This citrus glazed carrots recipe features beautiful carrots seasoned with a touch of salt and pepper, then bathed in butter and grapefruit juice. It's an elegant side dish that takes minutes to prepare. Enjoy alongside your favorite chicken, pork, or vegetarian entrée.
A squeeze of a grapefruit brightens up the flavor of this citrus glazed carrots recipe. This delicious side dish bakes in just 20 minutes!
I use rainbow carrots in this recipe because they're beautiful! A simple roasting of the carrots brings out their natural sweetness and depth of flavor.
Why This Recipe Works
- While you can easily use regular carrots, these colorful carrots that came in my weekly produce box were begging to be used. Use any kind of carrots in this citrus glazed carrots recipe.
- This is a delicious way to dress up roasted carrots. The tart grapefruit glaze adds a wonderful hint of tangy flavor.
- You can slice the carrots or roast very skinny ones whole. Mine were long and skinny so I chose slice them in half. Thicker carrots can be sliced into long, thick strips or cut them into wide, oval discs.
- Roasting carrots is so much tastier than steaming them. Roasting vegetables brings out the flavors of the vegetables.
- This small batch recipe yields the perfect amount for one or possibly two servings.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Carrots: Use between 2 to 4 carrots, depending on their size. Use about 8-ounces of carrots/200 grams).
- Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this citrus glazed carrots recipe as well as in every other recipe on One Dish Kitchen that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It's my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use a lighter olive oil instead.
- Grapefruit juice: For best taste, use freshly squeezed grapefruit flavor. You may use bottled grapefruit juice if necessary. See below for other ways to use grapefruit. You may use orange juice instead, if preferred.
- Salt and black pepper: For flavor.
- Butter: The roasted carrots are tossed in melted butter after roasting.
How To Make This Recipe
- Peel and trim the ends off the carrots. Slice each carrot in half or into 2-inch long sections. Place on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and juice over the carrots and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Use your hands to make sure the carrots are evenly coated.
- Place baking sheet in the oven and bake until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven. Toss the carrots with melted butter and enjoy immediately.
Expert Tips
- To ensure even cooking, cut the carrots to roughly the same size.
- To achieve beautiful browning and crisp, roasted perfection, carrots need to be arranged in a single layer on the pan.
- Roast the carrots at 400 F. The high temperature allows the vegetables to be perfectly crisp on the outsides and cooked on the insides.
Frequently Asked Questions
You actually don't have to peel carrots before roasting or cooking. As long as you wash and scrub them well to remove dirt and any debris, unpeeled carrots are perfectly safe to eat. It really comes down to a matter of personal preference. I like to peel my carrots before eating them.
Use what you have in your refrigerator or if you're picking some up for this recipe, I recommend using basic carrots or rainbow carrots. You can even roast baby carrots.
Yes! If you don't want to use grapefruit juice, try orange juice instead. It's delicious!
The difference in taste between different colored carrots like orange, red, purple, and white is very subtle. When roasted, it is hardly noticeable.
Serving Suggestions
You might like to serve these citrus glazed carrots with any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this glazed carrots recipe, you might like to use them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Carrots: Mini Carrot Cake, Curried Carrot Soup, Beef Stew
- Grapefruit juice: Mini Grapefruit Cake, Grapefruit Posset
- Olive oil: Cioppino, Roasted Garlic, Olives, and Feta, Beef Enchiladas
If you’ve tried these citrus glazed carrots or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Citrus Glazed Carrots For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces carrots (3-4 small carrots), peeled, trimmed and either sliced in half or sliced into 2-inch long sections.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons grapefruit juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tablespoon salted butter , melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Spread carrots on a large parchment or foil-lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle olive oil and juice over the carrots and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Use your hand to toss until evenly coated.
- Place baking sheet in the oven and bake until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Remove baking sheet from oven. Toss the carrots with melted butter and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- To ensure even cooking, cut the carrots to roughly the same size.
- To achieve beautiful browning and crisp, roasted perfection, carrots need to be arranged in a single layer on the pan.
- Roast the carrots at 400 F. The high temperature allows the vegetables to be perfectly crisp on the outsides and cooked on the insides.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Valerie says
I am not able to eat grapefruit, so would the recipe turn out okay if I used orange juice? Thank you.
Joanie Zisk says
Yes, orange juice would be a delicious substitution.
Chris G says
I made these carrots to go with my ham steak. I used orange juice since I didn't have grapefruit and sprinkled them with just a pinch of dried thyme. So good!