Quick Garlic Roasted Carrots
Garlic Roasted Carrots are very easy to make and they cook quickly on high heat in your oven. It's a great side dish recipe for when you want to eat well but are short on time. Bonus that the high cooking temperature caramelizes the carrots and makes them taste amazing!
This is a recipe that we eat at least once a week. Sometimes I'll make them for breakfast and serve them with fried or scrambled eggs. But most often, we eat them for dinner with quick-cooking chicken thighs.
We always have a bag of carrots in the fridge. So when it's 6:00 and my belly is rumbling and my toddler is telling me she's starving and life feels all-around chaotic, I reach for that bag and make garlic roasted carrots. While it's not a fancy recipe, there are never any leftover carrots. Easy. Healthy. Delicious.
Why make garlic roasted carrots
- In 5 minutes you can have these carrots in the oven. 15 minutes later and they'll be on your plate.
- Those darker spots you see make the carrots extra sweet.
- The simple mix of garlic, salt, and Italian seasoning gives the carrots the right amount of flavor but also keeps them neutral enough so that they go well with most mains.
- A little butter (or some vegan butter, if dairy isn't your thing) makes these carrots extra delicious. We put a little on the pan after they come out of the oven. It will quickly melt so you can toss the carrots in the freshly melted butter. That way you can use just a little but the flavor is quite pronounced.
Tips for making the best roast carrots
This is an easy roasted carrots recipe, but there are a few tricks you should know so that they turn out the best.
- Garlic paste – either use a Microplane to grate the garlic or mince it into a paste. Larger chunks of garlic will burn at the high temperature required to cook these carrots quickly. Garlic paste can withstand the heat!
- High heat – 500 degrees isn't a typo. The carrots can handle the high heat for 15 minutes without easily burning. If you're opting to cook them for longer than 15 minutes, keep a close eye on them.
- Use lots of oil – this recipe calls for a tablespoon of oil and I don't recommend reducing that amount. Coating the carrots well in oil helps them to cook.
- Give them room on the pan – Piling any vegetable on a pan will cause it to steam when it goes into the oven. If you want steamed veggies, use a pot. If you want roasted veggies, give them lots of space on the pan. Use two pans, if needed!
How long to roast carrots
Typically, carrots are roasted at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.
But this is a quick roasted carrot recipe. To get these babies on your table as quickly as possible, we crank the heat up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The carrots will become nicely roasted with lots of dark caramelized spots in only 15 minutes.
What to serve with garlic roasted carrots
Garlic roasted carrots are an easy side dish that goes well with so many mains. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Perfect Baked Chicken Breasts
- Juicy Baked Chicken Thighs
- Crockpot Roast Chicken
- Juicy Baked Pork Chops
- Asian Honey Glazed Salmon
If you feel like a bigger meal, add some Greek Lemon Potatoes or Smoky Roast Potatoes. Both are delicious!
Favorite carrot recipes
- Garlic Herb Carrot Fries
- Spicy Honey Roasted Carrots
- Bourbon Maple Glazed Carrots with Pistachios
- Curry Grilled Carrots with Yogurt Sauce
- Grilled Maple Dijon Carrots
- Carrot Noodle Pad Thai
Quick Garlic Roasted Carrots
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Ingredients
- 2 lb carrots, about 12 medium carrots, cut ¾ inch thick on the diagonal
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, grated with a Microplane or minced to a paste
- Optional: 1 teaspoon butter, vegan or ghee, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 500 degrees – see notes.
- Add the carrots to a baking sheet that is at least 13" x 18" large. If you only have smaller baking sheets, use 2 instead. Toss the carrots with the olive oil, salt, Italian seasoning and garlic and spread them out evenly on the sheet pan.2 lb carrots, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and Italian seasoning, 2 cloves garlic
- Roast the carrots for 15 minutes, mixing the carrots around the pan halfway through cooking. If you'd like more dark caramelized spots on the carrots you can leave them in the oven for up to 5 more minutes.
- Remove the carrots from the oven and, if using, add the butter. Let it melt for 1 minute then mix it into the carrots.Optional: 1 teaspoon butter
Notes
Pin this quick garlic roasted carrots recipe to save it for later!
This recipe is part of our Best Spring Side Dishes series.
This recipe has become my go to carrot recipe. I love how quick and easy it is!
So happy to know that you love the recipe as much as we do!
I only have the minced garlic that is in the refrigerator section — can I use that?
I would worry that it might burn before the carrots are done. I think that adding it to the pan for the last few minutes of cooking is probably a better idea!
Thank you, I’ll try the frig kind first, never had much luck with fresh garlic and mincing. LOL These sound delicious.
Would baby carrots be too small for this heat/time?
While I haven’t tried it, I think they would actually work quite well. I wouldn’t cut them though. Just take them out of the bag and pop them onto the tray. 🙂