Honey Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots | Glazed Carrots Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should I boil carrots before roasting? ›

Overcook them, and they're dry and wrinkled. The secret is to soften the carrots slightly by boiling them briefly before roasting.

Flavor Enhancements

Use spearmint, marjoram, a small bay leaf, thyme, grated ginger root, chopped chives, dill or parsley.

Roasted carrots have the best texture, and the flavor is amazing. Roasting draws out the natural sweetness and you get a nice caramelized flavor. They're so much better than boiled carrots! Roasting is also easy; it's hard to overcook a roasted vegetable: if it gets too done, it's clearly burned.

Glazed carrots coated in a mixture of brown sugar and butter are a versatile side dish you can serve alongside a weeknight meatloaf, a Sunday ham, or your Thanksgiving turkey. These caramelized carrots are a definite kid-pleaser but they're elegant enough to impress the adults as well!

Once the vegetables are properly coated with oil, spread them out evenly across your baking sheet in one layer. If the vegetables are arranged too closely together or are on top of one another, they will steam, making them mushy rather than caramelized.

According to the Farmer's Almanac, the rule of thumb is as follows: Vegetables that grow above ground (beans, peas, corn) – add to boiling water. Vegetables that grow below ground (root vegetables, potatoes) – start off in cold water.

Seasoning carrots is a great way to help bring out their flavor. For a simple and versatile seasoning, stick with salt, pepper, and garlic. For an herbier taste, add rosemary, parsley, cumin, or coriander. Or, to bring out their fresh, woody flavor, add some anise.

A little honey brings out their natural sweetness. To me, roasted carrots are the perfect veggie side dish. They're easy to make, but they're also amazingly flavorful. The hot oven intensifies the carrots' natural sweetness, and it makes them soft and tender, with lightly crisp, caramelized edges.

However, it does matter how you slice it—according to Christopher Kimball. In his newest cookbook, Milk Street: The New Home Cooking, the former America's Test Kitchen host explains that shredding root vegetables like carrots, turnips, or yams makes them taste both sweeter and fresher.

Your body has an easier time absorbing the carotenoids in carrots if you eat them cooked rather than raw. Cooking breaks down the vegetable's cell walls, making its nutrients more available. Of course, how you cook them matters—boiling vegetables can leach out nutrients, so it's better to steam, sauté, or roast.

Does roasting carrots destroy nutrients? ›

Roasted or broiled — Dry heat cooking methods are a great way to enjoy vegetables without losing too many nutrients. Plus, roasting or broiling make tougher vegetables more palatable and easier to digest. Boiled — When cooking vegetables over a long period of time in water, some nutrients will be lost.

Another study showed both boiling and steaming increased levels of beta carotene. But try to cook carrots whole, as cutting can reduce nutrients by 25%. Wait and wash veggies just before cooking to preserve nutrients. In fact, cooking veggies whole is often the best choice to preserve nutrients.

Although, carrots flavor profiles can change slightly depending on its size, color, and how it was grown. Typically though, if you want to enhance a carrot's flavor, they normally pair well with things such as ginger, garlic, honey, sugar, maple, and citrus fruits like lemon and orange.

Kangaroo with roasted carrot, beetroot and walnut

Roasting brings out their concentrated sweetness, making them a perfect pairing to the gamey richness of kangaroo from state winner Macro Meats.

Yes. Like many other fruits and vegetables, dogs get health benefits from carrots. In fact, every part of this vegetable, from the carrot itself to the leafy green tops, is safe for dogs to eat. They're a good, natural treat, and most dogs seem to like the flavor, too.

When roasting vegetables, they sometimes burn before they get tender. Blanching veggies before roasting them allows them to caramelize a bit without burning.

Full disclosure: boiled carrots aren't our favorite way to eat carrots, but boiling is a healthy option that lets you have more control the amount of calories you add in the seasoning. Here are some of our other favorite ways to eat carrots: Whip up a batch of these savory Perfect Sauteed Carrots.

Make sure your oven is fully preheated, and try not to overcrowd the pan. If the carrots are too close together, they'll steam instead of roast. Also, a higher oven temperature can help with browning.

Some cooks like to parboil hearty vegetables like parsnips and carrots before roasting them so that the oven can quickly brown the exterior. However, we find that by roasting vegetables in a 425℉ oven, they'll become perfectly tender on the inside and evenly browned on the outside.