Spicy Honey Roasted Carrots
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Honey Roasted Carrots (or candied carrots, as we like to call them) are a sweet and delicious vegetable side dish. The easy-to-make carrots are coated in a honey glaze, then roasted until tender and caramelized. They are totally delicious!
You guys, these honey roasted carrots. Every time I make them, I find myself wondering why I don’t have a giant plate of them in front of me right now. They’re that good. I like carrots just fine, but let’s be honest — most of the time they’re just… carrots.
Honey roasted carrots are a completely different story. They turn sweet and sticky in the oven, almost like candy in vegetable form, and somehow disappear faster than anything else on the table. I’ve absolutely eaten my entire serving straight from the pan while standing at the counter, and yes, they’re 100% kid-approved, too. I may have even used them as a bit of dinner-time motivation once or twice.
What I love most is how effortlessly impressive they are. A simple bag of carrots transforms into something glossy, golden, and company-worthy with minimal effort. I usually roast them alongside pork chops or chicken thighs, toss together a quick green salad, and dinner is on the table in about 30 minutes — easy, cozy, and completely irresistible.
Another sweet carrot recipe you may enjoy is my brown sugar carrots with buttered pecans.
Tips for making the best honey-glazed carrots
The first tip is all about making your life easier. If you have a large ovenproof skillet, you can make these in one pan. Read: fewer dishes! This is the skillet that I have and love. A cast-iron skillet would also work well!
- Choose medium-sized carrots. For this recipe, I use carrots sold in bags. If you buy carrots with their tops still on, you’ll need to reduce the cooking time because they tend to be smaller.
- I always opt for the broil option because I love that the carrots get dark and roasted-looking. Be careful not to burn them, especially if your oven broils above 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make sure not to skip the step of finishing them on the stovetop. When you pull them out of the oven, they’ll look done. But letting the sugars caramelize for a few minutes really makes the dish. Just make sure not to walk away from them while you do this, as the sugar burns easily. A couple of minutes will do the trick!
Is this spicy candied carrots recipe family-friendly?
Yes! At least I think so. But we do like spice. When I make these, I always use 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne. It gives the carrots a nice touch of spice. The sweetness of the carrot tempers the spice, keeping it from being overwhelming.
If anyone at your table is sensitive to spice, reduce the cayenne to ⅛ teaspoon. You can even omit it entirely if you know spice won’t go over well at your table. Even if you opt to go without the spice, these carrots will still be delicious.
Spicy Honey Roasted Carrots Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter or oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon each: sea salt and pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like heat)
- 2 lbs. carrots (about 12 medium, cut into 2-inch lengths)
- Minced chives (to garnish)
Instructions
- Turn your oven on to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet (see notes) over medium-high heat. Add the honey, salt, pepper, and cayenne and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and toss to coat in the sauce.1 tablespoon butter or oil, 3 tablespoons honey, ¼ teaspoon each: sea salt and pepper, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 lbs. carrots
- Place the carrots in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. If you’d like some dark spots on your carrots, broil for the last 2-3 minutes. Be careful as they burn quickly.
- Remove the pan from the oven and continue to cook the carrots for 2 minutes over medium-high heat on your stovetop to caramelize the honey. Once the sauce just barely starts to darken, remove the pan from the heat.
- Sprinkle with some minced chives and serve.Minced chives
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
This is an amazing recipe! I have made this several times now and it is a hit with my family and all our guests.
I’m so happy to hear that, Delcia!
Can i use baby carrots ??
Yes, baby carrots would work well!
Excellent, thank you so much, followed the recipe exactly and loved the carrots.
I’m not usually a honey fan, but I love the sweetness of these carrot, and especially the added spice. I used red pepper flakes instead. It was so delicious. It was too spicy for my children, maybe next time I’ll add those at the end to just my husband’s and mine. But it was a huge hit for both of us! Thanks for sharing!
These are the absolute best. My teen daughter and I eat the entire pan! She loves to make them.
Can I par boil the carrots so they cook faster?
You could try that. But I’m not sure you’ll save all that much time by adding an extra cooking step.
There’s a restaurant that has glazed carrots that I absolutely die for. So when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it. OH. MY. GOSH. 100000x better than the restaurant and I love the spicy aspect. I made them in a cast iron skillet and cooked for probably 10 minutes longer than the recommended cook time (I like them pretty soft with a tiny bit of bite) and they came out beyond perfect. I could probably make these as a side dish for every dinner. So good.
Great easy weeknight recipe! Loved the kick of the cayenne with honey. Thanks for sharing.
Amazing!! I did a twist that is lower sugar.. used agave instead of honey (low glycemic) and when I realized I was out of cayenne, I subbed chili powder and it was delish! Also added a bit of Swerve Brown Sugar because I’m more a sweet than savory fan.. they’re like candy! If anyone needs a side dish, this is what I’m bringing!
It’s gotten to the point where these have become a staple at every occasion-type meal. Everyone always wants them! We like to use the bags of multi-colored carrots. Yum!
Delicious…double the recipe! Be very careful in the 2nd on stove carmelizing stage. Suggest using medium low heat.
So happy to hear that the recipe was a hit!
Hi Kristen..do you think I could cook these a day ahead and reheat?They look awesome.
Definitely! But I would suggest undercooking the carrots a little so that they don’t overcook when they’re warmed up. 🙂
I LOVE these carrots! My daughter does too.. Only change I made was I doubled the glaze.. And still only used 1/4 tsp of the cayenne.
I’m so happy to hear that the recipe was a success! No such thing as too much glaze. 🙂
Oh good gracious!!! I’ve made this recipe several times and it is mouth-watering AMAZING! I have always HATED cooked carrots. I hated them so much that I have no clue what possessed me to even try this recipe, but I’m so so so happy I did. These carrots are absolutely awesome The only thing that doesn’t make sense to me is the 25 minutes cooking time. I have a brand new oven, but it takes at least 45 minutes to cook the carrots the way I like them. It has several settings, so it’s possible I’m just using the wrong one, but whatever. These are worth every second they spend in the oven.
I’m so happy it was a hit! I do like my carrots with a bit of a bite to them so you probably aren’t using any wrong setting. Recipes are the best when they can be personalized to preference!
I’m going to make these tomorrow as soon as I get back from class. I’m so excited already!
I’m excited for you! I love these carrots!!
Quantity Error:
“Carrot” count in brackets does not adjust during “Serves” adjustment.
Thank you for the heads up!
Oh girl, they’re so good!