Roasted Carrots

These easy roasted carrots are the best way to make this healthy vegetable taste AMAZING! Bake them until tender with lemon wedges and fresh thyme.

Ready for the best carrots EVER? Don’t get us wrong: carrots are perfect raw. Carrots and hummus, carrots and ranch: we’re there for it! But if you want to dress up your carrots as a crazy delicious side dish: make these easy roasted carrots! They come out tender, lightly charred, and sweetly earthy. Roasting them with lemon wedges gives a brightness of flavor, and fresh thyme sprigs add a hint of complexity. Give that raw carrot a glamorous makeover! You’ll be glad you did.

Looking for a quicker way to cook carrots? Try Perfect Sauteed Carrots.

Use medium to large carrots here!

Yep, this recipe is for that bag of carrots you’ll find at the store! Alex and I wanted to make a recipe for the most common, inexpensive carrots you can find. They roast up into a beautifully tasty, healthy side dish.

There are also long, slender carrots you’ll see sold in a bunch, often rainbow colored. If you have these carrots, go Cumin Roasted Carrots. Since they’re thinner, you can roast them whole or halved, and they take less time in the oven!

How to roast carrots (the basic steps)

Carrots take about 40 minutes to roast, since they’re a very tough vegetable. They’re up there with sweet potatoes and beets. But it’s 100% worth the time to do it! They come out tender and even sweeter, as a delicious whole food plant based side dish (WFPB). This recipe plays up the flavor with a hint of brightness from lemon and balsamic vinegar. Here’s some basic info on how to roast carrots (or head right to the recipe):

• Peel and slice the carrots on the bias. Who wants little carrot circles when you can have elegant discs? Cut the carrots on the bias (at an angle) to get these lovely shapes.
• Mix with seasonings. You can roast carrots with just olive oil, salt and pepper. But to elevate the flavor even more, we added balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and dried thyme.
• Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until tender! Roast at 400 until they’re beautifully tender. That’s it!

A trick: roast with lemon wedges! (You can do this for any veggie.)

Here’s Alex and my trick for making roasted veggies taste amazing. Throw a few lemon wedges right on top of the veggies while they’re roasting! Roasting these carrots with lemon wedges makes them pick up that gorgeous flavor while they’re cooking. They come out with a subtle tangy flavor. You can do this with any vegetable to pick up the brightness of lemon.

Some examples? Try Rosemary Roasted Potatoes or Roasted Asparagus: they’re also cooked with lemon!

What do these roasted carrots pair with?

These roasted carrots are a healthy plant based side dish that goes with just about anything! Here are a few ways we’d suggest serving them:

• Pair with salmon. They’d be perfect for a fancy dinner with one of these Salmon Recipes.
• Try with meatloaf. Our Best Vegetarian Meatloaf needs these carrots.
• With a sandwich. Try roasted carrots with our Vegan Sloppy Joes for a hearty meal.

Variation: add onions!

Want a tasty variation on these roasted carrots? Add onions! Onion gives a savory undertone to the dish, and the purple of red onion gives a nice color contrast to the bright orange. Head to Roasted Carrots and Onions for the recipe.

More tasty carrot recipes

There are lots more delicious ways to eat this healthy orange vegetable! Here are some of our favorite carrot recipes:

• Carrot Fries Full of big flavor, sprinkled with ranch seasoning and baked until lightly crispy!
• Perfect Sauteed Carrots or Honey Glazed Carrots These carrots are fast and have amazing flavor! Another method? Try them steamed.
• Carrot Juice No juicer needed! It’s easy to whip up this delicious, nutrient filled drink in a blender.
• Carrot Cake Pancakes These carrot cake pancakes are moist and spiced, a healthy spin that’s just sweet enough! The maple Greek yogurt topping takes them over the top.
• Curried Carrot Soup This really is the best curried carrot soup out there! It’s bright orange and creamy, flavored with ginger and curry paste.
• Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies These tasty morsels are a portable breakfast or snack similar to a Cliff bar! They’re vegan and even work as a wholesome dessert!
• Carrot Cake Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal There’s nothing cozier than baked oatmeal! This one is carrot cake flavored, with cozy spices and pecans.

This roasted carrots recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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