Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Hot honey carrots are sweet and buttery, but what really sets them apart is that they’re just a little spicy with perfectly caramelized edges. These roasted carrots are an easy side dish that works for weeknights and holidays.
How long it takes: 50 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large oven-safe skillet or 9 × 13-inch baking dish
Servings: 4
You’ll Be Eating Carrots Straight From The pan
Hot honey is becoming one of my favorite ingredients. It started with the hot honey chicken sheet pan dinner and salmon bites with hot honey, and now it’s made its way to my vegetable drawer.
Carrots can tend to feel a little boring. They’re perfectly fine, but not something anyone’s super excited about. Hot honey fixes that and these carrots are honestly irresistible.
The combination of sweet, buttery, and just a little spicy turns them into the side dish people actually go back for seconds on, which is not something I always say about carrots.
What makes them special:
- Roasted to perfection: Roasted vegetables are the best vegetables, but adding honey really enhances the caramelization. I’ve been roasting carrots for a long time (try roasted carrots with cumin and roasted carrots with thyme and nutmeg) but I’m super excited about the sweet/spicy flavor of these hot honey carrots. They don’t last long in my kitchen!
- Short ingredient list: There are only 5 core ingredients here, and you probably have 3 of them (butter, salt, and pepper) in your kitchen right now.
- A side for any occasion: This recipe is easy enough to become one of those weeknight back pocket sides you find yourself making all the time, but it’s also a recipe that feels at home on a holiday table.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll find the full ingredient list in the recipe card, but here’s an overview of what you’ll need.
- Carrots: Use regular large carrots, not baby carrots. Peel and slice them into even pieces so they roast evenly. Diagonal slices look nice, but any shape works.
- Butter: Butter adds flavor and encourages golden brown caramelization.
- Hot honey: Store-bought options like Mike’s Hot Honey work great and provide a mild, balanced heat. You can also make your own hot honey (it’s very easy!) or use regular honey to avoid the heat altogether.
- Salt and black pepper: I use kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
- Optional garnishes: If you’d like to garnish the carrots, flaky sea salt and fresh parsley are good choices.
How to Make Hot Honey Carrots
Get ready. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Peel, trim, and rinse the carrots. Slice them evenly about ¼ inch thick. I like to slice them diagonally (as pictured) but round coins are just fine, too.
Melt the butter. When the oven is preheated, place the butter in an oven-safe skillet or baking dish and pop it into the oven for a few minutes, just until it melts.
Coat the carrots. Remove the hot pan/dish from the oven. Add the sliced carrots, hot honey, salt, and pepper. Toss everything together until the carrots are evenly coated.
Roast. Spread the carrots evenly in the baking dish. Return the dish to the oven and roast for about 35 minutes, giving the carrots a stir once halfway through. You’re looking for tender carrots with golden, slightly caramelized edges.
Finish and serve. Remove the hot honey carrots from the oven and give them one last stir. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and fresh parsley if you like, then watch them disappear!
Recipe Variations
- Make it milder. Use regular honey instead of hot honey.
- Add herbs. Thyme or rosemary would pair nicely with the flavors in this recipe.
- Add crunch. Garnish with chopped toasted walnuts, almonds, or pepitas.
- Try other root vegetables. This recipe would work for parsnips, sweet potatoes, beets, and turnips. You can use one or a mix of a few. Slice everything evenly so they get tender at the same time, and keep the total amount to about 4 cups. If you want to make a larger batch, increase the other ingredients in proportion.
Serving Suggestions
As a side. For a hearty dinner, serve the carrots with juicy Instant Pot chicken thighs and mashed potatoes. For a quick dinner, pair your hot honey carrots with air fryer steak bites or salmon bites with hot honey. Crispy breaded air fryer pork chops are a nice contrast to tender roasted carrots, or since you have the oven on already, make baked breaded pork chops (they bake at the same temperature!).
In a bowl: Hot honey carrots are a welcome addition to almost any bowl meal, whether it’s grain-based like a teriyaki chicken bowl, or more salad-based like this harvest chicken bowl.
Refrigerate: Store leftover hot honey carrots in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Warm the carrots in a 350ºF oven or microwave until heated through. (The texture is best in the oven.) You can also serve them at room temperature as an addition to salads or bowls.
More Side Dish Recipes
Hot Honey Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds carrots (about 4 cups sliced)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons hot honey (see note)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
To Serve:
- flaky sea salt (optional)
- minced fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Peel, trim, and wash carrots. Cut into ¼-inch slices (diagonal slices are pretty but not mandatory).1 ½ pounds carrots
- Put butter in a large oven-safe skillet or baking dish (9 x 13-inch) and place it in the oven for 3 minutes, just until the butter melts.2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Add carrots, hot honey, salt, and pepper to the baking dish. Stir well to coat carrots completely with the butter/honey mixture. Spread into an even layer.2 tablespoons hot honey, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Return the dish to the oven and roast for 35 minutes, stirring once, until the carrots are fork-tender and golden brown in spots.
- Remove from the oven, stir, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and fresh parsley, if using. Serve warm.
Notes
- Hot honey: We used Mike’s hot honey (original) and the spice level was pretty perfect, not too spicy but just a nice tingle. You can make your own hot honey (it’s very easy with just 3 ingredients) or use plain honey, if you prefer.
- Yield: Even though 1 ½ pounds of carrots may seem like a lot for 4 servings, these hot honey carrots are so good, people will want to eat extra!
- With other root vegetables: This recipe works well with parsnips, sweet potatoes, beets, and turnips. You can mix them if you like. Slice the veggies evenly so they get tender at the same time, and keep the total amount to about 4 cups. If you want to make a larger batch, increase the other ingredients in proportion.
- Add-ons: For added crunch, garnish the carrots with chopped toasted walnuts, almonds, or pepitas. Instead of parsley, fresh thyme or rosemary would work well, too.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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