Enjoy these tender and delicious oven-roasted carrots as a side dish any time of the year.

A plate of roasted carrots with a bowl of balsamic dressing

Hello darling, how are you doing on your side? Are you looking for another way of how to cook carrots?

If you are bored with steamed carrots, this oven-roasted carrots recipe is here to rescue you, hahaha. Seriously, I know it's healthier to eat steamed carrots, but girl, let's try out something spicy this time, shall we?

I love these oven-roasted carrots with balsamic vinaigrette, and I bet you'll love them too. Otherwise, how can you resist this deliciousness?

Fortunately, I've been enjoying these purple roasted carrots for a while now. There's a farmer in my market who has yellow, orange, and purple carrots.

If you can put your hands on purple carrots, buy them. They are healthier than the rest because of their purple color. Anthocyanins are antioxidants that give veggies and fruits their deep red, blue, or purple colors.

So let me guide you on how to make these oven-roasted carrots.

Do you peel carrots before roasting?

While you'll find a lot of recipes asking you to peel your carrots, you really shouldn't.

As I have been telling you, the skin has the highest concentration of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
The skin has a lot of fiber, which is beneficial to your digestion, and fiber will keep you satiated.
The carrots' skin will protect the nutrients from leaching out or being damaged by heat while cooking.

Are roasted carrots good for weight loss?

Carrots in spices with garlic ready to be roasted

Yes, roasted carrots are healthy. The problem will arise if you are adding maple syrup or honey to sweeten or if you are adding unhealthy fats to the roasted carrots.
Carrots have high sugar content than most vegetables apart from beets.
Remember that by oven-roasting complex sugars are being broken down into simple sugars, that's why oven-roasted carrots are sweeter than steamed carrots. Therefore, no need to add honey or any other sugar for that matter.

Whole roasted carrots

If and whenever possible, choose thin carrots for roasting.
Big carrots will take longer to cook than thin carrots
If you have to cut your carrots, then cut big pieces. Cutting small pieces will expose the phytonutrients to heat, leading to their damage.

Seasoning for carrots

Oven-roasted carrots are sweet even without any seasoning.
But to bring flavors, you can add some seasoning like spices, pepper, vinegar, or oil.
In this garlic oven-roasted carrots, I used balsamic vinegar, oil, smoked paprika, and salt. Feel free to add your favorite spices and herbs.

Balsamic vinaigrette recipe

This balsamic vinaigrette is really simple.
You'll need balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and others...
I added smoked paprika, this optional, but it gives a very nice flavor.
You can make an extra vinaigrette and use it within the week or so.

Roasted purple carrots & garlic in a baking tin

How to roast carrots

Roasting carrots is very easy and simple
You clean and pat dry your carrots
Place the carrots in a baking tin or sheet pan
Add the balsamic vinaigrette, mix carrots with the vinaigrette using your hands
Send the carrots to roast in a hot oven.
After 15 mins, turn the roasting carrots and return them to the oven
Roast till the carrots are tender.

How long to roast carrots

There isn't really a given time that fits all the roasted carrots.
It depends on the size and some cultivars can be soft and tender while others can be hard hence taking longer to cook.
Roast your carrots in a hot oven and check if they're roasted by inserting a sharp knife on the thickest part of one carrot.

Carrots side dish

Serve this garlic oven-roasted carrots as a side dish.

They go very well with rice, quinoa, or millet served with sweet green peas.
They are a perfect match with baked tofu, served with green beans
You can also serve these roasted carrots with salmon or chicken if you are not avoiding animal meat.

roasted carrots on a plate with a folk & a knife

How to store roasted carrots

If you have roasted carrots leftovers, put them in a container and store them in your fridge for up to 5 days.
To use the carrots, reheat them in a hot oven for about 5 mins.

Well, my dear friend, I think now you can make some oven-roasted carrots with those carrots you have in your fridge and enjoy a very delicious side dish.

If you make these oven-roasted carrots with balsamic vinaigrette, please do let me know by commenting here below. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

I wish you a blessed and beautiful day.

I love you, Githu.

a plate of roasted carrots with balsamic sauce

See other roasted veggies

Recipe

roasted purple carrots with balsamic dressing

Print Recipe

No ratings yet