The Best Honey Roasted Beets and Carrots Recipe
This honey roasted beets and carrots recipe is seriously gorgeous! The colors alone will make your mouth water, and that sweet caramelized flavor is just incredible. You only need simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, and the best part is you can make these simple roasted red beets and carrots with honey balsamic glaze with just an air fryer or a sheet pan in the oven.
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If you are like me, sometimes you want to make a stunning side dish for dinner and think roasted vegetables are boring. I’m here to show you that you can transform humble root vegetables into something that looks totally gourmet, like a European café-style dish that’s perfect with family or holiday dinners, especially Christmas and amazing in salads or vegetarian dishes.
You could easily pay $15+ for a dish like this at some trendy café, but you can make it at home for next to nothing!
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I really hope you love this Best Honey Balsamic Roasted Beets and Carrots Recipe!
If you do, I would really love it if you could leave a star rating and comment in the comments section below or from the recipe card. 🥰
Why you’ll love this honey roasted beets and carrots recipe
- Takes 10 minutes max to prep on one sheet pan or your air fryer
- Uses simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen
- Stunning vibrant colors. Red roasted beets and carrots are perfect for lunch, a quick dinner side dish or the holiday table
- Natural caramelized sweetness that makes vegetables taste delicious
- Easy meal prep. Adds flavor to everything all week
- Budget-friendly but looks expensive
- Works as a side dish or tossed into salads and wraps
- Full of veggies! Beets are a source of all forms of B vitamins as well as the potassium, magnesium, iron and manganese and carrots are a great source of important vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A.
Ingredients
- Carrots – Peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (halved lengthwise if thick). I prefer organic. I find they have more flavor. And any color is fine. Orange carrots, yellow carrots, or purple carrots, but I find using red beets and orange carrots is the prettiest option. You can use baby carrots as well, but I find using regular sized carrots is easier. Just make sure you cut them into similar-sized pieces on your cutting board.
- Beets (red beets, golden beets, or a mix), peeled and cut to a similar size as the carrots. I prefer red beets as red beets and orange carrots look stunning!
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Balsamic vinegar – Optional, but totally recommended. Basically, it’s what takes it from “sweet roasted vegetables” to “wow, this tastes like something from a fancy café.” But honestly, if you don’t have it, the honey version will still be really good – just more straightforward sweet rather than that sweet-tangy balance that makes your taste buds do a little happy dance! You can also substitute red wine vinegar and a pinch of brown sugar if you don’t have any balsamic vinegar.
- Thyme (or 1 tsp dried) Optional, dill and parsley also work well.
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
How to make roasted beets and carrots
Instructions overview for air fryer and oven: Mix all your marinade ingredients together. Start with the carrots. You will be coating the veggies twice. Once in the beginning and once in the middle and roasting them separately (either one after the other in the air fryer, or on separate sides of the baking dish in the oven). Super quick and easy!
Instructions to roast carrots and beets in the oven:
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Trust me, this makes cleanup so much easier!
- On your cutting board, make sure your root vegetables are cut to a similar size.
- Chop up your thyme or measure out the dried thyme.
- In a small bowl, measure out your olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and black pepper to make that gorgeous balsamic mixture.
- Whisk the marinade ingredients together.
- Start with the carrots! Put the thyme in with the carrots and the honey balsamic vinegar marinade.
- Stir the carrots around until they are really well coated with the honey balsamic vinegar marinade.
- Remove the carrots and set them aside in a separate bowl. Don’t worry, we’ll roast the carrots in a bit! You need to keep the remaining honey balsamic vinegar mixture in the large bowl.
- Now add your beet wedges (red beets, golden beets, whatever you found!) in that same balsamic mixture and make sure they’re completely covered with the marinade mixture.
- Remove the beets from the bowl and place on one side of the parchment paper, and pop them in that hot oven for 12 minutes. We are giving the beets a head start, because they take longer to roast than carrots. We will keep the beets and carrots separate for two reasons. First of all, beets take longer to cook, so they need to go in sooner. Secondly, beets turn pretty much everything they touch red, and we like to help carrots keep their natural color.
- Keep the remaining honey and balsamic marinade in the same bowl as before.
- After roasting for 12 minutes, take the roasted beets out and re-coat them with any remaining balsamic vinegar mixture – this extra step makes them so much more flavorful! Then put them back on the same side of the parchment paper where you just took them off.
- Now add your carrots to the other side of the parchment paper and put the whole pan back in the oven. Bake for another 20-25 minutes until both vegetables are tender and have those beautiful golden-brown edges. It’s a good idea to check on the veggies after q0 minutes or so and give them a good stir to prevent burning. Also, the beets might need a few extra minutes since they’re denser, so just test with a fork!
Roasted red beets and carrots air fryer instructions
Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (190°C) (Slightly lower than the oven since air fryers cook so much faster!)
Make your balsamic mixture the exact same way in a medium bowl. Olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, sea salt, and black pepper.
Here’s the thing with air fryers. You’ll need to cook the root vegetables separately since they have different cooking times. And you definitely want to do the carrots first so they don’t get stained by those red beets!
- Air fry the carrots first: Toss the carrots in the honey balsamic mixture that’s in the medium bowl. Remove them from the honey balsamic mixture with a spoon. There will be some honey balsamic mixture left in the bowl.
- Air fry the carrots for about 12-14 minutes in total. After about 6 minutes, remove the carrots from the air fryer and re-coat with the honey balsamic mixture and immediately put back into the air fyer. Roast for the remaining 6-8 minutes. Make sure you shake the basket halfway through and then again every 3-4 minutes, until they’re tender with those gorgeous golden edges. Remove and set aside.
- Next air fry the beets: Now, toss the beets in the remaining balsamic mixture until completely covered. Air fry for 12 minutes, then take them out, re-coat with any leftover mixture from the bowl, and air fry for another 8-10 minutes until they’re tender and caramelized. Make sure you shake the basket every 3-4 minutes.
- Place beets in the bottom of the serving dish and top with the carrots. The beets tend to turn everything they touch red.
Europeans use a lot of root vegetables in their cooking. My Latvian grandmother cooked with them all the time. If you are looking for more European cafe style recipes with root vegetables, try these quick and easy recipes:
Serving Suggestions
These roasted root vegetables are so versatile!
- I love them piled on top of my cottage cheese mashed potatoes and topped with maple pumpkin seeds… seriously amazing comfort food combo.
- They’re perfect tossed into salads for extra color and sweetness, or as a stunning side dish next to any roast.
- Serve with lemon pepper chicken drumsticks for that French bistro vibe.
- They make holiday celebrations look totally fancy, and they’re obviously perfect for vegetarian meals too.
- Serve as is or with a sprinkling of goat’s cheese or feta cheese.
- Serve roasted beets carrots on top of a bed of baby spinach leaves and quinoa and sprinkle with honey-roasted walnuts for a beautiful cafe-style fall quinoa salad.
Storage
- Let your roasted beets and carrots with honey balsamic glaze cool completely to room temperature before storing. This is so important to prevent condensation!
- Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They’re honestly amazing cold straight from the container, tossed into salads, or you can reheat them gently in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes in the oven or about 4-5 minutes in the air fryer to warm them back up.
Honey Roasted Beets and Carrots FAQ
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Honey Roasted Beets and Carrots Recipe Card
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Honey Roasted Beets and Carrots (Air Fryer or Oven)
These honey roasted beets and carrots are sweet, savory perfection! Tossed in a simple balsamic honey glaze and roasted until caramelized, they're gorgeous on the plate and go with absolutely everything. Perfect alongside mashed potatoes, roasted chicken, quinoa salads, or tossed into fall salads – ready in just minutes using your air fryer or oven.
Equipment
- 2 Medium bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Air Fryer or Oven
- Sheet pan If using oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots (500 grams) Cut into similar size pieces on your cutting board
- 1 lb beets (500 grams) Red beets, golden beets, or mix, peeled and cut to similar size
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried, or dill
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Roasting carrots and beets in the oven
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper – trust me, this makes cleanup so much easier!
- On your cutting board, make sure your root vegetables are cut to a similar size.
- Chop up your thyme or measure out the dried thyme.
- In a small bowl, measure out your olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and black pepper to make that gorgeous balsamic mixture.
- Whisk the marinade ingredients together.
- Put thyme in with the carrots and the honey balsamic vinegar marinade.
- Stir the carrots around until they are really well coated with the honey balsamic vinegar marinade.
- Remove the carrots and set them aside in a separate bowl. Don't worry, we'll roast the carrots in a bit! You need to keep the remaining honey balsamic vinegar mixture in the large bowl.
- Now add your beet wedges in that same balsamic mixture and make sure they're completely covered.
- Remove the beets from the bowl and place on one side of the parchment paper and pop them in that hot oven for 12 minutes. We are giving the beets a head start, because they take longer to roast than carrots. We will keep the beets and carrots separate for two reasons. First of all, beets take longer to cook, so they need to go in sooner. Secondly, beets turn pretty much everything they touch red, and we like to help carrots keep their natural color.
- Keep the remaining honey and balsamic marinade in the same bowl as before.
- After roasting for 12 minutes, take the roasted beets out and re-coat them with any remaining balsamic vinegar mixture. This extra step makes them so much more flavorful! Then put them back on the same side of the parchment paper where you just took them off.
- Now add your carrots to the other side of the parchment paper and put the whole pan back in the oven. Bake for another 20-25 minutes until both vegetables are tender and have those beautiful golden-brown edges. It's a good idea to take out the veggies and flip them around a bit to prevent burning. Also, the beets might need a few extra minutes since they're denser, so just test with a fork!
Air Fryer Instructions:
- Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (190°C) (slightly lower than the oven since air fryers cook so much faster!)
- Make your balsamic mixture the exact same way in a medium bowl: Olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Here's the thing with air fryers. You'll need to cook the root vegetables separately since they have different cooking times. And you definitely want to do the carrots first so they don't get stained by those red beets!
- For the carrots first: Toss your carrots in the honey balsamic mixture that is in the medium bowl. Remove them from the honey balsamic mixture with a spoon. There will be some honey balsamic mixture left in the bowl.
- Air fry the carrots for about 12-14 minutes on total. After about 6 minutes, remove the carrots from the air fryer and re-coat with the honey balsamic mixture and immediately put back into the air fryer. Roast for the remaining 6-8 minutes. Make sure you shake the basket halfway through and then again every 3-4 minutes, until they’re tender with those gorgeous golden edges. Remove and set aside.
- For the beets: Now toss the beets in the remaining balsamic mixture until completely covered. Air fry for 12 minutes, then take them out, re-coat with any leftover mixture from the bowl, and air fry for another 8-10 minutes until they’re tender and caramelized. Make sure you shake the basket every 3-4 minutes.
Notes
You can use any color beets, but roasted red beets and carrots look particularly beautiful. The roasting and honey balsamic glaze really make them shine!
The reason I like to roast the beets and carrots separately is that otherwise, the red beets will color the carrots slightly red. This will NOT change the taste, and it is perfectly fine to roast them together. But, if you want the carrots to retain their beautiful orange color, then you will have to roast them separately.
How to know when the carrots and beets are done:
Look for vegetables that give easily when pierced with a fork, plus those beautiful caramelized edges.
But honestly, the best way is to taste one, because it depends a bit on your preference. Some people like them really done, as in very soft like roasted potatoes. And others, myself included, prefer them with still a bit of bite to them. More like a ripe melon.
Beets are denser, so if your carrots are done first, just remove them and let the beets keep roasting for another 5-10 minutes. This is why it’s easier to roast them on separate sides of the pan, or one after the other in the air fryer. You can control the cooking times of each vegetable.
Make sure you shake the air fryer often to prevent burning.
Serving suggestions
- As a side dish: Serve beets in the bottom of the serving dish and top with the carrots. The beets tend to turn everything they touch red.
- As a salad. These roasted red beets and orange carrots make a stunning fall salad.
- With cottage cheese mashed potatoes for the ultimate comfort food.
- Let your roasted beets and carrots cool completely to room temperature before storing. This is so important to prevent condensation!
- Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They’re honestly amazing cold straight from the container, tossed into salads, or you can reheat them gently in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes in the oven or about 4-5 minutes in the air fryer to warm them back up.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 244kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 3gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 1042mgPotassium: 755mgFiber: 7gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 19029IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 2mg
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