Roasted Honey-Orange Carrots with herb dressing boast a vibrant and slightly sweet flavor.
Relatively hands-off and easy to prepare, these glazed carrots make an excellent side dish anytime of year!
What you'll love about honey-orange carrots
Honey and orange make a great combo for carrots, providing a perfect amount of extra sweetness and bright acidic flavor.
The honey orange glaze works well year-round, making this side dish a great addition to big holiday meals like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter.
And to make the whole thing extra-special for those holidays, a vibrant, tangy herb dressing and nutty toasted walnuts add more depth to the whole dish and make it a visual show-stopper.
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Ingredients for honey-orange carrots
Carrots
I'd recommend peeling the carrots, but ultimately that's a personal choice.
For the prettiest end result, I also recommend slicing the carrots crosswise at a diagonal. You can cut them like logs, but personally I love the look of diagonal coins!
Otherwise, if you have small, thinner carrots, you can roast them whole.
Orange Juice
Fresh-squeezed orange juice is the way to go.
However, I did test this recipe with orange juice as well.
Honey
Adding the bit of sweetness for the honey-orange glaze!
Any type of honey will do, but note that if you use a clover honey or some other special type of honey, the overall flavor may be affected.
If your honey is crystallized, gradually heat it to melt it again. You don't want to the honey to be in clumps when you roast the carrots.
Olive Oil
Pretty self-explanatory, but using fat during roasting helps veggies brown. Here, the olive oil also helps the glaze stick to the veggies while they roast, so don't skip it!
Greek Yogurt
Plain, unflavored Greek yogurt makes the base for the herb dressing that's drizzled over the end product.
Of course, my recommendation would be to use the highest quality Greek yogurt you can.
Higher-fat Greek yogurt (whole milk) will result in a creamier dressing, but low fat yogurt works just fine as well.
Parsley
The main herb for our herb dressing! Curly parsley or Italian parsley work fine.
Walnuts
Lightly toasted walnuts add a crunch and nutty flavor to this recipe that's just hard to beat! To me, it brings the whole thing together.
If you'd rather skip the walnuts, no sweat.
How to easily glaze carrots
Glazing carrots couldn't be easier with this recipe!
Once you've combined the glaze ingredients (orange juice, honey, olive oil, salt, pepper), pour the mixture over the carrots on a lined baking sheet, toss to combine, and roast, giving everything a good stir halfway through.
Yes, it's that simple.
While in the oven, the glaze will simmer and thicken, coating the carrots while they also cook through.
The key is to make sure they honey doesn't burn - so if you notice things getting a little too browned at the halfway mark, just reduce the oven temperature a bit.
FAQs and other questions
Yes, feel free to use baby carrots for this recipe. However, keep in mind that baby carrots are a little sweeter and cook faster!
Absolutely. Without the dressing drizzled overtop, these honey-orange carrots are a relatively quick weeknight side dish or meal prep option!
No, but I do recommend it. I tried the dressing both ways: once blending everything together, and the other by just chopping the parsley very fine. I definitely prefer the drizzle-ability of the blended version.
It also has a better mouthfeel since there aren't large flecks of parsley.
Ideally, melt the honey before adding it to the glaze.
To do this, fill an empty sink or large pot with very hot water. Put the honey container (ensuring it's sealed or the cap isn't underwater) in the water. Let it warm up while you prepare the carrots.
Otherwise, you can add the glaze ingredients to a small pot or saucepan and heat over low heat until the honey is melted. Then proceed with the recipe as written.
Variations and substitutions
- Pine nuts instead of walnuts
- Omit herb dressing
- Omit nuts
- Slice the carrots instead of roasting whole
- Top with fresh parsley and/or chives
More gluten free side dishes
- Hot Honey Glazed Carrots
- Hot Honey Brussels Sprouts
- Oven Roasted Shishito Peppers
- Flourless Sweet Plantain Cake with Eggs
Did you make these Honey-Orange Carrots? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.
Print📖 Recipe
Honey-Orange Glazed Carrots with Herb Dressing
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Relatively hands-off and easy to prepare, these glazed honey-orange carrots make an excellent side dish anytime of year!
For quick preparation, omit the dressing and the toasted walnuts. If you have small, thin carrots, you can roast them whole if you'd like.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 lbs carrots, peeled
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Slice the peeled carrots crosswise at a diagonal. In a medium bowl, whisk together orange juice, olive oil, honey, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- On a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, toss carrots and orange juice mixture. Divide carrots between 2 baking sheets if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring carrots and rotating pans halfway through, until the carrots are golden brown and tender and most of the glaze has evaporated or turned sticky. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and toss to coat.
- Meanwhile, add the yogurt, parsley, orange zest, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and coriander to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add 1-2 tablespoons water or milk if needed to achieve a drizzle-able texture.
- Toss carrots with any liquid still on baking sheets and transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with dressing and top with toasted walnuts and extra chopped parsley if desired.
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