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Oven Roasted Carrots with Orange Glaze

Oven Roasted Carrots recipe bakes perfectly every time. They’re crisp and delicious with a delicious orange glaze that adds a sweetness that turns ordinary carrots into a family’s favorite side dish.

3/4 angle photo of a dish of sliced carrots.

Orange-Glazed Oven Roasted Carrots will have you serving carrots a lot more. They’re simple to make and absolutely delicious to eat!

Roasting Carrots in the oven brings out their natural sweetness. Combined with an Orange Glaze elevates ordinary carrots to special.

You can count on a delicious carrot with a natural sweetness and a tender crunch. They’re never overcooked or mushy. Yuck!

Oven-baked carrots make this a hands-off dish so you can focus on the rest of the meal or just sit back with your favorite vino.

Orange Glazed Carrot Ingredients

Top down view of a cutting board filled with fresh carrots, oranges, butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
  • Carrots – We choose to buy organic carrots and prep them ourselves. You can use what you prefer including baby carrots.
  • Orange juice – We used the juice of one navel orange or about 1/4 cup.
    • You can purchase orange juice. We recommend 100% juice, not from concentrate.
  • Brown Sugar – We use dark brown sugar because it has more of a molasses flavor but use what you have or prefer.
  • Butter – We use the real stuff. You can use a substitute if that’s what you prefer.
  • Oil – Olive oil, vegetable oil, or any neutral-flavored oil will work.
  • Salt and pepper

How to roast carrots

3 grid photo showing the steps to roasting and glazing carrots
  1. Combine the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and cook it on low until sugar is dissolved and the sauce is thickened.
  2. Prepare the carrots by washing them, removing the tops, and peeling them. We slice them in similar sizes to assure even cooking.
    • If you use baby carrots you can skip this step.
  3. Place the carrots in a baking dish or baking sheet. Drizzle the carrots with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
  4. Pour the glaze over the carrots. Cover them with aluminum foil or a lid and bake them for 10 minutes.
  5. After baking the carrots for 10 minutes remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes uncovered or until fork-tender.

If you wanted to make this Oven Roasted Carrots recipe ahead of time, you can clean, peel and slice the carrots up to 4 days in advance. Put them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them.

We don’t recommend cooking or glazing them in advance.

You can reheat your carrots two ways.

  1. Slip the dish or individual servings in the microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between each session, until heated through.
  2. Place the carrots in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through heating.
Top angle photo of slices of roasted carrots in a white bowl. A second dish sits in the background.

Tips & Variations

  • Slice the carrots to a similar size so they bake at the same rate.
  • Carrots don’t need to be peeled if they’re fresh and free of blemishes. Just scrub them with a vegetable brush.
  • We bake our roasted carrots in a 400°F oven. That is fairly hot but it allows us to bring out the sweetness of the carrots and to get that slight char we love in a short period of time.
    • We like our carrots crisp. If you want a softer carrot you can turn the oven down to 350°F and bake them a little longer.
  • If the orange flavor isn’t to your liking, you can glaze the carrots pineapple juice or with just brown sugar and butter. You can also add some grated ginger to the glaze for another delicious flavor profile.
  • We love adding fresh herbs to these carrots. Fresh thyme, dill, or rosemary contrasts beautifully with the sweetness of the orange glazed carrots.
    • We would add the fresh herbs to the carrots after you salt and pepper them before roasting. They also make a beautiful garnish after they bake.

You can find all of our side dish recipes here!

Oven-Roasted Carrot F.A.Q’s

Can you freeze leftover baked carrots?

Yes, you can. However, their texture changes. They lose their crispness and are best used in soups and stews.

How long do cooked carrots last in the refrigerator?

Cooked carrots last 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

What’s the best way to reheat roasted carrots?

Carrots taste the best when heated in an oven. Preheat the oven to 450°. Spread the carrots out on a baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. You can also heat them quickly in the microwave.

Do you have to peel carrots before roasting them?

No, you don’t have to but I do because they appear cleaner and more appetizing.

Gadgets we love

One of the nice things about this recipe is that you don’t need any special equipment to make it. Here are a few items we used.

Pin this Oven Roasted Carrots Recipe!

Two photo collage for Pinterest. The top photo is a white dish of sliced carrots roasted with an orange glaze. The bottom photo is a baking dish with glaze being poured over sliced carrots before baking.

If you enjoyed this recipe here are a few more you’ll like

Don’t forget to stop back and let me know how your orange-glazed carrots came out!

Side view of roasted sliced carrots in a white dish. A second dish sits in the background.

Oven Roasted Carrots with Orange Glaze

Author: Julie Menghini
Oven Roasted Carrots recipe bakes perfectly every time. An Orange Glaze adds a sweetness that turns ordinary carrots into a family's favorite side dish.
4.76 from 25 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword: Roasted Carrots, Roasted Vegetables, Vegetables
Servings: 8

Ingredients
 
 

Orange Glaze

  • 1/4 orange juice We used a fresh naval orange
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp butter

Carrots

  • 6 carrots peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a baking dish or a foil-lined baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Using a small saucepan, combine the glaze ingredients and cook on low until brown sugar is dissolved and sauce is thickened.
  • Peel and remove the tops of the carrots. Slice them into smaller pieces so that they cook all at the same rate and put them in the baking dish or sheet. Drizzle the carrots with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.
  • Pour the ORANGE GLAZE over the carrots and cover them with foil. Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender.

Notes

  • You can use as many carrots as you need. I’ve used as few as 3 carrots and as many as 8 carrots with this recipe.
  • If you stack them in a baking dish, be sure to stir them after baking for 10 minutes.
  • Carrots should be about the same thickness to cook evenly.

Nutrition

Calories: 71kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 204mgPotassium: 156mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 7732IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
4.76 from 25 votes (11 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




Amy Nash

Wednesday 24th of February 2021

My husband loves carrots roasted this way and the glaze was the perfect finish! Such an easy, great side dish!

Julie Menghini

Friday 26th of February 2021

Thank you! John loves his carrots like this too.

MICHAELA KENKEL

Tuesday 23rd of February 2021

My husband is a bit of a carrot connoisseur and he said these were the best he had ever tasted! Thanks for the great recipe!

Julie Menghini

Tuesday 23rd of February 2021

Thank you and thank you to your hubby! John's not a veggie kind of guy but he sure likes these too.

Kathleen Pope

Monday 22nd of February 2021

Use the fresh orange, ohmygosh, makes the difference and just pops with flavor! Loved this recipe!

Julie Menghini

Monday 22nd of February 2021

Thank you, Kathleen!

Sandra Shaffer

Monday 22nd of February 2021

I made this with the juice from blood oranges. It was sooo good. Carrots go well with just about any main dish. This is a keeper. Thanks!

Julie Menghini

Monday 22nd of February 2021

Oh I bet that tasted amazing! Thank you!

Michele Phillips

Saturday 6th of February 2021

Roasted carrots are a favorite in our house, and I love the addition of this orange glaze! Delicious!

Julie Menghini

Sunday 7th of February 2021

Thank you, Michele! We love them with this glaze too!

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