Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips are an easy side dish your family will love. Carrots and parsnips roasted with honey, and topped with glazed pecans!
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Why Make This Recipe
- Easy Technique: Roasting is my absolute favorite cooking technique for vegetables—it really makes everything better! Once you’ve got it down, you can use it for so many different veggies, both leafy ones and starchy ones.
- Perfect for Fall and Winter: The late fall and winter farmers’ markets can be a bit of a drag, but you can almost always find carrots and parsnips. This recipe takes that bounty and turns it into a delicious side dish.
- Elegant: This recipe is easy enough for everyday, but it would be beautiful on a special occasion or holiday table as well. The glazed pecans on top really bring it up a notch!
🥗 Ingredients
- Carrots and Parsnips: When choosing carrots and parsnips, always look for firm vegetables without cracks that aren’t at all bendy. If your carrots still have their greens attached, you can tell how old they are—older carrots will have wilted greens. You can make this recipe with all carrots, or all parsnips. Or substitute a different vegetable for either one. You could try turnips or potatoes, for example. Just make sure that your vegetables are cut to a similar size, so they will cook through in the same amount of time.
- Honey: You can replace this with maple syrup, especially if you are looking for a vegan version of this recipe.
- Olive Oil: No need for any fancy olive oil here. Use a regular virgin olive oil, or feel free to substitute grapeseed oil or vegetable oil or another oil with a high smoke point, as we are roasting at a high temperature.
- Pecans: I love the caramelized pecans in this recipe, but you can leave them out. Or feel free to replace with a different kind of nut. Walnuts would work really well too!
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add ½ cup pecans to a small bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of honey, ½ tablespoon of olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread the pecans on a small parchment paper-lined sheet pan.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until caramelized. Remove from oven and let cool.
Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees. Peel 1 pound of carrots and 1 pound of parsnips, then cut into batons about 2-3 inches long. Cut the thick parts of the carrots and parsnips into halves or quarters so all pieces are around the same size.
Put carrots and parsnips into a large bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil, and spread out carrots and turnips in a single layer.
Bake for 15 minutes, then stir. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until tender and lightly browned.
While carrots and turnips are roasting, roughly chop glazed pecans. Remove carrots and turnips from oven and serve, topped with the chopped pecans.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Roasted carrots and parsnips are really best eaten right after roasting. You can make them in advance, but the yummy crispy bits will soften. If you want to try to re-crisp them, try reheating in an air fryer or in a 400-degree oven.
If you can find carrots with bright, fresh greens attached, that’s a great sign that the carrots have been just picked. However, when you get them home, it’s best to chop the greens right off. The greens actually suck moisture out of the carrots themselves, so the carrots lose their firmness more quickly. Then use the greens to make carrot top pesto!
Carrots and parsnips can be stored in the crisper drawer in your refrigerator for several weeks. Just make sure to remove any carrot greens before you store them, and keep the carrots and parsnips in a breathable or unsealed plastic bag.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
This recipe works well with other seasonings too. Try adding herbs like fresh thyme sprigs, fresh rosemary sprigs, or fresh sage. Or add spices like chile powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic, or onion powder. You could also toss with lemon or orange zest after roasting.
Note that ovens can run hot or less hot, and sheet pans can be more or less heat-conductive. All that is to say, try this recipe with your oven and your pan, and then adjust. You may need more or less time than specified. Also, note that the glazed pecans will go from nicely caramelized to burned quite quickly. Watch carefully and remove from the oven when the honey mixture on the sheet pan has darkened to a caramel color but before it starts to smoke or look burned.
When you are cutting your carrots and parsnips, keep in mind that the size of the batons or slices determine how much cooking time you will need. Small chunks or thin slices will require less time than larger. Keeping the size of the pieces consistent between both vegetables will ensure that they will cook in the same amount of time.
Really pressed for time or want to use an air fryer instead? Try these super easy Honey Glazed Air Fryer Parsnips next.
What to Serve with Honey Roasted Carrots
This carrot and turnip side dish goes well with all sorts of main courses. I love these with a roast chicken or rotisserie chicken. Or use them in a grain bowl like my Ramen Egg Rice Bowl, my Warm Pearl Barley Grain Bowl, or my Vegan Buddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Dressing.
And how about serving on the side of a shepherd’s pie like my Hachis Parmentier or with my Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce?
For another flavor idea, try drizzling these carrots and parsnips with my Tahini Yogurt Sauce.
Other Roasted Vegetable Recipes
I love vegetable recipes of all kinds, and you’ll find tons of them in my Side Dish section. But see below for some of my favorite roasted vegetable options!
Looking for a low-carb vegetarian side? Try these delicious recipes for Roasted Honeynut Squash and these Jicama Fries!
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Ingredients
- ½ cup pecans
- 3 tablespoons honey divided
- 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 pound carrots
- 1 pound parsnips
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground cracked pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the pecans to a small bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of honey, ½ tablespoon of olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Spread the pecans on a small parchment paper-lined sheet pan and bake for 8-10 minutes, until caramelized. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees.
- Peel carrots and parsnips, then cut into batons about 2-3 inches long. Cut the thick parts of the carrots and parsnips into halves or quarters so all pieces are around the same size.
- Put carrots and parsnips into a large bowl and stir in the remaining olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil, and spread out carrots and turnips in a single layer.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then stir.
- Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until tender and lightly browned.
- While carrots and turnips are roasting, roughly chop glazed pecans.
- Remove carrots and turnips from oven and serve, topped with the chopped pecans.
Notes
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Kampus entrepreneurship says
Is the food eaten as a snack?
Chef Molly says
Usually, I would eat this as a side dish for dinner, rather than a snack. Though there's no reason you couldn't eat it as a snack!