The best roasted rainbow carrots recipe! Whole oven roasted rainbow carrots topped with a simple pistachio herb relish. An amazing side dish!
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Hello, Rhubarbarians! Giving you a simple and gorgeous side dish recipe today: roasted rainbow carrots! Topped with an herby, pistachio carrot top relish. Mmmm......
Simple, no-fuss roasted veggies are mega staples for any home cook. Quick to prep and perfect for cooking seasonally. These oven roasted carrots are only seasoned with salt and pepper, and then topped with tons of flavor with an easy to whip up relish with fresh herbs. You've got to try this one out!
Jump to:
What are rainbow carrots?
Rainbow carrots are bunches of colorful carrots that often include orange carrots, purple carrots, yellow carrots, and white carrots. You can find them at your farmer's markets or in grocery stores.
"Rainbow carrots are a mix of colorful carrot varieties picked at their immature stages for young harvest. Typical varieties that are grown for the mix are yellow stone, white satin, purple haze, black knight, nantes and atomic red making for a perfect array of tender-crisp, sweet and earthy carrots." - sourced by Specialty Produce
Do rainbow carrots taste different than orange carrots? Yes, they do! Different colors will taste different, but the difference is very subtle and mostly when eaten raw. When roasting carrots, you probably won't taste a difference.
Produce spotlights to check out:
Why you'll love this
If you're anything like me, you don't want to spend a lot of time and energy on side dishes. This one is super simple, and yet super tasty!
I keep the carrots very simple, just tossing them in olive oil, salt, and pepper and letting the natural sweetness shine. The relish is quick to whip up and adds so much flavor. A beautiful, colorful side dish!
This is a great way to use up those carrots greens too!
Ingredients and equipment
Here's what you need to make perfectly roasted rainbow carrots! (Full ingredients and instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article)
Ingredients:
- Rainbow carrots with tops. Be sure that the size of your carrots are about the same.
- Olive oil
- Pistachios
- Fresh mint
- Green onion
- Lemon
- Salt and pepper
Equipment: (affiliate links below)
- Oven.
- Vegetable peeler. I like these three peelers!
- Chef's knife.
- Towel or paper towel.
- Measuring spoons.
- Baking dish.
- Small bowl. I just use a small mixing bowl.
- Citrus zester or microplane.
- Serving dish and serving utensils. These serving dishes are beautiful.
Step by step instructions
Here's how to roast whole carrots! (Full instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article)
- First, pick out your rainbow carrots. Look for medium sized, firm carrots that have green tops.
- Preheat your oven.
- Peel the carrots (optional). Wash them well, cut the carrot tops off, and then pat them dry.
- Toss the carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Place the carrots in a single layer in a baking pan and then bake in the oven.
- While the carrots are baking, make your relish. Combine the relish ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.
- When the carrots are cooked and tender but not mushy, they are ready!
- Serve the carrots with the pistachio herb relish on top.
Have you tried this spicy carrot soup with coconut milk yet?
Serving suggestions
My favorite way to serve this is as a simple side dish! This dish is so colorful and tasty, it's perfect for Easter or as a side dish for any weeknight dinner in spring.
For a beautiful presentation alongside a holiday meal, serve the carrots in a serving dish with the relish laid over the top of the carrots as shown in the photos.
For a more casual presentation, place the relish in a small bowl with a spoon on the table and let your guests top their carrots with the relish themselves.
Recipe tips and substitutions
- Be sure to choose medium sized carrots that are firm. Extra large carrots might be tough while super skinny carrots might be too soft. The tops should be very green and not a pale yellow or brown.
- If you can't find carrots with their tops, go ahead and swap the carrot tops for fresh parsley!
- Peeling the carrots creates a more vibrant color, but isn't necessary if they are washed well.
- You can swap the carrots for baby carrots if that's all you have, but the cook time will be less and the presentation won't be as beautiful.
- If you can't find rainbow carrots, swap for orange carrots.
- If you can't find pistachios, swap for almonds or hazelnuts.
What to do with the carrot tops
You can use carrot top greens the same you would any other herb! They have a bright and herby flavor, sort of like parsley, but they also have a strong bite of carrot flavor. Carrot tops are wonderful in pestos, relishes, salsas, or sauces. These roasted carrots are topped with a carrot top pistachio relish. If you can't find carrots with their tops at your market, parsley is a great substitute.
Use up those carrot tops:
How to dry and use carrot tops
Storing and freezing
Storing:
Store any leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The relish may turn brown, so it's best to use that up immediately.
Freezing:
Freezing isn't recommended. The carrots will not reheat well and the relish will turn brown and mushy.
FAQs
Go ahead and swap for fresh parsley!
Go ahead and use regular orange carrots!
Toss them in a salad, add them to a pesto, use them just as you would any fresh herb like parsley.
Nope! You don't have to. But I like to if I'm making these for Easter or a holiday because the color will be more vibrant after peeling.
If you like this recipe, I recommend these honey butter roasted radishes!
More side dishes you'll love:
Here's the full list of vegetarian side dish recipes!
Did you make this recipe? Leave us a review and star rating in the comments below! We read every single review and appreciate your feedback.
Recipe
Roasted rainbow carrots with pistachio herb relish
Ingredients
- 1 bunch medium carrots with carrot tops (see notes) (6-8 carrots)
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped roasted pistachios
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 Tablespoon finely sliced green onion (green parts only)
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400° F. Wash the carrots, cut off the tops and then peel them. Set the carrot tops aside and pat the carrots dry.1 bunch medium carrots with carrot tops (see notes)
- Toss the carrots with the olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place them in a baking dish and roast for 40 minutes or until fork tender but not mushy.1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper
- While the carrots are roasting, finely chop the carrot tops (or parsley). Combine 2 Tablespoons of the carrot tops, pistachios, mint leaves, green onions, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season to your liking with salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.¼ cup chopped roasted pistachios, 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves, 1 Tablespoon finely sliced green onion (green parts only), ½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest, 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice, salt and black pepper
- When the carrots are roasted, transfer to your desired serving dish and top with the pistachio relish.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- 1 bunch of carrots will have 6-8 carrots.
- Be sure to choose medium sized carrots that are firm. Extra large carrots might be tough while super skinny carrots might be too soft. The tops should be very green and not a pale yellow or brown.
- If you can't find carrots with their tops, go ahead and swap the carrot tops for fresh parsley!
- Peeling the carrots creates a more vibrant color, but isn't necessary if they are washed well.
- You can swap the carrots for baby carrots if that's all you have, but the cook time will be less and the presentation won't be as beautiful.
- If you can't find rainbow carrots, swap for orange carrots.
- If you can't find pistachios, swap for almonds or hazelnuts.
Nutrition
If you make this recipe, please let us know on social media or in the comments below! Leave a star rating in your comment or tag us on Instagram with #Rhubarbarians
LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? GET FREE WEEKLY RECIPES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX! SIGN UP HERE!
Sarah | Well and Full
That herb relish sounds absolutely delicious! This is perfect for spring 🙂
Patricia Bozeman
Thanks, Sarah! The herb relish is a new fave. I want it on all the veggies! 😉
Debra
OMG....saw this gorgeous dish on instagram and had to come check out the recipe. Love the simple, wholesome, clean ingredient list. THis is the perfect spring recipe to bring to my book group brunch this weekend.
Marisa F. Stewart
I've seen the colored carrots at the Farmer's Market and I've been tempted to purchase them. I didn't because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them. Roasting those beauties with the tops and putting a pistachio relish on them makes them so elegant and tasty. What a lovely presentation. Next time I'm at the Farmer's Market I'll pick up some of these carrots.
Sean@Diversivore
Heck yeah. I love me some pistachios, and I love the richness and bite that they add to root veggies (and the like). I'm especially pleased to see the use of the carrot tops. They can be a bit tough at times, but that's dealt with by mincing them, and they've got a great green flavour. Mint is the perfect touch too, and so good with carrots. I wonder if you think a little garlic would be good in the mix too - sort of a pistachio-gremolata kinda thing? Then again my default is to always add garlic. Lol. Regardless, this is a beautiful, flavourful, bright and lovely dish. Great stuff.
Annemarie
Extra points for using the carrot tops with the carrots! Whenever I get the fresh, local carrots, I love the greens but I hadn't thought of putting them into a relish with the carrots. And thanks for the tip on peeling the carrots to keep their colors bright. I'll make sure I do that.
Daniela
Yum! I love roasted carrots, but this pistachio relish just takes them to a whole another level. And I love that it makes use of the carrot tops as well since I hate throwing those out. I would love to serve them alongside some creamy burrata to turn them into a simple, healthy lunch. Great recipe!
Julie Menghini
I love pistachios and eat them as snacks a lot. Layered on the roasted carrots sounds amazing and I just love the textures of this dish. Those carrots are just picture perfect and I love that you used the entire carrots. I've never used mint with carrots but it sounds amazing. These carrots would be perfect for my Easter table!
Gloria
I love the look of this carrot recipe. Those are my favourite kind. Presentation perfect. I always have pistachios. The crunch would be a great contrast to these beautifully roasted carrots.