Grilled Carrots
Grilled Carrots – Lightly charred and roasty, with an incredible sweet browned butter sauce, carrots have never tasted so good! This is an easy, economical, and amazingly tasty side dish you’ll come back to week after week. 👌
Could carrots be the most underrated vegetable out there? I think so. Carrots are so good for our bodies, taste amazing on the grill, and are so darn cheap! What’s not to love? 🧡
Plus, the browned butter sauce in this recipe, complete with fresh garlic and thyme, balsamic vinegar, and honey, is off-the-chain delicious! 🤩 One taste will hook you. Although, even if all you have on hand is some olive oil, salt, and pepper, this grilled carrots recipe will still taste amazing.
What Carrots Are Best for Grilling?
Honestly, you can use any kind! I recommend regular orange carrots from your local grocers, but I usually grab a bag of full-sized organic carrots. That said, you can use those beautiful rainbow carrots if you want to really make a statement. Baby carrots work, but they need to go in a grill basket so they don’t fall through the grill grates.
Recipe Ingredients
- Carrots – Pick out your favorite variety of carrots, and get ready to grill! 😎
- Vegetable Oil – Before grilling, we’re going to toss the carrots in some salt, pepper, and vegetable oil (or olive oil) so they don’t stick to the grill.
- Browned Butter Sauce – For this sensational sauce, you’ll need butter, fresh garlic and thyme, balsamic vinegar, and honey. 🤤
How to Make Grilled Carrots
Prepare the Carrots
- Heat your charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat or about 400℉ (200℃).
- Prep Carrots – Wash and peel your carrots. Slice them lengthwise if they are too big.
- Season – Place your prepared carrots in a bowl and add your oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Toss the carrots until evenly coated and set aside.
Make the Browned Butter Sauce
- Melt Butter – Melt your butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. (Photo 1)
- Brown Butter – Let the butter cook until it starts to foam and turn golden brown, swirling the pan occasionally. Be careful not to let it burn. (Photo 2)
- Strain – Once it has a rich golden color and a nutty aroma, take it off the heat and let it cool. Pass the butter through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of the specks. (Photos 3-4)
- Cool – Next, let the brown butter cool slightly. Wipe down any particles left in the saucepan and pour the drained butter back into the saucepan.
- Season – Then, add the fresh herbs (garlic and thyme)—saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then add the honey and balsamic vinegar. Mix until well combined. Finally, take it off the heat and set aside. (Photos 5-8)
Grill and Serve
- Grill – Place the seasoned carrots onto preheated grill grates and grill for 15-20 minutes. Exactly how long you grill the carrots will depend on their size. (Photo 9)
- Flip – Rotate the carrots occasionally until they have grill marks on all sides and are fork-tender but not mushy. (Photo 10)
- Drizzle – Transfer the grilled carrots to a serving plate and drizzle with seasoned browned butter.
- Serve with grilled chicken, steak, or fish.
Recipe Variations
- Regular butter sauce: Browning the butter is an optional step. You can skip this and just go with melted butter for the sauce. It’s still delish! 😋
- Get creative with the seasonings: For added flavor, sprinkle spices like paprika, garlic powder, or even cumin on the carrots before grilling.
- Get Asian-inspired: In a bowl, whisk two tablespoons of tamari, a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil, a tablespoon of honey, a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger, and a minced garlic clove. Toss peeled and sliced carrots in the marinade until well coated. Grill the carrots for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are tender and caramelized.
- Old-Fashioned minted carrots: Replace the thyme with fresh mint for an incredible flavor swap.
Tips and Tricks
- For the best results, use fresh firm carrots, avoiding wilted or soft carrots.
- Ensure that your carrots are about the same size to ensure even grilling. Otherwise, smaller carrots will finish cooking long before larger ones. You can always cut the odd extra-large carrot in half if necessary.
- Feel free to use wood pellets with a strong smoke profile, like mesquite or hickory, for an extra layer of flavor.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can prep your carrots ahead by peeling and trimming them. Store them in an airtight container with water to cover in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill.
You can also make the browned butter ahead and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to grill, gently reheat the butter in a saucepan, and you are good to go.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Grilled carrots are best enjoyed fresh off the grill. However, you can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
They’re great cold chopped up in a salad. But if you want them hot, gently warm the carrots in a microwave or reheat them on the grill until they are heated through.
FAQs
No, you don’t. But scrub them well if you don’t peel them. They do come from the dirt, after all. Peeled carrots look a little cleaner, and skin-on carrots look more rustic, but they both taste great, so it’s up to you!
It could be that your grill was too hot. If the carrots become heavily charred before tender, turn down the heat. You could also use a two-zone grilling technique to move sufficiently charred carrots to a zone of indirect heat to finish cooking.
The carrots are ready when tender and slightly charred on the outside. You can test their doneness by stabbing the thickest part with a fork or skewer. If it goes in easily with little resistance, your carrots are cooked. 👍
What to Serve With Grilled Carrots
Anything and everything! It’s another reason I love this recipe. I often serve them with grilled boneless chicken thighs and some scalloped potatoes.
They also taste great with beefy steaks. Try them next time you make a grilled rib-eye or a smoked sirloin tip roast. So yummy!
More Awesome Veggie Side Recipes to Try
Conclusion
There you have my latest attempt to convince everyone that grilled carrots deserve more attention in the vegetable world. 😆 Have you tried this recipe? Please let me know in the comment because I love hearing from all my home-cook homies. 🙌
Grilled Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450g) carrots
- 3-4 tablespoons butter
- 3-5 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) honey
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons thyme, fresh
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil, plus more for the carrots
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat or about 400℉ (200℃).
- Wash and peel your carrots. Slice them lengthwise if they are too big.
- Place your prepared carrots in a bowl and add your oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Toss the carrots until evenly coated and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Let the butter cook until it starts to foam and turn golden brown, swirling the pan occasionally. Be careful not to let it burn. Once it has a rich golden color and a nutty aroma, take it off the heat and let it cool.
- Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of the specks. Let the brown butter cool slightly.
- Wipe down any particles left in the saucepan and pour the drained butter back into the saucepan.
- Add in the garlic and thyme. Cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, then add the honey and balsamic vinegar. Mix well. Take it off the heat and set aside.
- Place your prepared carrots in a bowl, drizzle in your oil, then salt and pepper to taste. Toss until the carrots are evenly coated.
- Place the seasoned carrots onto preheated grill grates and grill for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your carrots.
- Rotate the carrots occasionally until they have grill marks and are nice and tender but not mushy.
- Transfer the grilled carrots to a serving plate and drizzle with seasoned browned butter.
- Serve with grilled chicken, steak, or fish.
Notes
- For best results use fresh firm carrots. You want to avoid carrots that are wilted or soft.
- Ensure that your carrots are about the same size to ensure even grilling. Otherwise, smaller carrots will finish cooking long before larger ones. You can always half the odd extra large carrot if you need to.
- Feel free to use wood pellets with a strong smoke profile like mesquite or hickory to add an extra layer of flavor to your carrots.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.