Honey Harissa Carrots
These roasted carrots have a sweet and spicy flavor from the combination of harissa and honey. This is an easy and delicious side dish for any meal!

This post was inspired by my friend Arielle, who wrote a similar recipe for me years ago. Here’s how she described these carrots:
I have a few requirements for the vegetable dishes that go on heavy rotation in our house. They have to be nutritious, obviously, but I don’t like feeling like I’m depriving myself. If I have the prospect of a bland or unsatisfying meal ahead of me, chances are high that I’m just going to order pizza instead. Which kind of negates the whole nutrition goal. So yes, I like to keep it healthy, but I’ve got to have some heartiness and plenty of flavor to keep me interested.
I love her idea of using harissa and honey to add flavor to roasted carrots. The harissa paste adds a spicy flavor and the honey keeps it mild enough that you can enjoy seconds. It also highlights the natural sweetness of the roasted carrots. I made a few tweaks to her recipe and I think you’ll love these as much as I do!
What is Harissa?
The first time I tried harissa was at CAVA and I was blown away by the complex, spicy flavor. If you’ve never tried it, it’s a chili pepper paste that is common in North African food. It’s usually made with a variety of peppers along with garlic, coriander, and saffron. There are various levels of heat, so I recommend tasting the harissa before adding it to this recipe. The harissa I bought at Whole Foods was fairly mild, but I also bought harissa at Trader Joe’s and it had a stronger kick.
The Best Carrots for Roasting
I recommend buying regular carrots instead of baby carrots. Baby carrots don’t have as much flavor, but they can work in a pinch. Slice the baby carrots in half and keep an eye on them. They’ll likely be done roasting after about 15 minutes. But if possible, I recommend buying traditional carrots. You can also use tricolor carrots in this recipe.
How to Make Honey Harissa Roasted Carrots
More Carrot Recipes
PrintRoasted Carrots with Harissa and Honey
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: Side Dish
Description
These roasted carrots have a sweet and spicy flavor from the combination of harissa and honey. This is an easy and delicious side dish for any meal!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 lb carrots cut into sticks
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- In a small bowl, combine the oil, harissa paste, and honey.
- Toss in carrots to coat.
- Lay carrots flat in a single layer in a rimmed baking dish, and pour the remaining harissa mixture over them.
- Roast carrots for about 20-25 minutes, turning once, until browned and slightly tender.
- Remove from oven and season with salt. Enjoy!
OOOOOO! I’m excited to try this new flavor! Carrots can be such an easy side dish, but I agree with your friend, there has to be a special taste component to make them, or any veggie dish, palatable. Thanks for the great inspiration 🙂
Wow! The flavor of these carrots blew me away! My family is not a fan of cooked carrots so I was a little leery about trying this recipe. However, I have to say the sweet and spicy nature of the dish really carried the day. They loved them! Having never used harissa before I am now a big fan.
Love the sweet and spicy combo in these carrots. The honey cancels out the heat just enough that I can give them to the kids!
I am always looking for recipes using my carrots, so this is perfect!! I am currently on a road trip from Chicago to Vancouver, but I saved this for when I get back 🙂
This was such a great side dish, the honey balances the warmth of the harissa so nicely, and it was a great side for a simple supperÂ
I first had these roasted carrots with harissa in a restaurant andI have been wondering how to make them ever since! Thanks for the great recipe.
I love to spice it up a bit. so these roasted carrots are just perfect for me, thank you!
Carrots are my favorite, and these Honey Harissa Carrots were delicious. They were easy to make and a great addition to our dinner!
These look so great. I love spicing up (pun intended) a carrot recipe. Harissa is such an interesting ingredient and I love finding new recipes that use it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe Arielle!
I know I need to try this! Definitely gonna give it a go with some agave. Sounds so good 🙂