Roast

Sweet & Smoky Roasted Carrots

by:
October 23, 2018
4.4
22 Ratings
Sweet & Smoky Roasted Carrots
Photo by Ellen Silverman
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 40 minutes
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Excerpted with permission from Dorie Greenspan's Everyday Dorie:

If you love smoked paprika, the odds are high that you’ll love these carrots. They’re roasted in a hot oven after they’ve been rolled around in a mix of honey, vinegar, cumin, cayenne and smoked paprika, which I consider a magical ingredient. I use it for its deep, almost sexy flavor and think of its beautiful rusty color as a bonus. However, smoked paprika is only magical if it’s fresh. Give yours the once-over before you use it. Look at its color, which should be vibrant, then stir it or shake it and sniff — if it doesn’t smell rich and smoky, you’ll be disappointed in the dish.

Smoked paprika, which is also known as pimentón, can be either mild and sweet or picante (hot). I prefer to buy the sweet version and add cayenne or piment d’Espelette (see page 334) when I want some heat,
but experiment and see what you like.

The carrots are good hot, at room temperature or cold, making them as right for dinner as for a summer picnic.

If you have fresh carrots with their green tops, cut off the feathery tops but leave an inch or two of the green stems — they add to the dish’s simple good looks. Similarly, if their taproots are still attached, trim them so that they, too, are just an inch or so long. —Dorie Greenspan

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: Dorie Greenspan's Easy Trick for Perfectly Seasoned Roast Vegetables Every Time and Our Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes.

Excerpted from Everyday Dorie © 2018 by Dorie Greenspan. Photography © 2018 by Ellen Silverman. Reproduced by permission of Rux Martin Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (see headnote)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 pounds (907 grams) carrots, scrubbed, trimmed (see headnote) and patted dry
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) plain Greek yogurt
Directions
  1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a double layer of parchment paper.
  2. Whisk the cider vinegar, paprika, salt, cumin and cayenne together. When the spices are dissolved, whisk in the oil and honey and taste for cayenne.
  3. Arrange the carrots on the baking sheet, pour over about 1⁄3 cup of the spice syrup you just made and turn the carrots until they’re evenly coated. Set the remaining syrup aside.
  4. Roast the carrots for 20 minutes, then flip them over, rotate the baking sheet and roast for another 20 to 30 minutes, until they are tender and browned — they might be a tad charred here and there and they’ll probably be a bit wrinkled, and it’s all good. Pull the sheet from the oven. (The carrots can be made ahead to this point and kept at room temperature for up to 6 hours.)
  5. Stir a tablespoon of the leftover syrup into the yogurt, taste and add more, if you’d like. (The yogurt sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
  6. Serve the carrots hot with the yogurt sauce spooned over them or spread under them as a base. Alternatively, cover the sauce and refrigerate it, then serve as a dipping sauce with the room-temperature carrots.
  7. WORKING AHEAD: You can make the carrots up to 6 hours ahead and keep them at room temperature; the yogurt sauce can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance. STORING: Leftover carrots can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
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Dorie Greenspan
With the publication her 14th book, Baking with Dorie, New York Times bestselling author Dorie Greenspan marks her thirtieth anniversary as a cookbook author. She has won five James Beard Awards for her cookbooks and journalism and was inducted into the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. A columnist for the New York Times Magazine and the author of the xoxoDorie newsletter on Bulletin, Dorie was recently awarded an Order of Agricultural Merit from the French government for her outstanding writing on the foods of that country. She lives in New York City, Westbrook, Connecticut, and Paris. You can find Dorie on Instagram, Facebook, Bulletin and her website,

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11 Reviews

brushjl
brushjl May 21, 2023
Agree with other raters, delicious, brings out great carrot flavor
 
Corinne C.
Corinne C. December 13, 2020
Dorie, Thank you so much for this gourmet take on carrots. I am making for Hanukkah for my dear friend and partner Bob "saucy brisket" that is a diabetic recipe, and chose your carrots to accompany it. Im so impressed with the recipe and its delicious. thank you.
 
Linda D.
Linda D. July 10, 2020
Thanks so much, Dorie. Just delicious! Like Melissa, we only used a small portion of the yogurt. I expect it will not go to waste. Yum!
 
Melissa S.
Melissa S. May 12, 2020
I loved these! The yogurt was a nice touch. I didn't use all the dressing, and it made a great vinaigrette on other dishes.
 
Jill F.
Jill F. November 29, 2019
We loved these so much- great addition to our Thanksgiving table.
 
lgh07
lgh07 August 12, 2019
Really enjoyed these! Not too bad cold, either.
 
Kelly
Kelly July 30, 2019
THE most delicious roasted carrots I’ve ever had. I loved the yogurt with these slighted charred, perfectly spiced, smokey carrots. I will make these again and again!
 
judy
judy February 21, 2019
I do all of my roasted veggies using this technique. I put my spices/herb of choice in a largish salad bowl, add a splash of acid and some oil the will complement my dinner for that night. Mix well in bottom of bowl. Toss in my prepped veggies to coat, put on my baking pan and back. The dredges of seasoning left in the bowl become my base for salad dressing. sometimes I will simply add more of the same and my salad greens and veggies. If I want a more involved or creamy dressing, I will add a dollop of mayo and some mustard for a different twist. Always works and ties the meal together. My seasoning choice often reflects whatever I am having for dinner.
 
NancyFromKona
NancyFromKona August 18, 2021
Thank you for this suggestion so many years ago now. I’m always on the hunt for genius ideas and I’ll put this to work. Your thoughtfulness rippling out through space and time!
 
Francine H.
Francine H. November 3, 2018
I thought there was too much vinegar. Will try again using half the amount stated and upping the honey a little.
 
enbe
enbe October 29, 2018
Make these!!! Serve them any temperature! Perfect dinner party dish. I wish I had quadrupled the recipe.