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Oven Roasted Rainbow Carrots with sweet maple syrup, tangy fresh orange juice, earthy cumin, and herby thyme. It’s all a perfect combo to make these veggies tender and flavorful. Topped with crunchy toasted walnuts, it’s a stunner of a side dish fit for your Thanksgiving table. It’s also easy enough to accompany any weeknight meal!
These easy roasted rainbow carrots make a delicious quick side dish. With just a few spices and crunchy toasted walnuts, this ordinary vegetable is transformed into a dish worthy of a holiday table.
Carrots tend to be a kid-friendly vegetable. Roasting them and adding some pure maple syrup kicks up the sweetness factor, which kids will enjoy. But, don’t worry, the flavors are balanced beautifully with cumin and thyme, so they’re adult approved, too. If your kids turn up their noses at nuts and green herbs, simply place some on their plate before adding the garnishes.
Carrot Nutrition
Are carrots good for you? Yes, they sure are!
Orange carrots are high in vitamins A, K, C, several B vitamins, fiber, potassium, folate, and more!
They contain lots of antioxidants and have been shown to have benefits for eye health, liver health, and cancer protection.
Rainbow Carrots
Rainbow carrots occur naturally. They come in many different colors, such as purple, red, white, yellow, and of course, orange.
Different colored carrots have varying amounts of certain nutrients. For example, red hued carrots, like red tomatoes, are high in lycopene.
My favorite are the deep purple colored carrots. They have an orange core and are just gorgeous when cut in half lengthwise. I also find them to be a bit sweeter than traditional orange carrots.
Do You Peel Carrots Before Roasting
Carrots don’t need to be peeled, just scrubbed well. However, unless they are organic, I always peel them just to lesson our exposure to pesticides. The kids prefer them peeled, too, organic or not, so that’s another reason I also peel them.
How to Roast Carrots
Carrots take just 20-25 minutes at high heat to roast until tender.
Cut any thicker carrots in half lengthwise so they are all done at the same time.
Lay the carrots out on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer with a bit of space between each one. This ensures they get nice and caramelized. If the pan is too crowded, they will steam instead of roast, which will still be delicious, but you won’t get those lovely char marks.
I like to turn the carrots over halfway through to ensure even cooking and caramelization on both sides.
Love Carrots? Don’t miss these other yummy vegan carrot recipes:
- Vegan Carrot Soup
- Roasted Carrot White Bean Dip
- Spiced Carrot Oat Muffins
- Carrot Pineapple Salad
- Vegan Carrot Cake with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
- Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes
What to Serve with Roasted Rainbow Carrots
This easy carrot recipe is quick enough to serve with any weeknight meal. Try serving it with your favorite beans or lentils, grains, veggie burgers or veggie meatballs, salads, buddha bowls, and even pasta!
It’s also a perfect vegetable side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.
Try serving it with with holiday favorites such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, cornbread, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash mac and cheese, and cranberry sauce.
Can I Use Regular Orange Carrots Instead
Yes, of course. You can use all orange carrots instead of rainbow carrots and everything will turn out perfectly. I do this often for our everyday meals, but I happen to love the look of the rainbow carrots, especially for a holiday.
Oven Roasted Rainbow Carrots
I hope you love these Oven Roasted Rainbow Carrots as much as we do. If you try them, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback and star rating.
You can also find me on social media. Be sure to tag @veggie_inspired and #veggieinspired so I’m sure to see it.
Enjoy!
Oven Roasted Rainbow Carrots with sweet maple syrup, tangy fresh orange juice, earthy cumin, and herby thyme. It's all a perfect combo to make these veggies tender and flavorful. Topped with crunchy toasted walnuts, it's a stunner of a side dish fit for your Thanksgiving table. It's also easy enough to accompany any weeknight meal!
- 2 pounds long rainbow carrots (peeled; thicker ones halved lengthwise)
- 2 tablespoons high-heat oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (plus extra for garnish if desired)
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- juice of 1/2 naval orange
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the carrots on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the oil over the carrots and sprinkle on the thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper. Toss the carrots well so they are evenly coated. Spread them out into one even layer with space between each carrot. Roast for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the orange juice and maple syrup. After the carrots have roasted for 15 minutes, pour the orange maple mixture over the carrots, toss well, and spread back out evenly in one even layer. Roast for another 5-10 minutes until the carrots start to brown and caramelize and are tender when pierced with a fork or knife.
While the carrots are roasting for the final time, toast the walnuts. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and toast, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until fragrant and starting to darken. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Watch them closely so they don't burn. Once toasted, pour them out onto a plate in one even layer to cool down. They will continue to crisp up as they sit.
To serve, place the carrots on a plate or platter, sprinkle over the toasted walnuts and extra thyme, if desired.
Lynn says
Such great flavor! The whole family loved these!
Melissa says
Loved this recipe! It was a hit on Thanksgiving. Thank you
Jenn Sebestyen says
Thank you! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Melissa Perez says
We made this for our holiday meal and everyone loved it! Thank you for the easy and delicious recipe! 🙂