These honey roasted carrots and parsnips are an easy side dish that are ready in just 40 minutes, so perfect for your Sunday roast or any meal.
Roasting the vegetables brings out their natural sweetness, and the honey adds a gorgeous shine to the caramelised edges, that is difficult to resist.
And the best bit? They can cook at the same time as your roast potatoes, so you can put them in and forget them.
Enjoy!

I love vegetables, but I am really not a fan of plain boiled carrots and other root vegetables. They have such a great natural sweetness, that is enhanced when roasting so it's a shame not to make the most of their flavour.
This recipe is designed so that the root vegetables can go into the oven at the same time as the roast potatoes or other potato dish, to make life as easy as possible. And, if you prefer to leave the honey out, just use the same dish as the potatoes and there will be one less pan to clean!
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🥘 Ingredients
- Carrots - large, long carrots work best as it's easier to but them the same size as the parsnips.
- Parsnips - avoid really thin parsnips with spindly ends as they tend to burn.
- Oil - vegetable oil or olive oil which helps to stop the butter from burning.
- Butter - this gives a rich flavour to the vegetables.
- Salt - ideally flaked sea salt.
- Pepper - freshly ground black pepper.
- Parsley - fresh parsley for garnish.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍽 Equipment
- Oven proof roasting dish
- Sharp knife
🔪 Instructions
Peel the carrots and parsnips and cut into large batons.
💭 Top Tip
- Cut the parsnips and carrots in half through the equator. Slice the thicker top ends in half lengthways and then each half into 3. Cut the smaller lower half into 2.
Put the butter and oil into a roasting tin and place in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4.
Add the vegetables to the dish and stir so that they are all coated evenly.
Season with the salt and pepper.
⏲️ Baking Time
Roast for 20 minutes and then add the honey to the dish.
Stir so that all the vegetables are turned over and coasted in the honey.
Roast for a further 20 minutes until crisp and golden.
Transfer the honey roasted carrots and parsnips to a serving dish.
Chop the parsley and scatter over to serve.
🥗 Serve with
- Beef olives
- Baked Salmon
- Chicken and leek pie
- Chicken supreme
- Rack of Pork
- Cannon of lamb
- Duck with orange sauce
Substitutions
- Butter - use ghee, duck fat or olive oil instead.
📖 Variations
- Vegan - use maple syrup or another sweetener.
- Vegetables - try the same method with other vegetables such as swede, turnips, squash or celeriac.
Storage
- Refrigerator -cool, cover and keep for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - wrap well and freeze for up to 6 months.
- To reheat - defrost overnight in the refrigerator and roast for 10-20 minutes.
FAQs
There is no actual need to parboil parsnips before roasting.
This was often done in the past for old woody parsnips, to stop them drying out. The inner core of the parsnips was often removed too.
A good tip is to put the prepared vegetables in a bowl and pour over the water from parboiling potatoes. Leave them in the water then drain before roasting. This ensures tender vegetables without extra cooking.
More side dishes to try
- Leeks in white sauce with bacon
- Samphire
- Pan Haggerty
- Celeriac purée
- Peas with lettuce
- Cavolo nero kale
📋 Recipe
Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Equipment
- oven proof dish
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
- 300 g carrots
- 300 g parsnips
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon parsley fresh and chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Peel the carrots and parsnips and cut into large batons.
- Put the butter and oil into a roasting tin and place in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4.
- Add the vegetables to the dish and stir so that they are coated.
- Season with the salt and pepper.
- Roast for 20 minutes and then add the honey to the dish.
- Stir so that all the vegetables are turned and coated in the honey.
- Roast for a further 20 minutes until crisp and golden.
- Transfer the honey roasted carrots and parsnips to a serving dish.
- Chop the parsley and scatter over to serve.
Notes
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
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Beth Sachs
The honey really brings out the sweetness in the carrots and parsnips! Delicious.
Dannii
You can't beat honey roasted vegetables. These are a must with a roast dinner.
Mahy
My favorite side dish to go with my favorite main dishes. Healthy and delicious!
Gina
All about this delicious side dish! It was so easy to prepare and beyond tasty. Definitely a side dish I will make often with my dinners!
Viki Gilbert
Look forward to making this x can I use Maple Syrup in place of the honey and if so what quantity please. Xx
Amanda
Hi Viki, I often use maple syrup in place of honey when roasting vegetables. I find that using the same quantity works. Hope you enjoy. Thanks, Amanda