Wondering how to make the best roasted carrots? Add ginger, honey, and a dash of spice for delicious sweet and spicy carrots that you won't be able to stop eating.
I started making these roasted carrots this summer and have been making them about once a week since them. This is a great easy to prepare side dish that is anything but ordinary. Charles kept requesting that I make another batch and another batch, and he insisted that I add the carrots to my annual series of Thanksgiving recipes. I couldn't say no. This years Thanksgiving content is inspired by travel and global cuisine, and the ginger, paprika, and honey seasoning is a nod to Moroccan cuisine.
These carrots have a kick of spice that builds with each bite. The carrots start off sweet, and they end with a bit of heat. The carrots get their spicy heat from a combination of fresh ginger, smoked paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. The honey helps to offset the heat and to highlight the natural sweetness of the carrots. You could easily tone down the spice level by just adding less spice and more honey.
I like to cook carrots for a long long time, until they are nearly caramelized in the honey. I let the carrots cook for about 90 minutes. I like to buy baby carrots and then chop them up, but you could opt to roast whole carrots instead. I just depends on the presentation you want - whole carrots can be so beautiful, there just weren't any particularly pretty carrots at the grocery store when I was shopping.
Just before serving the carrots I added some chopped pistachios on top. This was my sister's idea, and I liked how the pistachios added a bit of crunch to the carrots. You can prepare the carrots a day ahead, and reheat them on Thanksgiving. I do like to add a bit more melted butter to the carrots before reheating them in the oven, this helps to prevent them from drying out.
The Best Roasted Carrots with Ginger and Honey
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Baby Carrots
- ¼ cup Honey
- 2 tablespoons Melted Butter
- 1 tablespoon Freshly Grated Ginger
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons Salt
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Chili Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne
- 2 tablespoons Chopped Pistachios
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Chop the carrots, and place them in a medium casserole dish.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl, then whisk in the honey, salt, fresh ginger, lemon juice, smoked paprika, chili powder, ground ginger, and cayenne. Pour the mixture over the carrots, and stir to evenly coat the carrots.
- Roast the carrots for at least an hour, and for up to 90 minutes.
- Serve topped with the chopped pistachios.
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