the carrots over. Return to the oven and roast for another 10-20 minutes or until tender and caramelized.
Notes
- This recipe will also work with regular carrots. Just peel and cut them into equal sized pieces.
- If your carrots are too tender before they caramelize, you can stick them under the broiler on low for a few minutes. Just be sure to watch carefully to avoid burning.
- I highly recommend completely covering your baking sheet with foil. The sugars in the sauce can burn easily, making clean-up difficult.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Can’t wait to try this recipe
HI
I tried this recipe on the stove top and it was amazing. I had a cake in the oven so I did it in a skillet and loved it.
Thanks
You are so welcome Tina! Thanks for stopping by.
K.
I followed instructions but the bottom of the carrots all burned/charred. Horrible taste, disappointed!
Yes. Good taste, but cook time to long.
These look amazing. We love carrots. Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
You are so welcome Deborah! Thanks for stopping by.
K.
SO GOOD! I LOVE CARROTS.
Mustard is a great addition
Amazing recipe. The sound of “glazed carrots” doesn’t appeal to me; however, I tried this recipe and I’m definitely making this again! Beautiful presentation. The salt and especially the pepper added the perfect compliment to the previous ingredients. Good job!
Thank you Cheryl! and thank you for the awesome feedback.
One word. Excellent! Will be making these frequently.
Awesome! Thank you for dropping by Barb.
My entire family loves these carrots. Tonight we will have had them 3 times. It is there number 1 request for a veggie. Thank you so much!
You are so welcome Cary, thank you so much for taking the time to leave your positive experience.
These were absolutely delicious! Will definitely make these again.
Yay! Thanks for the review, Karen!
Hi, is this something I could make the night before and pop back in the oven to reheat?
I wouldn’t – the carrots would end up overcooked and mushy. It’s so simple, it would be best to make it and cook at the same time.