Honey Roasted Carrots & Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) is a delicious side dish that can double as a light vegetarian main course. It’s a great mix of sweet, savory, and crunchy, and goes perfectly with roasted meats, grilled dishes, or grains like quinoa and couscous.
This recipe is super easy to prepare and is perfect served with grilled chicken or fish, roasted meat, or can be enjoyed on its own.
For a vegetarian option, pair it with grains like quinoa, wild brown rice or couscous, or serve alongside grilled tofu or roasted tempeh.
It's such a vibrant dish that adds a burst of color and flavor to your table, making it great for cozy family dinners or entertaining guests.
🤓 Visual Instructions
These visual instructions help you see the process. You can also find the full printable recipe with instructions and ingredients at the end of the post.
- Place the carrots, garlic cloves, and fresh thyme leaves on a large baking pan. In a small bowl or measuring jug, mix the olive oil, honey, lemon zest, dried thyme, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Pour this mixture over the carrots. Season with freshly ground black pepper and toss gently to coat everything evenly.
- In a separate baking pan, toss the drained and rinsed chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with olive oil and salt. Place both baking pans in the oven at the same time.
- Carrots: Roast on the upper rack for 20–25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and caramelized.
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans): Roast on the lower rack for 20–25 minutes, stirring halfway, until crispy.
- Remove both baking pans from the oven. Add the crispy chickpeas (garbanzo beans) to the pan with the carrots and toss gently to combine.
Garnish - optional: Top the roasted carrots and chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with fresh baby spinach or red vein sorrel leaves. The residual warmth will cause the spinach to wilt slightly.
👩🍳 Tips for Roasting time
Oven temperature: Since oven temperatures can vary, check both the carrots and chickpeas around the 20-minute mark.
If needed, you can extend the roasting time for both the carrots and chickpeas by a few more minutes if they’re not crispy enough.
Softer Carrots: If you prefer softer, less caramelized carrots, cover the pan with foil for the first 15 minutes of roasting. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes to allow some browning and caramelization.
👩🍳 Tips for choosing carrots
Baby Rainbow Carrots
- These are the ones I used for this recipe. They’re tender, sweet, and bring vibrant color to the dish.
- Plus, they roast quickly without the need to peel—just give them a good scrub.
- You'll need about 15–20 baby carrots to equal 10–12 oz (300g).
Regular Carrots:
- Use the same weight (10–12 oz / 300g).
- Peel and cut into 2–3 inch (5–7 cm) pieces, about ½ inch (1 cm) thick.
- You’ll need about 2–3 medium-sized regular carrots.
- These may need an extra 5–10 minutes of roasting to become tender and caramelized.
Recipe
Honey Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas
Carrots
- 10 oz (300g) baby rainbow or regular carrots, scrubbed (see note 1)
- 2 whole garlic cloves
- 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme (plus extra for garnish)
Honey mixture
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon honey (liquid honey)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or mixed dried herbs
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
- 14 oz 400g can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Optional
- ½ cup (140g) Greek yogurt or sour cream (to serve)
- Seeds from 1 pomegranate (to serve)
- Fresh baby spinach or red vein sorrel (for garnish)
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C)
Prepare the Carrots and honey mixture
- Place the carrots, garlic cloves, and fresh thyme leaves on a baking pan.
- In a small bowl or measuring jug, mix the olive oil, honey, dried thyme, and salt. Pour this mixture over the carrots.
- Season with freshly ground black pepper and toss gently to coat everything evenly.
Prepare the Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- In a separate baking pan, toss the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with olive oil and salt.
Roast together
- Place both baking pans in the oven at the same time.
- Carrots: Roast on the upper rack for 20–25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and caramelized.
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans): Roast on the lower rack for 20–25 minutes, stirring halfway, until crispy.
- Softer Carrots: If you prefer softer, less caramelized carrots, cover the pan with foil for the first 15 minutes of roasting. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes to allow some browning and caramelization.
- Oven temperature: Since oven temperatures can vary, check both the carrots and chickpeas around the 20-minute mark.
- If needed, you can extend the roasting time for both the carrots and chickpeas by a few more minutes if they’re not crispy enough.
Combine
- Remove both baking pans from the oven. Add the crispy chickpeas (garbanzo beans) to the pan with the carrots and toss gently to combine.
Garnish
- Top the roasted carrots and chickpeas with fresh spinach or red vein sorrel leaves. The residual warmth will cause the spinach to wilt slightly.
Serving suggestion
- Serve as a side with grilled chicken, fish, or roasted meat, or enjoy it on its own.
- For a vegetarian option, pair it with grains like quinoa, wild brown rice or couscous, or serve alongside grilled tofu or roasted tempeh.
- Arrange the roasted carrots and chickpeas on a serving platter or bowl.
- Optionally, add dollops of sour cream or Greek yogurt and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds for extra flavor and texture.
- You can use baby rainbow or regular carrots in this recipe
- You'll need about 15–20 baby carrots to equal 10–12 oz (300g).
- These are the ones I used for this recipe. They’re tender, sweet, and bring vibrant color to the dish.
- Plus, they roast quickly without the need to peel—just give them a good scrub.
- You’ll need about 2–3 medium-sized regular carrots to equal 10–12 oz (300g)
- Peel and cut into 2–3 inch (5–7 cm) pieces, about ½ inch (1 cm) thick.
- These may need an extra 5–10 minutes of roasting to become tender and caramelized.
Note: Nutritional information is based on the recipe without the optional ingredients.
Scroll Up for the STEP by STEP Photos Don't miss the process shots in the post above. Simply scroll up the post to find them. Those were created especially for you so that you can make the recipe perfectly every single time you try it.
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Alicia Kissoon says
Absolutely fabulous Christmas vegan option. It looks stunning on the table and tastes incredible!
The Gardening Foodie says
Hi Alicia,
Thank you, What a lovely compliment 🤗 I’m so glad to know that you enjoyed it and happy to hear that it was just what you were looking for.
Hope you get to enjoy it again soon 😊