These roasted carrots with honey-mustard glaze make a perfect side dish for holiday meals. A Paleo-friendly recipe.
Carrots. Herbs. A drizzle of honey, a spoonful of Dijon and a couple of cloves of garlic are all you need to make these Roasted Carrots with Honey-Mustard Glaze. These make a fabulous holiday side dish.
Start with the freshest carrots you can find. If you can't pull them straight from the ground in your garden, buying them from your local farm market is the next best thing. I picked up these multi-colored carrots at our market just because I thought they were pretty. It turns out they were even more beautiful once they were roasted and glazed and became tender and crispy in the oven.
But rainbow carrots may not be available year-round. This recipe is just as delicious with regular carrots, too.
These honey-mustard carrots with garlic are an ideal side dish for any time of the year. This roasted carrot recipe makes a quick weeknight side, and it's special enough for a holiday meal. Whether it's Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, carrots are part of our dinner.
Carrots are naturally sweet, but roasting them in the oven intensifies their flavour. Adding this honey-mustard glaze puts them over the top and this dish receives rave reviews whenever I make it.
Here's what you'll need:
Ingredients for Honey-Mustard Roasted Carrots
- carrots: rainbow (multi-coloured) or orange
- olive oil: as a base for the glaze
- honey: adds sweetness and adds to the natural caramelization while the carrots are roasting
- Dijon mustard: adds a spicy tang
- rosemary: fresh!
- garlic: fresh minced cloves adds so much flavour
- salt and pepper
- parsley: for garnish. Or add freshly chopped herbs, like thyme or more rosemary.
How to Roast Carrots with Honey-Mustard Glaze
- Whisk the honey-mustard sauce ingredients together.
- Toss the carrots in the sauce, making sure they're well coated.
- Arrange in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet.
- Roast in the oven, turning occasionally until carrots are crisp tender and edges are caramelized and beginning to brown.
- Remove from oven and garnish with freshly chopped parsley and extra salt and pepper to taste.
Notes on How to Roast Carrots
To successfully roast carrots, or any vegetable, use a sturdy baking sheet. Line it with parchment paper for easy clean up. You want the natural sugars in the vegetables to caramelize so they develop those nice browned, crispy surfaces. If the baking dish has high sides, the heat tends to be trapped inside and the vegetables cook by steaming instead of roasting.
For the same reason, make sure the vegetables aren't touching each other. Spread them out a little on your baking sheet, or use two sheets.
Time Saving Tips to Make Roasted Carrots with Honey-Mustard Glaze
If you're like me when you're preparing a holiday dinner, you like to have much of the food preparation done in advance. Here are some ways to save time in the kitchen.
- Mix the glaze ingredients together the day before.
- Scrub the carrots the day before and store in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Then just before you're ready to roast them, toss with the glaze, arrange on baking sheet(s) and put them in the oven. Chop some parsley for garnish while they're roasting.
This recipe for roasted carrots is fast and easy, but it turns plain carrots into something spectacular. And don't those colours just shout,"It's Fall!"?
Roasted Carrots with Honey-Mustard Glaze
Ingredients
- 12-15 medium carrots, multicolour or orange
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Scrub the carrots and peel if necessary. Cut larger ones in half lengthwise so that carrots are of uniform sizes and place them in a large bowl.
- In a separate container, whisk olive oil, minced garlic, rosemary, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Combine thoroughly and pour over carrots, coating evenly, making sure they are all well-coated.
- Arrange in a single layer in a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Avoid having them touch each other. Use two baking sheets if necessary.
- Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally until tender and just beginning to brown.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
1. Use a baking sheet. You want the natural sugars in the vegetables to caramelize so they develop those nice browned, crispy surfaces. If the pan has high sides, the heat tends to be trapped inside and the vegetables cook by steaming instead of roasting.
2. For the same reason, make sure the vegetables aren't touching each other.
Nutrition
Looking for more holiday side dish ideas?
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on any of the affiliate links and make a purchase within a certain time frame, I’ll receive a small commission. The third party pays the commission, not you. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. It’s an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Stacy says
This was wonderful!! Super simple dressing to whip up and extremely flavorful. This is now added to my basics collection! Thanks for posting!
Flavour & Savour says
Hi Stacy,
So glad you liked them! I actually planted 3 rows of rainbow carrots in my garden this year, just so I could make these!! Happy cooking,
Elaine
Terri Headley says
I've made these several times and extremely yummy! I also add fresh thyme with the rosemary. I bake on parchment paper on cookie sheet for about 15 min., then move to my favorite Pampered chef jelly roll stone pan for another 10 min to just crisp up. So yummy!
Flavour & Savour says
Hi Terri,
I'm glad you like them as much as I do! I have one of those Pampered chef stone pans, too. That's an awesome idea to use it to crisp them up! Thanks for letting me know!
Billy says
This looks great! This definitely gave me motivation to try this this week!
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks! They're very easy and I always get lots of positive comments about this dish. Hope you get a chance to make these soon.
Dee says
These have become one of my regular sides for Thanksgiving and Christmas! They're fabulous!