A gorgeous platter of Roasted Carrots and Brussel Sprouts in a honey balsamic glaze is the perfect holiday side dish! Two vegetables in one effort gives your guests extra variety while the same cooking method makes it quick and simple to prepare. Elegant, healthy, and extremely versatile, this go-to side dish can accompany any main course!
These oven roasted Brussel sprouts and carrots are an excellent side dish alongside the Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas Molasses Braised Beef Roast, prime rib, or Easter Ham!
Give your guests an extra option by keeping the two separated on a large platter. They are prepped and cook together, doubling your efforts in the kitchen!
Serve your main course with my Cranberry Herb Bread Stuffing, Broccoli Au Gratin, Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a beautiful Pear & Blue Cheese Salad and you've got an amazing holiday feast!
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Ingredients
Simple ingredients, these carrots and Brussel sprouts are prepped up together, roasted together, and served as two side dish options together on one platter!
- Carrots - Regular old carrots, this humble vegetable gets sweeter as it roasts and caramelizes. Just trim the tops and scrub well with your hands under running water, no need to peel! If you love carrots, try this Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup and this Roasted Carrot Hummus!
- Brussel Sprouts - Brussel sprouts roast in just about the same time as carrots, making them work well together. They get crispy and caramelized, really roast them to a dark golden brown color for the best flavor.
- Butter and Olive Oil - I've used a combination of olive oil and butter in the glaze coating for the veggies. Olive oil is great for roasting because it can withstand fairly high heat in the oven, and gets the veggies nice and crispy. The butter adds to that, while boosting the flavor.
- Honey and Balsamic Vinegar - These give the vegetables that little something extra! The honey enhances the natural sugars that shine through as the carrots roast, while the vinegar balances the sweetness with a little sweet acidity.
- Salt and Pepper - Don't get fancy with the spices, salt and pepper are the backbone of cooking. They bring out the natural flavors in the carrots and Brussel sprouts, letting them stand on their own instead of masking them with spices.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
You can easily substitute ingredients in this healthy side dish to suit all your guests.
- Vegan - This vegetarian side dish can be made vegan by substituting the butter with an extra tablespoon of olive oil and swapping the honey for maple syrup.
- Gluten-Free - These honey roasted Brussel sprouts and carrots are already gluten-free!
Variations
This simple roasting method could be used with other vegetable combinations. You want to make sure what you're roasting is about the same "heartiness." Meaning if you are choosing 2 vegetables, you want them to cook in about the same time, or be watching to take one out sooner than the other.
Roasting a delicate vegetable like tomatoes or green beans with a heartier vegetable like potatoes or winter squash, doesn't make as much sense!
Root vegetables are great for roasting, or try any combination of these for an easy side dish:
- Butternut Squash
- Mushrooms
- Sweet Potatoes
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Parsnips
- Onions
Instructions
Step 1 - Prepare your Vegetables. Preheat your oven to 425° convection bake. Wash the carrots and Brussel sprouts very well, scrubbing the carrots under running water with your hands. Well washed carrots do not need to be peeled, but you can peel them if you like. Trim the tops off the carrots and slice them in half lengthwise. Really fat carrots could be quartered.
Slice off the ends of the Brussel sprouts, removing any bad looking outside leaves. Slice them in half lengthwise through from end to tip. If some leaves fall off while you slice them, use them! Those are the ones that get super crispy, my favorite!
Spread the veggies separately on two large sheet pans.
Step 2 - Make the Glaze. In a small glass measuring cup or bowl, melt the butter in the microwave, then add the olive oil, honey and balsamic vinegar and whisk together with a fork.
Step 3 - Drizzle the glaze over both pans of veggies and season with salt and pepper. Toss well with your hands to coat. Try to get the glaze, salt and pepper evenly on each pan.
Arrange the carrots and the Brussel sprouts cut side down. Having the cut side in contact with the hot pan will get them nice and caramelized.
Step 4 - Roast for 30 to 40 minutes until dark brown and caramelized. If you feel like one vegetable is done and the other needs a bit more, go ahead and take one out. They should finish roughly about the same time. Taste one to check!
Step 5 - Arrange the oven roasted carrots and Brussel sprouts on a large serving platter. Keep them separate so your guests can chose one or the other or both.
Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and extra sprigs. You can also choose to finish with another tiny drizzle of honey and a pinch of flakey salt, totally optional! Serve immediately while hot and crispy!
Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
Storage - Store leftover veggies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven. This dish does not freeze well.
Make Ahead Instructions - This dish is truly best served fresh from the oven, hot and crispy! If you are trying to get ahead on holiday prep, there are a few things you can do:
- You can wash, trim and slice the Brussel sprouts and carrots a day in advance and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge.
- You can also mix up the glaze and keep it in a jar on the counter or in the fridge a day ahead. If it solidifies, just microwave it a few seconds and give it a good shake.
- You could make this dish completely, wrap it in tinfoil and transport it hot to the host's house. Keep it warm in their oven until ready to serve. It won't be quite as crispy as it was hot from your oven, but it will still be good!
Chef Tips
- Always roast vegetables at a high heat, like 425°. Make sure your oven is preheated. Putting veggies in a low oven will cause them to steam in their own liquid and be mushy.
- Roast carrots and Brussel sprouts cut side down on the pan. The contact with the hot surface will get them really crispy and caramelized for maximum flavor!
- Be generous with the salt. If one teaspoon feels like a lot, remember, some will end up on the pan, not on the veggies. Salt really brings out the flavor in vegetables.
- Save your carrot ends and some of your Brussel sprout scraps to freeze for Homemade Chicken Stock!
- Garnish with fresh herbs. Making a holiday side dish really special is as easy as adding a few fresh sprigs of herbs, both for flavor and appearance. Thyme, rosemary, or sage would all work well with this dish!
- Taste one! When you think they're done, taste a carrot and a Brussel sprout. They should be soft but still with a bite, a bit al dente, and not mushy. If you aren't sure if they're done, roast them another 5 minutes, they get tastier!
Serving Suggestions and Pairings
This easy side dish really does go great with anything! It serves 8 people, but that of course depends on how many other side dishes you have.
A classic rustic vegetable platter goes well with any protein, turkey, ham, steaks, Whole Roasted Chicken, Wild Salmon with Garlic Honey Butter, or Simple Perfect Beef Roast.
Try pairing it with a few other side dishes, a beautiful salad, and an easy appetizer for the perfect holiday menu!
- Appetizer - Try this Cranberry Honey Baked Brie or build a grazing platter around this delicious Raisin Pine Nut Goat Cheese Dip.
- Potato - Add a starch with these Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Sweet Potatoes or Roasted Sweet Potato Slices.
- Salad - Try a favorite holiday salad like a Prosciutto Parmesan Salad with Basil Dressing or an Italian Mixed Greens Salad with Crispy Prosciutto. We also love a salad that features fruit like this Blueberry Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Pecans, or a Pear & Blue Cheese Salad with Honey Glazed Walnuts, great for parties!
Recipe FAQs
Usually no, if you wash carrots well, scrubbing them under running water with your hands, you should not need to peel them. Sometimes carrots, if they are from the garden, or if they are getting older, can look a little off, in which case you can certainly peel them! Really, peel or not peel, it's totally fine either way!
The key to getting Brussel sprouts crispy is to roast them at a high oven temperature of 425°F with olive oil. You also way to roast them on a large enough pan so they can spread out in a single layer. If they are bunched together, or piled up, the moisture in the vegetable will be trapped and the Brussel sprouts will steam instead of roast. This will give you soggy Brussel sprouts instead of crispy.
Yes, you can certainly cut the carrots into any shape or size that you want, including using a bag of peeled baby carrots, but be aware that this will affect the cooking time. Smaller carrots will cook faster, so keep an eye on them and take them out when they are done. This is another reason why I like to cook the carrots and Brussel sprouts on separate pans. If one is done before the other, it is easy to take one pan out and let the other keep cooking. If you mix them all together, you have to hope they are done at exactly the same time to avoid one being undercooked or overcooked while the other is just right.
Yes and no. If you do, make sure they each have enough space. If they are too crowded together, the moisture in the vegetables will cause them to steam instead of roast, giving you soggy vegetables when you want crispy. If you do roast them on the same pan, I would still keep them separate. That way if one is done before the other, you can easily remove it with a spatula and continue cooking the other.
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Roasted Carrots and Brussel Sprouts
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 8 carrots
- 2 pounds Brussel sprouts
- 1 Tablespoon butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 grinds fresh black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° convection bake (this means the fan is running).
- Wash carrots and Brussel sprouts well, scrubbing the carrots under running water with your hands. They do not need to be peeled. Slice off the ends and cut carrots in half lengthwise. Trim ends off Brussel sprouts and slice in half lengthwise. Leave small ones whole and very large ones cut in quarters. Spread each vegetable on a separate large baking sheet.
- In a glass measuring cup, melt the butter in the microwave. Then add the olive oil, honey and balsamic vinegar and whisk together with a fork. Drizzle the glaze over both pans of veggies and season with salt and pepper. Toss well with your hands to coat. Try to get the glaze, salt and pepper evenly on each pan. Arrange the carrots and the Brussel sprouts cut side down.
- Roast in the oven at 425° for about 30 to 40 minutes until soft but not mushy and very browned and caramelized. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs and sprigs to garnish such as thyme, rosemary or sage.
Notes
- Taste one! When you think they're done, taste a carrot and a Brussel sprout. They should be soft but still with a bite, a bit al dente, and not mushy. If you aren't sure if they're done, roast them another 5 minutes, they get tastier!
- You can also choose to finish this dish with another tiny drizzle of honey and a pinch of flakey salt, totally optional!
- You can adjust the amounts of veggies and glaze up or down to serve any sized group. Don't crowd your pan too much with vegetables. Give them space so they can roast and not steam.
Pat says
This has become a standard holiday side dish. I add a parsnip as well. Even my vegetable hating son said he could eat them every day.
Meryl Downing says
So glad to hear that! Parsnip are a great addition. Yes vegetables are all about HOW you cook them! Happy Holidays to you!