These healthy oven roasted carrots are perfectly seasoned and addictively delicious. They’re easy to make with only 6 ingredients in under 30 minutes! This roasted carrots recipe is a kid-friendly vegetable side dish that’s paleo, vegan, gluten-free, dairy free and sugar-free!
Roasted carrots are so delicious, that when they come out of the oven I have to harness all my self-control so I don’t devour the whole pan before dinner! I call them “vegetable candy,” even though the only sweetness comes from the natural sweetness of the carrots!
This oven roasted carrots recipe is so easy and so delicious! This carrot side dish is perfectly seasoned and pairs well with any main dish, especially this balsamic pot roast or homemade mac and cheese! Peeling and cutting the carrots before roasting decreases the baking time which means they’re ready fast!
These baked carrots are a kid-friendly side dish, and even make a great finger food (cut into small pieces) for babies!
Roasted Carrots Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
As always, let’s chat about the ingredients in this baked carrots recipe, as well as possible substitutions!
- Carrots. I prefer using whole, organic carrots to make this roasted carrots recipe. Rainbow carrots are also fun to use for a colorful carrot side dish!
- Olive Oil. Any neutral oil, such as canola oil or avocado oil, works well in this recipe. I also love using flavor-infused olive oils (like garlic or herb olive oil), for extra flavor!
- Sea Salt. Use pure, fine sea salt for the best results!
- Paprika. Both regular and smoked paprika taste amazing in this oven roasted carrots recipe!
- Garlic Powder. Granulated garlic also works well!
- Black Pepper. Use freshly ground black pepper for the best results!
How to make Roasted Carrots
These oven roasted carrots are so easy to make! We’ll walk through the process step by step to ensure your success!
Prepare Spice Mixture
Preheat the oven, then in a small bowl, mix together garlic powder, sea salt, paprika and black pepper. Set aside. Mixing the spices together ensures they are evenly distributed on the roasted carrots!
Coat with Olive Oil
Place peeled & cut carrots in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and stir until evenly coated.
Add Seasonings
Sprinkle half of the spice mixture over the carrots, stir and repeat with the second half and stir until evenly distributed.
Spread onto a baking sheet
Next, spread the seasoned carrots evenly on a lightly greased baking sheet. Be sure they are in a single layer so they roast evenly.
Roast
Roast at 450 degrees for 15-25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Note: roasting time heavily depends on the size/thickness of the carrots. Check your carrots often to avoid burning.
Serve!
Once the baked carrots are roasted to a golden-brown perfection, remove them from the oven and serve immediately. Feel free to garnish with some chopped carrot tops, chopped fresh rosemary or parsley!
What to serve with this carrot side dish?
These baked carrots go with just about any and every main dish you can think of, and they also compliment other side dishes to round out a meal!
- Serve on the side of this balsamic pot roast or these healthy sloppy Joes.
- They pair perfectly with mac and cheese recipes – like this spaghetti squash mac and cheese, homemade mac and cheese, and vegetable mac and cheese!
- Oven roasted carrots go well with other vegetable side dishes too. Try these roasted Brussels sprouts, parmesan roasted green beans, roasted beets, sautéed green beans, and roasted broccoli!
FAQS about Roasted Carrots
This is a fairly straightforward recipe, but here are my answers to a few frequently asked questions about how to roast carrots!
Do you peel carrots before roasting?
Yes! Peel carrots before you cut and roast them for the best texture!
How do you cut carrots for roasting?
I recommend cutting them into 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick circles. The smaller pieces roast faster, which is key when you’re in a hurry to get dinner on the table! You can also cut them in half lengthwise, or roast them whole, just be aware you will have to drastically increase roasting time!
Can I use baby carrots?
Yes, you can use baby carrots and roast them whole or cut in halves, just be aware that you will have to increase the roasting time!
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Oven Roasted Carrots Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs carrots* peeled and cut into ½” thick circles
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Grease a large baking sheet, set aside.
- In a small bowl mix together garlic powder, sea salt, paprika and black pepper. Set aside.
- Place peeled & cut carrots in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and stir until evenly coated.
- Sprinkle half of the spice mixture over the carrots, stir and repeat with the second half and stir until evenly distributed.
- Spread seasoned carrots evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast at 450 degrees for 15-25 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Note: roasting time heavily depends on the size/thickness of your carrots. Check your carrots often to avoid burning.
Video
Notes
Roasted Carrots: Ingredient Substitutions
- Carrots. I recommend whole organic carrots to make this recipe. Rainbow carrots are also fun to use for a colorful carrot side dish. You can use baby carrots as well, you will just need to bake them longer.
- Olive Oil. Any neutral oil, such as canola oil or avocado oil, works well in this recipe. I also love using flavor-infused olive oils (like garlic or herb olive oil), for extra flavor!
- Sea Salt. Use pure, fine sea salt for the best results!
- Paprika. Both regular and smoked paprika taste amazing in this oven roasted carrots recipe!
- Garlic Powder. Granulated garlic also works well!
- Black Pepper. Use freshly ground black pepper for the best results!
Nutrition
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Emily Swanson
I LOVE roasted veggies. And I love how roasting brings out the natural sweetness of carrots. I’d be right there helping you devour the pan.