This roasted carrots and cauliflower recipe is incredibly easy to make with just three main ingredients and a few pantry spices. Roasting enhances the natural sweetness of the veggies while bringing a delicious, tender crunch in every bite.
The easiest and most delicious way to eat more vegetables is by having an arsenal of simple roasted vegetable recipes at the ready.
This roasted carrots and cauliflower recipe, and my roasted carrots and asparagus with balsamic glaze are two of my favorite ways to get a budget-friendly, nutrient-rich side dish on the table.
Not only are roasted veggies quick and easy to make, but they’re also superior in flavor and texture to almost any other way of cooking vegetables (also, in my opinion, but I know I'm not alone here).
Roasting veggies, especially roasted cauliflower and carrots, brings out a subtle sweetness and helps preserve some of their tender crunch. This recipe is super basic, but I have plenty of variations listed for you to easily dress them up to match whatever you’re serving them with.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You only need three ingredients and a few staple spices to toss this roasted vegetable side dish together.
- Just one cup of roasted cauliflower and carrots has over 100% of your daily value (DV) of vitamin C and 4 grams of fiber.
- This whole food, budget-friendly side dish is an easy way to eat more vegetables with any meal.
- A versatile base recipe that can easily be adapted to pair with any style of meal.
- Roasting carrots and cauliflower brings out a natural sweetness and creates a golden, crispy outside with a tender inside— no mushy veggies here!
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Carrots. Roasted carrots might be my favorite vegetable ever. I love how roasting brings out the sweetness and teh texture turns from crunchy to tender. Carrots are a good source of vitamin C, fiber, and beta-carotene. Plus, they’re available all year round and are a budget-friendly option.
- Cauliflower. We’re enjoying cauliflower as a veggie here (not a pizza crust or pasta) and keeping it basic. Roasting makes the flavor more mild and slightly sweet.
- Oil. This helps prevent the veggies from sticking to the pan but also adds healthy fats for richness and nutrient absorption. You can ust any type of oil, but I prefer avocado oil or light olive oil.
- Seasonings. To keep this recipe simple, we use just salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried thyme leaves.
See recipe card for quantities.
🥣 Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add the carrots and cauliflower to the sheet pan in a single layer. Toss the mixture with oil and seasonings.
- Roast for 35 minutes or until browned and tender. Stir halfway through for even cooking.
🗯 Tips and Tricks
- Slice the carrots into uniform 1-inch sections and break the cauliflower into similar-sized florets to help everything cook at the same rate. If you leave some pieces too big and other too small, you’ll end up with some too hard and some burnt pieces.
- Spread the veggies out in a single layer on the sheet pan. If they’re too close together, they may steam instead of roast, keeping them from getting crispy on the outside.
- Stir the veggies about halfway through cooking to ensure they roast evenly on all sides.
🛍Substitutions
- Carrots: Instead of regular-sized carrots cut into pieces, use baby carrots or another root vegetable like parsnips.
- Cauliflower: You can swap the cauliflower with broccoli while leaving all the steps the same.
- Oil: While I don’t recomend skipping the oil, you can ust avocado oil, light olive oil, canola oil, or even just spray everything down with a cooking spray.
- Garlic powder: You can swap the garlic powder with freshly minced garlic if you prefer a stronger flavor.
- Dried thyme: Substitute thyme with another dried herb like oregano, italian seasoning, rosemary, or a blend you enjoy.
↔️ Customize it
- Add sliced red onions for more variety and flavor.
- Make it spicy with a pinch of red pepper flakes, sprinkle of cayenne pepper, or a dash or hot sauce or sriracha.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice as you take the roasted cauliflower and carrots out of the oven.
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze.
- Add cheese by sprinkling parmesan cheese over the top or mixing feta into the vegetables once removed from the oven.
🍽 Equipment
- All you need for this recipe, aside from a cutting baord and sharp knife, is a quality sheet pan!
🍲Make ahead and storage instructions
You can prep the carrots and cauliflower ahead of time by chopping them and storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days before roasting them.
To store leftovers, let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat this recipe, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, add the leftover vegetables to a pan and roast for 5 to 10 minutes or until warmed through. You can reheat them in the microwave, by putting on a microwave-safe plate and warming for 60 seconds or until hot, but the texture may become mushy.
🍽️ What to serve with Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower
One of my favorite ways to eat my veggies is by adding roasted vegetables to salads – it makes eating salads a year-round occurrence since roasted veggies add a heartiness that hits every cozy season craving.
Serve this with any meaty main course, as a side dish to pasta, since carrots and cauliflower are lower-carb vegetables, with a salad or soup!
Your questions answered
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🍲 Recipe
📖 Recipe
Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 2 cups carrots peeled and sliced into 1-inch sections
- 1 head of cauliflower broken into florets
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add the carrots and cauliflower to a large sheet pan. Toss the mixture with oil and seasonings.
- Roast for 35 minutes or until slightly browned and tender, stirring halfway through for even cooking.
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