Your new go-to roast dinner side dish, these Honey Roasted Parsnips and Carrots are perfectly sweet and tender. Made using just a few simple ingredients, this easy side dish will impress your guests.
If you haven’t heard of parsnip before, parsnip is a root veggie that sort of resembles a white carrot (but it’s not a carrot). It can be really sweet with a slightly nutty flavor when roasted but they can also be a little bland. Roasting parsnips in a honey glaze gives them the perfect amount of sweetness.
They are so delicious accompanied by baby carrots, both being tender on the inside and slightly caramelised on the outside. The natural sweetness of the vegetables is perfectly complemented by the honey and aren’t overpoweringly sweet.
They’re easy enough to be a weeknight meal but fancy enough to serve at Christmas dinner. Serve alongside my Maple Roasted Pumpkin and Crispy Smashed Potatoes for real wow factor. And don’t forget the Green Beans with Cranberries and Almonds!
What’s to Love About Honey Roasted Parsnips and Carrots
- quick to prepare – with only ten minutes of hands on time, you will have a side dish with maximum flavor and very little effort.
- allergy friendly – this recipe is completely dairy free, egg free and gluten free. It can easily nut free as well, just swap the toasted hazelnuts for toasted seeds.
- delicious – this is a side dish that whole family will love.
- the perfect side dish – serve alongside other delicious sides and roasted proteins for a delicious holiday meal. Honey roasted parsnips and carrots are a great side dish for a special occasion (think Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas day lunch or dinner).
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
My favorite recipes are the ones that use the most simple ingredients, which is one of the reasons I love these honey-roasted carrots and parsnips. The sweet Winter root vegetables in combination with honey, olive oil and salt makes for the most delicious side dish. Below is a list of all of the ingredients you will need as well as any notes or possible substitutions. The ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- baby parsnips – parsnips can get really big so I prefer baby or smaller parsnips. You still need to slice them lengthways into a four pieces so that they are roughly the same size as the carrots. If you can only find large parsnips, that’s totally fine, just slice them up lengthways so that they’re similar in size to the carrots.
- baby carrots – baby carrots are the perfect size to roast whole. I leave the skin on both the parsnips and baby carrots because it is so delicious when roasted. Some of the carrots might be a little too big. If this is the case just slice them in half lengthways so that they are all a similar size.
- honey – to make a vegan version of this recipe you can swap the honey for pure maple syrup. You need runny honey for this recipe. If your honey isn’t runny then warm it in a small saucepan first.
- extra virgin olive oil – I haven’t tested this but I think melted unsalted butter would work well as a replacement for olive oil. I prefer to steer clear from most vegetable oil as they are highly processed. You can use avocado oil or macadamia oil in this recipe.
- sea salt flakes – if you’re using finely ground sea salt then use less then what is specified in the recipe.
- hazelnuts – to make this recipe nut free you can use toasted sunflower seeds or toasted pumpkin seeds.
Optional extras
Feel free to top the roasted vegetables with fresh herbs like fresh parsley or fresh thyme leaves. You could also add fresh rosemary into the dish when baking to infuse the veggies. Feel free to season the veggies with cracked black pepper if desired.
How to Make Simple Honey Roasted Parsnips and Carrots
I mentioned earlier that this roasted carrots and parsnips recipe is super quick and easy to prepare and I wasn’t lying. Follow my step-by-step instructions for best results.
First, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (392 F). Grease two large baking dishes and set aside.
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Prepare the carrots and parsnips by washing them well, you might want to give them a good scrub to get any residual dirt off them. Slice the top and end off the parsnips and slice in quarters lengthways. Slice the tops off the carrots leaving about an inch of the stems (these get super crispy and delicious).
In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, honey and sea salt.
Place all of the carrots and parsnips into one of the baking dishes. Drizzle the honey mixture over the top and using clean hands, toss the carrots and parsnips so that they are all evenly coated in the mixture.
Divide the carrots and parsnips between both dishes. Spread them out so that they are in a single layer (as much as possible). If you don’t have a large baking dish, you can use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place the baking dishes into the oven and roast the veggies for one hour.
While the veggies are roasting, add the hazelnuts to a baking tray and place into the oven for six minutes. After six minutes remove from the oven and tip out onto a clean tea towel. Once the hazelnuts are cool to the touch, use the tea towel to rub them vigorously to remove the skins. For any hazelnuts that still have skins on them, use your hands to peel off the skins. Roughly chop the hazelnuts and set aside.
Once the veggies are roasted, remove them from the oven and transfer to a serving dish. Top with the chopped hazelnuts (and fresh herbs if using). I recommend serving them warm.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. You can eat the vegetables cold as leftovers or warm them up in the oven or microwave before eating.
Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnip with Hazelnuts
Equipment
- 2 Large Baking Dish
- Whisk
- Chopping Board
- Sharp knife
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 600 grams baby carrots, approximately 2 bunches
- 350 grams baby parsnip
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
To serve
- ¼ cup hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (392 F). Grease two large baking dishes with olive oil and set aside.
- To a small bowl add the honey, olive oil and sea salt. Whisk to combine.
- Slice the parsnip lengthways so that they are roughly similar sizes to the baby carrots. For any baby carrots that are on the big size, slice in half.
- Add all of the parsnips and carrots to one baking dish and drizzle in the honey glaze. Toss to coat evenly and then transfer half of the parsnips and carrots to the second baking dish. Spread out evenly in one single layer.
- Place the baking dishes into the oven and bake for 1 hour.
- While the vegetables are roasting, add the hazelnuts to a small baking tin and place into the oven for 6 minutes.
- Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and tip out onto a clean tea towel.
- Once the hazelnuts have cooled enough to touch, use the tea towel to rub the hazelnuts vigorously so that the skins come loose. Any hazelnuts that are left with skins on, use your fingers to remove the skins. Roughly chop the hazelnuts.
- Once the carrots and parsnips are roasted, remove from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Serve warm topped with roughly chopped hazelnuts.
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