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These dill and brown sugar roasted carrots are like candy. Vegetable candy. Maybe it’s because I am a Ukrainian and think that dill is God’s gift to seasonings. but this is the best roasted carrot recipe I have ever made.
How to Make Roasted Carrots
Long gone are the days when we all ate steamed carrots where the flavour was sucked right out of them – fine, maybe that’s a little harsh, but that’s what I grew up with and man, do you get tired of steamed carrots! Roasting carrots brings out the best in this popular root vegetable, bringing out it’s natural sweetness and depth of flavour that steaming them will never ever give you! To roast carrots all you have to do is:
- Wash carrots well. (peeling is up to you, I love peel on!)
- Grease a baking sheet lightly.
- Place the carrots on the baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until they are tender-crisp.
- Remove and serve.
The Best Type of Carrot To Roast
The best type of carrot to roast are whole, large, unpeeled carrots. If you grown your own carrots, you can make the choice to peel them or not ( there are lots of nutrients in the skin) or if you trust an organic grower you can do the same. You do not want to use baby carrots in this recipe as they are never, ever TRUE baby carrots in the grocery stores. Those are large carrots that were cut down into pretend baby carrots. I find that the bagged carrots are usually close to the same size (another thing to keep in mind when roasting carrots is that you want them to be the same size or close so that you are cooking them evenly and all at once) or the ones that come with the tops on and a rubber band holding them together.
How Long Do I Roast Carrots?
This all depends on the size of carrots that you use. Small-medium carrots like the ones I have made take from 25-30 minutes to roast, if you use larger ones you can be looking at a solid 40 minutes, or smaller carrots at around the 20 minute mark.
Tips for Making Roasted Carrots
- There are two ways to make these carrots, one version you cook that brown sugar into crispy bits of candy that you can enjoy with your carrots, or you can add it later on and have it more of a sauce, without crunchy bits. I liked the crunchy bits.
- Always use the best quality carrots that you can find for full flavour. Sometimes this means buying organic carrots if you have a brand that you like that tastes the best.
- High heat is the best way to roast carrots as it takes the natural sugars that are in carrots and caramelizes them, which is why so many people prefer the taste of roasted carrots compered to boiled. Roasting carrots intensifies their flavour better than any other method of cooking them.
- Choose carrots that are all close to the same size for even cooking.
- You can sub in dried dill as well for this recipe, you simply use 1 part dried to three parts fresh for most herbs.
Main Dishes to Serve Roasted Carrots With
This is a perfect roasted carrot dish for your holiday meal, or when you are looking for a treat. I don’t usually put sugar on my vegetables but with the holidays coming, these roasted carrots are perfect for indulging in. You can pair these roasted carrots with:
- Slow Cooker Ham
- Pork Butt Roast with Mushroom Gravy
- Prime Rib Roast
- Roast Turkey
Some More Side Dish Recipes
- Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
- Acorn Squash
- Roasted Cabbage
I will also point out that you don’t eat all the sugar and butter on these as you can see that it sits in the bottom of the pan when the carrots are done. The calorie counter in the recipe below calculates ALL the butter and sugar, so the info is less than shown ( unless you eat it all and then it’s closer to accurate) You can scoop up the sauce and drizzle it on the carrots if you want, or to cut calories simply enjoy them as is and enjoy the flavour that’s been roasted into them without the extra sauce.
Happy cooking everyone!
Love,
Karlynn
Dill & Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 pounds whole carrots washed and peeled or unpeeled if you prefer
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- flaked sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Lightly grease a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking oil spray; set aside.
- Trim the tops and ends of the carrots and cut in half lengthwise. Place the sliced carrots onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a microwave safe measuring cup. Mix to combine well. Stir in the black pepper. IF you want a smoother sauce, skip the next step and go right to roasting!
- Pour half of the sauce over the carrots. Shake the pan to evenly coat the carrots in the mixture and then re-arrange in a single layer.
- Cover the baking pan with foil and roast for 15 minutes. Remove the tinfoil, stir the dill into the remainder of the sauce then drizzle on top of the carrots evenly.
- Cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes or until the carrots reach desired tenderness. Some people prefer their carrots with slight crunch, so cook to your liking.
- Remove from the oven, plate on your serving tray and sprinkle with sea salt flakes if desired.
Notes
- Nutritional information will vary due to types of brands used.
- I covered my roasted carrots with foil during the first half of cooking as I find that sweeter root vegetables can brown too fast on the outside before they actually cook on the inside.
Nutrition
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Sarah S says
Best carrots I’ve ever had. Incredible flavor and the full length carrots make for a beautiful presentation. Rave reviews at Christmas dinner. Thank you!