Roasted Carrots plus Thyme and Nutmeg

At a glance

What stands out: Roasted carrots with thyme and nutmeg are so sweet, flavorful, and good for you (but they taste almost like candy). This is one of a standby ways to cook carrots. It’s straightforward and they taste so fantastic!

How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large sheet pan, oven
Servings: 4 (but you can easily make more or less)

Roasted vegetables are one of our all-time favorite foods and definitely our favorite way to eat vegetables. High heat in the oven caramelizes the natural sugars in most vegetables, bringing out tons of sweetness and wonderful flavor. And the icing on the cake? Roasting is one of the easiest ways to prepare vegetables.

Of all the roasted vegetables, carrots are up there as one of our favorites. Mushrooms (try these marsala roasted mushrooms or roasted mushrooms with balsamic) are hands-down at the top of the list. Some other favorites? Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, parsnips. We're getting hungry just writing about it.

About Roasted Carrots

So much tastier than raw carrot sticks. We could eat a couple of pounds of these roasted carrots! Raw carrots? Not so much. We'll eat them but we don’t love them. These roasted carrots with thyme and nutmeg have so much memorable flavor that you’ll just keep coming back for more, and more, and more.

Good for you! There’s only 71 calories per serving of roasted carrots, and tons of antioxidants and other goodies.

So straightforward to mix. You can hardly call this a recipe. Once you’ve made it a few times, you won’t need a recipe at all. It’s straightforward to do, more of a technique than anything, but a technique well worth learning.

Get creative. Roasted carrots are reliable with just olive oil, salt and pepper but you can change them up by adding herbs, spices, and vinegars. We also like to combine different types of veggies and roast them together.

What goes in

• Carrots: We usually buy the big carrots. The baby carrots work but they’re not nearly as tasty. You’ll need one and a half to two pounds of carrots, and yes, they should be either peeled or scrubbed.
• Olive Oil: Any mild-tasting oil is fine, really. You don’t have to measure the amount carefully; just glug a little on the sheet pan.
• Fresh Thyme Sprigs: A woody herb with small leaves, tasting of “sharp grass, wood, and floral notes” according to The Spruce Eats. This shrubby plant is straightforward to grow, either in a pot or in the ground. Even we can do it! If you substitute dried thyme, use less.
• Nutmeg: For a standby flavor, grate your own. You won’t believe the difference in taste. Whole nutmeg looks like a small hard nut, about the size of a hazelnut, and it’s straightforward to grate off what you need.
• Salt & Pepper: Simple seasoning, add more or less according to your own taste.

How it comes together

Get ready. Preheat the oven to 450°F. The oven needs to be nice and hot before you put in the carrots so get it heating up while you prep the carrots. You’ll need a sheet pan, a large shallow rimmed baking pan.

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Prep the carrots. Peel the carrots with a vegetable peeler (or just scrub them, if you’d rather), and slice them into fairly good-sized pieces, about three-quarters of an inch. You don’t have to measure them or anything but try to make them all about the same size so they roast evenly. If you want them to look a little fancy, slice them on the diagonal (not straight across, but on a slant, as pictured below).

Add seasoning. Add the carrots to the sheet pan, along with the oil, thyme leaves, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Use a large spatula or your hands to mix it all up, so that the carrots are pretty evenly coated with oil. (P.S. Olive oil is nice on your skin. Think of it as a free mani.)

Roast the carrots. Is your oven good and hot? Go ahead and pop those carrots into the hot oven. Let them roast for 10 minutes or so, stir, and then roast for another 15 to 20 minutes. Check them to see if they’re golden brown and fork tender.

Don’t worry if you think they got too brown. The browner, the better! More sweetness, more caramelization, more flavor!

Serve. Thyme roasted carrots make a great side dish. They are good with chicken, beef, pork, ham, or salmon. Try roasted carrots with from-scratch meatloaf or grilled salmon. Try carrots with your air fryer burgers or Instant Pot honey sriracha chicken.

Ways to change it

Like we mentioned, this “recipe” is more of a technique. Use it as a starting point and roast your carrots in whatever creative way you want. Here’s a few ideas:

• Substitute a different herb. Oregano and rosemary come to mind because both are woody herbs, like thyme.
• Add seeds. We love these roasted carrots with cumin seeds!
• Glaze the carrots. Maple syrup and honey (try hot honey!) make good glazes. Add the sweet glaze after the carrots are cooked and return the pan to the oven for five minutes or so. Balsamic reduction (syrup) is a good idea or pomegranate molasses.
• Love garlic? Add sliced garlic cloves or garlic powder.
• Make them in your air fryer. Refer to our recipe for air fryer carrots for straightforward instructions. Season as desired.
• Rather have carrot soup? Try creamy carrot soup or vegan carrot ginger soup.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Get a head start. The most time-consuming part of the recipe is prepping the carrots (and that’s only about 10 minutes). If you like, peel and slice the carrots up to 3 days in advance. Store them in a resealable bag or container in the fridge.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Roasted carrots can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Put them in a covered bowl or container. They can be frozen for at least 3 months.

Reheat: For best results, reheat the carrots in the oven (350°-375°F) or a toaster oven for 10 minutes or so. An air fryer works great, too. If the carrots are frozen, there’s no need to thaw them first. Roasted carrots can be reheated in the microwave in 30 second increments until heated through.

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 20 minutes
• Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 large carrots, peeled and cut into uniform slices about ¾ inch thick (1 ½ to 2 lbs.)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or any mild tasting oil)
• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, or to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the sliced carrots with oil, thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper. If you prefer, you can use a mixing bowl to do this.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, stir, and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes, until tender and golden brown.

Notes

Storage and reheating : Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freezer for 3 to 6 months. For best results, reheat the carrots (unthawed if frozen) in the oven (350°-375°F) or toaster oven for 10 minutes or so. An air fryer works well, too. You can also reheat them in the microwave in 30 second increments until heated through.

Add a glaze: If desired, stir in a tablespoon of honey, maple syrup, balsamic reduction, or pomegranate molasses during the last five minutes of roasting for a sweet glaze.

Just look at that vitamin A! 15,322 IU per serving!