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Candied carrots get an upgrade in this recipe for the ultimate spring side dish — Charred Carrots with Herb Drizzle!
Many holiday meals for Easter and Thanksgiving tables typically have some version of a candied carrot — usually boiled, sliced, and finished on the stove with butter and maple syrup. While they’re delicious, I wanted to freshen things up a bit with this Mediterranean spin .
The rainbow carrots are roasted in the oven until they’re tender, then broiled to give them a charred, caramelized finish. If you’re trying to conserve oven space, 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.
If you have extra herb sauce, it’s delicious on leftovers like roast turkey or pork and other veggie sides.
ingredients:
- Shallots
- Golden Raisins
- Champagne Vinegar
- Rainbow Carrots
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Maple Syrup
- Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
- Smoked Paprika
- Ground Cumin
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Cinnamon
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Fresh Dill
- Fresh Cilantro
- Garlic Cloves
- Lemon Zest
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Roasted, Shelled Pistachios
- Flaky Salt
step by step:
step one: preheat the oven and prep a baking sheet
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
step two: make the pickled shallots
In a small bowl, add the shallots, golden raisins, and champagne vinegar. Stir to combine. Set aside.
step three: roast the carrots
Arrange the carrots on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, maple syrup, fresh orange juice, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, cinnamon, and pepper. Toss to coat well, then arrange the carrots, cut side down. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until they’re tender.
step four: make the herb sauce
Meanwhile, in a wide mouth mason jar, add the dill, cilantro, garlic, olive 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, blending until mostly smooth. Set aside.
step five: broil the carrots
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.
step six: plate the carrots and serve
On a serving platter, spread a large spoonful of the herb sauce. Pile the carrots atop the sauce in the middle of the platter. Drizzle the carrots with more herb sauce. Strain the shallots and raisins from the vinegar and sprinkle them over the carrots. Garnish with pistachios, dill, cilantro, and flaky salt.
recipe faqs:
You can make the pickled shallots and herb drizzle in advance, then store at room temperature. You can also chop the herbs and store them in small airtight containers until you’re ready to cook the carrots.
Fresh parsley is a great substitute here!
If you’re looking for the perfect holiday side dish, you have to make these Charred Carrots with Herb Drizzle. Let me know what you think of the recipe in the comments below!
Looking for more vegetable side dishes? Try these!
Roasted Calabrian Chili Green Beans with Crispy Shallots
Caramelized Onion Scalloped Potatoes
Charred Carrots with Herb Drizzle
Ingredients
For the Pickled Shallots:
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots, divided (from about one large shallot)
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped golden raisins
- 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
For the Carrots:
- 2 pounds rainbow carrots, peeled, ends trimmed, and halved or quartered lengthwise
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- juice of 1/2 an orange (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Herb Drizzle:
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup roasted shelled pistachios, roughly chopped, for garnish
- flaky salt, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the 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 to combine. Set aside.
- Arrange the carrots on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, maple syrup, fresh orange juice, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, cinnamon, and pepper. Toss to coat well, then arrange the carrots, cut side down. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until they’re tender.
- Meanwhile, in a wide mouth mason jar, add the dill, cilantro, garlic, olive 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, blending until mostly smooth. Set aside.
- 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, spread a large spoonful of the herb sauce. Pile the carrots atop the sauce in the middle of the platter. Drizzle the carrots with more herb sauce. Strain the shallots and raisins from the vinegar and sprinkle them over the carrots. Garnish with pistachios, dill, cilantro, and flaky salt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Without a doubt the best carrot recipe ever! I made it for Easter and then made it again for my family a week later. I only used half the herb drizzle on Easter so it was handy to have ready to go again. Everyone loves it- even the ones that don’t like cooked carrots! Bravo!
oh my gosh thank you!!