These honey butter carrots with chili, garlic, and thyme are my absolute favorite way to cook carrots. They’re so easy to make, ready in 30 minutes, and are a divine side dish for the festive period – topped here with fresh parsley and chopped almonds for a beautiful finish.

I’ve used rainbow carrots in the photos for this recipe to add a little more spectacle and color to my recipe, but you could do the same recipe but with standard orange carrots! They all taste the same so you’ll still get a delicious recipe.

Other roasted vegetable side dishes that go great with these carrots include my popular roasted frozen green beans recipe, these balsamic brussel sprouts with walnuts and pomegranate, roasted green beans and carrots, and, of course, crispy roast potatoes.

Honey Butter Carrots with Chili & Thyme

These roasted carrots are roasted with a sauce made from butter, honey, fresh thyme, chili flakes, and garlic. 

The butter is melted down and mixed with the honey, then cooked for a minute or two with the minced garlic, thyme, chili flakes, and seasonings. You could use oil if you prefer instead of butter, but I do think there’s something special about the combination of honey, garlic, and butter here!

I love the slightly fiery taste the chili flakes add to this recipe – but you could omit them if you would prefer no spice to your carrots, too.

Ingredient Notes

Make sure you scroll down to the recipe card for the exact quantities used for this recipe – below, I’ve provided a few recipe notes on what I’ve used for this recipe. Below this section, you’ll also find some potential substitutions if you can’t get hold of a particular ingredient!

• Carrots: I used rainbow carrots in this recipe, which typically come in three beautifully vibrant colors: traditional orange, yellow, and a gorgeous red/purple. They taste virtually the same as orange carrots, though, so aren’t essential to this dish.
  
• Butter: I use unsalted butter for this recipe, as I generally prefer to be able to control how salty a dish is by adding my own salt. If you would prefer to make this recipe dairy-free, you can use oil instead. Olive oil or rapeseed oil are both good choices.
  
• Honey: The honey adds a delicious touch of sweetness to this recipe, but also helps to make the glaze thick and sticky, which tastes extra delicious! You could use maple syrup instead if you prefer.
  
• Chili: I added red chili flakes to add a subtle undercurrent of heat to this dish – I think it pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the honey and the flavors of the garlic and thyme. Omit the chili flakes if you would prefer no spice, though.
  
• Thyme: Whenever possible, use fresh thyme. Simply hold the top of the stem and slide your fingers down it to remove the leaves.
  
• Garlic: I used two large garlic cloves for this recipe, which I minced with my garlic press.
  
• Salt & Pepper
  
• Breadcrumbs: I used white breadcrumbs, the store-bought variety, for this recipe. You could make your own if you prefer.
  
• Pecorino cheese: Pecorino is a hard cheese, and very similar to Parmesan cheese. I use Pecorino because it’s easier to find a vegetarian-friendly brand where I’m based. Parmesan cheese is almost always made with animal rennet, which means it’s rarely suitable for a vegetarian diet. If you are not vegetarian, use Parmesan if you prefer. If you are vegan, you could either omit the cheese altogether, or use a vegan Parmesan alternative or a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

Substitutions & Adaptations

Here are a few possible substitutions if you can’t find anything listed above:

• Standard orange carrots work just as well in place of the rainbow carrots
• Use maple syrup in place of the honey
• Use oil in place of the butter
• Omit the chili flakes for a spice-free version
• Use dried thyme if that’s all you can find. Alternatively, rosemary would also work a treat in this recipe
• Use more or less garlic depending on your preferences! Personally, I love the taste of garlic, but you might prefer one clove for a milder garlic taste
• Use gluten-free breadcrumbs to make this recipe suitable for a gluten-free diet
• Omit the Pecorino cheese or use a vegan Parmesan alternative to make this recipe suitable for vegans (also substituting the butter for oil and the honey for maple syrup).
• Use Parmesan if you prefer (although be aware that Parmesan is often not suitable for vegetarians)

How To Make These Honey Butter Carrots

Step 1: Prep Your Carrots

First things first, start by preheating your oven to 200C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Then, prep your carrots by washing them, patting them dry, and halving them lengthways. 

Personally, I don’t peel my carrots – the skins contain lots of great nutrients and if they’re washed, they’re perfectly fine to eat. If you would prefer, though, you could peel them.

Pop the prepped carrots in a large mixing bowl and set them to one side while you make the glaze.

Step 2: Make the Honey Butter Glaze

You make the honey butter glaze by melting your butter in a saucepan and adding the honey, chili, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper.

Wait for the honey to dissolve into the butter, then add the minced garlic and cook the sauce for another minute.

Step 3: Pour the glaze over the carrots

Pour ⅔’s your honey butter glaze over the carrots and toss them in the mixing bowl to ensure each one is fully coated.

Tip the carrots onto your baking tray and align them so that the cut-side faces down and the carrots are evenly spaced. Try to leave a little space between each carrot to allow them to get lovely and crispy as they roast.

Step 4: Roast the carrots

Roast the carrots for 20 minutes.

Step 5: Brush with remaining glaze, breadcrumbs, and cheese

Remove your carrots from the oven and brush them with the remaining honey butter glaze. You can also scatter over your breadcrumb and cheese at this point.

Note: I use Pecorino cheese, which is similar to Parmesan cheese because it’s easy to find a vegetarian-friendly one in my local store. Parmesan cheese is rarely vegetarian due to the animal rennet it is made with. You could also use a vegan Parmesan alternative to make this recipe completely dairy-free.

Step 6: Roast for another 10 minutes

Roast the carrots for a further 10 minutes to allow the sauce to turn sticky, and for the breadcrumbs and cheese to turn golden.

Remove from the oven and top your carrots with fresh parsley and chopped almonds or pistachios.

Storing Your Honey Butter Roasted Carrots

These roasted carrots are best served fresh, so I would advise making them for when you plan to eat them. You could prep the honey-butter glaze beforehand and simply reheat before coating the carrots, and you could also mix together the breadcrumbs and cheese ahead of time to reduce the amount of hands-on elements while making this recipe.

If you have leftovers, you can store your roasted carrots in an airtight container and keep them refrigerated for 3-4 days. I would recommend reheating them in the oven to keep the crispy, roasted texture of your carrots and avoid them going soggy.

Serving Your Carrots

In the photos, I’ve served my honey butter carrots with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and a scatter of chopped almonds. Chopped pistachios would also be lovely in place of the almonds.

You could omit those toppings, though, if you’re likely to drizzle gravy all over your Christmas dinner! 

Alternatively, you could serve your carrots with a delicious creamy whipped feta or a garlic yoghurt dip if serving your roasted carrots as a side dish for another occasion.

What To Serve With Your Carrots

• Classic Crispy Roasted Potatoes
• Veggie pigs in blankets
• Vegan Cauliflower Cheese
• Roasted Frozen Green Beans
• Cauliflower cheese (or a vegan alternative!)

FAQs

Can I leave my carrots whole when roasting?

Yes, absolutely! I find they cook a little quicker when halved lengthways, but if you would prefer to roast your carrots whole, you absolutely can.

How can I make this recipe vegan?

To make this recipe vegan-friendly, you can substitute the butter for either a plant-based butter or for oil, such as rapeseed oil for roasting. Instead of a hard cheese like Pecorino, either omit this entirely, add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, or a vegan Parmesan alternative.

Where can I find rainbow carrots?

I found rainbow carrots in my local supermarket. If you can’t find rainbow carrots, regular orange carrots will taste just as good!