Candied carrots got an upgrade in this Charred Carrots with Herb Drizzle recipe!
Many Thanksgiving tables traditionally have some version of a candied carrot, usually boiled, slices, and finished on the stove with butter and maple syrup. While they’re delicious, we took the same idea and gave it a Mediterranean spin with our charred carrots with an herb drizzle.
The rainbow carrots are roasted in the oven until they’re tender then broiled to get them charred and have the sugars from the orange and maple caramelize. If you’re trying to conserve oven space on Thanksgiving, roast the carrots in advance and store them in the fridge. Prior to serving simply bring them to room temperature and char in a cast iron skillet to warm through.
If you live near a Trader Joe’s, they sell peeled and trimmed petite rainbow carrots that are perfect for this and will save you even more time and prep ahead of Thanksgiving. If not, look for smaller carrots that are thinner so they won’t take as long to roast.
Another tip, you’ll have extra herb sauce and it is GREAT on leftovers. It’s bright and cuts through all that Thanksgiving richness so it is perfect to spread it on a turkey sandwich the next day — YUM!
Charred Carrots with Herb Drizzle

Ingredients
For the Pickled Shallots:
- ½ cup thinly sliced shallot divided (about one large shallot)
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped golden raisins
- 3 tbsp champagne vinegar
For the Carrots:
- 2 lb rainbow carrots peeled, ends trimmed, and halved or quartered lengthwise
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- juice of ½ an orange about 2 tbsp
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
For the Herb Drizzle:
- ½ cup chopped fresh dill plus more for garnish
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 large cloves garlic roughly chopped
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp kosher salt
For Serving:
- ¼ cup roasted shelled pistachios roughly chopped
- loosely chopped fresh dill fronds
- loosely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Flaky salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the shallots, golden raisins, and champagne vinegar. Stir, and set aside until you’re ready to serve.
- On the prepared baking sheet, add the carrots and drizzle with olive oil, maple syrup, fresh orange juice, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat well, and arrange the carrots, cut side down. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, until they’re tender.
- Meanwhile, in a wide mouth mason jar, add the herbs, garlic, oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes, and salt. Using an immersion blender, place the head of the blender in the bottom of the jar and begin to pulse. Blend until mostly smooth. Set aside until you’re ready to plate.
- Once the carrots are tender, turn the broiler on high and broil the carrots until they begin to char, about 2 minutes, watching carefully to not burn.
- On a serving platter, add a large spoonful of the herb sauce. Using the back of your spoon, swoosh it across the plate to make an abstract line.
- Pile the carrots atop the sauce in the middle of the platter. Drizzle over a bit more herb sauce.
- Strain the shallots and the raisins from the vinegar and sprinkle them over the carrots. Garnish with pistachios, dill, cilantro and flaky salt.
20 Comments
Colleen
November 22, 2022 at 2:33 pmAlex! Another home run for our family bravo! I saw this pop up and thought it would be a good side dish for my Grandma’s 91st birthday celebration. It went so fast! My aunt who is a really really good chef/baker was talking about the carrots the next day! I am never afraid to attempt your recipes for the first time and debut them on large family gatherings because they always come through!! Thank you so much!!!
Rachel D.
April 11, 2022 at 3:26 amMade this tonight as a side for steak – everyone enjoyed it! Would be beautiful on an Easter table.
Jess
December 26, 2021 at 6:13 pmI made this for our Christmas dinner and it was the star of the show! Lots of pieces to it but every part worked together wonderfully.
Leigh
December 24, 2021 at 4:47 pmI don’t have golden raisins, should I add any sugar to the pickling vinegar?
Tippareth Piper
November 28, 2021 at 1:22 pmI made this for our big family Thanksgiving gathering on Thursday and I will have to say this dish won for most surprised and delighted comments from the guests! Definitely a must try for anyone considering and is already considered a must add to our future holiday menus as well!
Andrea
November 22, 2021 at 10:49 pmI’m making the drizzle ahead of time. Is it ok to leave out for two days or does it need to be refrigerated?
Alex
November 23, 2021 at 12:01 amYou should store it in your fridge!
Mary
November 15, 2021 at 7:52 pmCould you use a nutri bullet to blend herb drizzle as opposed to an immersion blender?
Alex
November 16, 2021 at 4:36 pmYes, that will work just fine!
Kathryn Smith
November 14, 2021 at 3:17 amI want to bring this to a Friendsgiving. Does it need to be served warm? Any suggestions for tips to travel?
Alex
November 15, 2021 at 6:43 pmServed warm is definitely best. You could keep all the elements separate (drizzle, pickled shallots, and the roasted carrots) and toss the carrots in the oven or on the skillet just to reheat– then assemble and serve.
Kathy
November 11, 2021 at 12:04 amIs there a comparable substitute for champagne vinegar?
Alex
November 15, 2021 at 6:41 pmwhite wine vinegar should be fine, also!
Jess
December 26, 2021 at 6:10 pmI made this for our Christmas dinner and it was the star of the show! Lots of pieces to it but every part worked together wonderfully.
Jessica
November 21, 2021 at 6:35 pmWhere do you find champagne vinegar? What’s the brand?
Alex
November 22, 2021 at 5:42 pmIt’s usually in the vinegar section of all grcoery stores!
Grace
November 10, 2021 at 2:24 pmTried this recipe for the first time and absolutely LOVED it; I normally eat meat often but did not miss meat for a second with this dish. All the flavors are wonderful.
Sue
November 4, 2021 at 9:54 pmWould it be possible to replace the cilantro with a different herb? What might you recommend?
Alex
November 5, 2021 at 11:35 amYou can do flat-leaf parsley here
Sue
November 4, 2021 at 9:54 pmCould this work with a non-cilantro herb? What might you recommend?