Roasted Carrots with Spiced Yoghurt and Honey Hazelnuts - Easy Side Dish

Roasted Carrots with Spiced Yoghurt and Honey Hazelnuts - Easy Side Dish

Welcome back to The Weekly Veg! This week we are giving one of the most underrated vegetables in your fridge the STARRING ROLE it absolutely deserves. Carrots might not be rock and roll, but roasted with cumin, cinnamon, garlic, and Greek yoghurt until golden and caramelised, and finished with honey toasted hazelnuts? They are the headlining act of your dinner table and I will not hear otherwise. This recipe is full of pantry staples, uses up that last bit of yoghurt that is always lurking in the fridge, and comes together with almost zero effort. Simple, seasonal, and absolutely DELICIOUS!

Watch me make this on YouTube!

Recipe Details:

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 to 40 minutes
• Total Time: 45 to 50 minutes
• Serves: 4 as a side dish
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: Lined baking tray

The yoghurt is the secret weapon here. Mixed straight into the carrots with the spices and garlic before roasting, it coats everything in a thin, tangy layer that caramelises in the oven into the most incredible golden crust. The cumin and cinnamon are a classic pairing with carrot, warm, slightly sweet, deeply fragrant, and the onion roasts down alongside everything into soft, sticky, almost jammy pieces that are just gorgeous. Then in the last 10 minutes the honey hazelnuts go in, toasting up until golden and crunchy and smelling absolutely incredible. It is a very simple plate of food that tastes anything but!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Turns everyday carrots into something genuinely special: A few pantry spices and a spoonful of yoghurt is all it takes to make this the most exciting vegetable on the table
• Uses up the last of your yoghurt: That tablespoon or two sitting in the bottom of the pot has found its purpose!
• The honey hazelnuts are everything: Crunchy, sweet, fragrant, and the perfect finishing touch
• Pantry staple ingredients: Cumin, cinnamon, garlic, oil, honey, nothing fancy required
• Seasonal and budget friendly: Carrots are one of the cheapest, most reliable vegetables going all year round in NZ

Ingredients

For the Roasted Carrots:

• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into batons or halved lengthways
• 1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
• Half a teaspoon ground cumin
• Quarter of a teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to season

For the Honey Hazelnuts:

• 30g hazelnuts, lightly crushed (more if you like, the more the merrier!)
• Half a teaspoon honey, plus extra to drizzle at the end if you like
• Drizzle of olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven: Heat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan / 375°F / Gas Mark 5) and line a large baking tray.
2. Mix and coat the carrots: In a large bowl, combine the carrots and onion wedges with the Greek yoghurt, cumin, cinnamon, grated garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Toss everything together until the carrots and onion are evenly coated in the spiced yoghurt mixture.
3. Roast: Spread everything out in a single layer on the lined baking tray. Roast for 35 minutes until the carrots are tender, golden, and starting to caramelise at the edges and the onion is soft and sticky.
4. Prepare the honey hazelnuts: While the carrots are in their last 10 minutes, lightly crush the hazelnuts and toss them in a small bowl with the honey and a drizzle of olive oil.
5. Add the hazelnuts: After 35 minutes, scatter the honey hazelnuts over the tray and return to the oven for a final 5 to 10 minutes until the hazelnuts are golden and toasted. Keep a close eye on them as they can burn quickly!
6. Plate and serve: Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle with a little extra honey if you like. Serve immediately while everything is still warm and the hazelnuts are crunchy!

Chef's Tips

Cut your carrots evenly: Try to keep them a similar size so they all cook at the same rate. Halved lengthways or cut into thick batons both work beautifully and look gorgeous on the plate.

The yoghurt coating caramelises in the oven: This is the magic of this recipe. That thin coating of spiced yoghurt sets and caramelises against the hot tray, giving the carrots a gorgeous golden crust and a depth of flavour you just cannot get from oil alone.

Don't overcrowd the tray: If your carrots are piled on top of each other they will steam rather than roast and you will lose that gorgeous caramelisation. Use a large tray and give everything space.

Add the hazelnuts in the last 10 minutes only: They will burn if they go in at the beginning. Keep them in the bowl until the last stretch and then scatter over, they only need a few minutes to toast up beautifully.

More hazelnuts is always the answer: 30g is the baseline but honestly pile them on. They are the best bit!

A drizzle of honey at the end: Optional but brilliant. Just a tiny extra drizzle over the finished dish adds a lovely gloss and sweetness that ties everything together.

Substitutions & Variations

• No hazelnuts: Walnuts, almonds, or pumpkin seeds all work beautifully instead
• No Greek yoghurt: Natural yoghurt works just as well
• No cinnamon: Leave it out or swap for a pinch of smoked paprika for a slightly different flavour profile
• Add harissa: A teaspoon of harissa paste mixed into the yoghurt coating gives a lovely warmth and depth
• Add fresh herbs: A scatter of fresh coriander or flat leaf parsley over the top to serve is absolutely gorgeous
• Make it vegan: Swap the Greek yoghurt for coconut yoghurt and the honey for maple syrup

Storage

Best eaten fresh: These carrots are at their absolute best straight from the oven while the hazelnuts are still crunchy and everything is warm and golden.

Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 180°C for 8 to 10 minutes to bring back some of that roasted character. The hazelnuts will soften slightly on reheating but will still be delicious.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I prep this ahead? A: Yes! Toss the carrots in the spiced yoghurt mixture and keep them in the fridge for up to 24 hours before roasting.

Q: My carrots are not caramelising, what do I do? A: Make sure the oven is properly preheated and the tray is not overcrowded. If they are steaming rather than roasting, spread them out further and give them another 5 to 10 minutes.

Q: Can I cook these in an air fryer? A: Yes! Air fry at 190°C for 20 to 25 minutes, adding the hazelnuts in the last 5 minutes. Keep a very close eye on the hazelnuts in the air fryer as they toast much faster.

Q: Do I need to peel the carrots? A: You don't have to! Scrubbed unpeeled carrots have a lovely rustic look and the skin gets beautifully crispy. Just give them a good wash first.

Q: Can I use baby carrots instead? A: Absolutely! Baby carrots work brilliantly here and look gorgeous on the plate. Leave them whole and reduce the roasting time slightly as they are smaller.

You Might Also Like

Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese Bake - Easy Sunday Side Dish - More gorgeous seasonal vegetable inspiration from The Weekly Veg!

5 Minute Asian Green Beans - Quick Side Dish - Another brilliantly easy vegetable side dish that punches way above its weight on flavour!

Enjoy!

Del x

These roasted carrots with spiced yoghurt and honey hazelnuts are proof that the most humble vegetable in your fridge can absolutely steal the show. Cumin, cinnamon, garlic, and Greek yoghurt roasted until golden and caramelised, finished with honey toasted hazelnuts, simple, seasonal, and absolutely DELICIOUS. The not-so-rock-and-roll carrot has finally had its moment!