These sticky chilli oil roasted carrots are so delicious and SO easy to make! You just roast carrots and toss them in a combination of your favourite chilli oil, soy sauce and agave. Finish with good-quality tahini and fresh chives, and you’re all set! This dish is delicious both hot and cold, so it’s a great one to make when you’ve got people coming round.
Table of Contents
- Ingredient Overview
- Chantenay Carrots: A Special Treat
- Why Roasting Carrots (and Any Vegetable, Really) Makes Them SO Much Better
- The Importance of Using Good-Quality Tahini
- Looking For More Carrot Recipe Inspo?
Ingredient Overview
- Chantenay carrots: they’re shorter and thicker than regular carrots, with a sweet, almost earthy flavour. They hold their shape really well during roasting, making them perfect for this dish. If you can’t find chantenay carrots, don’t worry – you can use regular or baby carrots instead.
- Neutral oil: a neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil is ideal for this recipe as it doesn’t overpower the other flavours. You only need a little bit to roast the carrots.
- Chinese-style chilli oil: it brings heat, flavour and complexity to the dish. I’ve gone with a Chinese-style chilli oil made with red chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic and warm spices, but feel free to go with your favourite chilli oil.
- Light soy sauce: it adds a savoury umami depth to the glaze, enhancing the flavour of the carrots without making the dish too salty.
- Agave nectar: this natural sweetener helps create the sticky glaze. Its mild flavour blends well with the other ingredients, adding sweetness without being overpowering. If you’re not vegan, you can substitute agave nectar for honey.
- Tahini: this creamy sesame paste adds a nutty richness to the dish. It also balances the heat from the chilli oil and the sweetness from the agave nectar. Make sure you opt for good-quality tahini if you can so it’s not so bitter. More on this below.
- Fresh chives: they add a burst of colour and a mild onion flavour to the finished dish, providing a fresh contrast to the rich, roasted carrots.
Chantenay Carrots: A Special Treat
Chantenay carrots are known for their distinct shape and robust flavour. They’re often sweeter and more tender than regular carrots, and they hold their shape really well, making them perfect for roasting. They caramelise beautifully, providing a delightful contrast between their crisp, slightly charred exterior and tender interior.
If you can’t find chantenay carrots, don’t worry. You can easily substitute them for regular or even baby carrots. If you do use regular carrots just make sure you cut them into similar-sized pieces to ensure even cooking.
Why Roasting Carrots (and Any Vegetable, Really) Makes Them SO Much Better
Roasting is truly transformational when it comes to vegetables. It brings out and caramelises their natural sugars, which concentrates their flavour and makes them so much more delicious. Also, as vegetables roast, they develop a crisp, slightly charred exterior while remaining tender in the middle, which is just the best texture.
Roasting carrots is a great way of bringing out their natural sweetness, but when you add a simple, sticky 3-ingredient chilli oil glaze, the result is a dish that’s nothing short of spectacular. Finish with creamy tahini to round out the flavours and a sprinkle of chives for added freshness and you’ve got yourself a stunning veggie centrepiece.
The Importance of Using Good-Quality Tahini
Tahini might seem like a simple ingredient (it’s literally just sesame paste) but its quality can make a huge difference to your dish. Poor-quality tahini is thick, clumpy, gritty and bitter. Good-quality tahini, on the other hand, is smooth, pourable and balanced, not bitter.
Where possible, I recommend avoiding supermarket own-brand tahini and opting for Middle-Eastern versions instead. Some of my favourite tahini brands are Baracke, Al Nakhil, Al Taj and Belazu.
Looking For More Carrot Recipe Inspo?
If you love carrots and are looking for more recipe inspo, why not try one of these delicious carrot recipes?
- Hot Honey Carrots: These carrots are roasted with hot honey, bringing sweetness and spiciness. They are served with whipped feta, crispy quinoa and a smoky spring onion salsa for a perfect balance of flavours and textures.
- Roasted Carrot Risotto: A comforting risotto made with a rich carrot purée, roasted carrots and Parmigiano Reggiano. The result is a creamy, flavourful dish perfect for a cozy dinner.
- Sticky Miso Carrots with Herby Hummus: Roasted chantenay carrots are glazed with a sticky miso and agave nectar mixture, served on a bed of herby hummus, and topped with quick-pickled radishes for a delightful combination of sweet, savoury, and tangy flavours.
- Sticky Za’atar Carrots with Spicy Dukkah and Labneh: Carrots roasted with za’atar and honey, served with a spicy dukkah and creamy labneh, offering a wonderful mix of textures and Middle Eastern flavours.
- Maple Roasted Carrots and Parsnips: A perfect side dish where carrots and parsnips are roasted with maple syrup, providing a sweet and savoury flavour that complements any main course.
Sticky Chilli Oil Roasted Carrots
These sticky chilli oil roasted carrots are so delicious and they’re incredibly easy to make! The carrots are sticky, sweet and a little spicy, and the tahini rounds everything out very nicely indeed.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 500g chantenay carrots (or regular carrots cut into large chunks)
- vegetable oil (or any neutral oil), for drizzling
- 1 heaped tbsp Chinese-style chilli oil (or more, to taste)
- 1 heaped tbsp agave nectar or honey
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp good-quality tahini (see Notes)
- 1 small handful fresh chives, finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 200°C / 180°C fan.
- Place the carrots in a medium roasting tin. Drizzle very lightly with vegetable oil, season well with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the chilli oil, agave nectar and light soy sauce in a small bowl. This is your glaze.
- Pour the glaze over the carrots, toss to coat and roast for a further 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender on the inside and caramelised on the outside.
- Transfer the carrots to a plate and top with a drizzle of tahini and a sprinkle of fresh chives, then serve and enjoy. This dish can be served hot, at room temperature or cold.
Notes
Not all tahini is created equal. Poor-quality tahini is thick, clumpy, gritty, and bitter. Good-quality tahini is smooth, pourable and balanced, not bitter. Where possible, I recommend avoiding supermarket own-brand tahini and opting for Middle-Eastern versions instead. Some of my favourite tahini brands are Baracke, Al Nakhil, Al Taj and Belazu.
