Easy Grilled Carrots

Delicious, tender rainbow carrots tossed in an Italian herb vinaigrette and grilled to perfection!

At Ajpal, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Grilled Rainbow Carrots

If you’ve never had grilled carrots, you’re in for a treat! Grilling carrots brings out a lovely caramelized flavor to the lightly sweet root vegetable that is irresistible, combined with a garlicky Italian herbs dressing to enhance the earthy flavors of grilled carrots!

This recipe was designed to be prepared on an outdoor or indoor grill (like the Ninja Foodi Grill) so you can get a deliciously sweet, smoky flavor that is healthy, delicious, and fresh – and pairs perfectly with just about any main dish.

We like using rainbow carrots for this recipe, but you can use any kind of carrots you prefer – this is meant to act as a base you can adapt to your preferences!

How to Make Grilled Carrots

To make these grilled carrots, you will need:

Carrots. I love to make this dish full of color to star on a holiday table, so I opt for rainbow carrots, but any variety works. Thin parsnips also work in this recipe!
Olive oil. Olive oil helps to create a fat layer for your carrots to resist sticking to the grill, so they can cook without burning and create a lovely char.
Vinegar. Vinegar’s acid flavor counters the natural sugars in carrots to make an addictive, tangy kick to grilled carrots that is subtle and addictive.
Italian herbs. Italian herb seasoning mix included oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, and other herbs for a licorice-hinted woodsy bouquet that is earthy and rustic.
Salt and pepper, to taste.

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following process:

Prep. Peel carrots and wash well, cut tops to remove. In a small bowl mix herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar. Pour over carrots and let marinate at least 20 minutes. Heat grill.
Grill. Grill, turning every few minutes to prevent burning, until carrots are lightly charred and tender enough to be pierced with the tines of a fork.
Serve. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks For Perfect Grilled Carrots

Watch closely. Carrots burn quickly because of their high sugar content, so they need to be rotated often.

Use a higher rack. Higher racks not only have less direct heat – but often smaller grates your carrots won’t fall through.

Use oil. Using oil in your vinaigrette helps carrots not stick to the grill grates.

Use a clean grill. Make sure your grill surface is clean to prevent sticking.

Remove tops. I love cooking with fresh carrot greens – it can be used in place of parsley in a wide variety of recipes – but they will burn on a grill and are a bit of a flame-up hazard, so remove them for grilling.

FAQs

Carrots are done when they are tender under light pressure from a fork.

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to four days.

What to Serve With Grilled Carrots

Carrots are a fabulous side dish alongside so many main dishes – we love to serve carrots with pork tenderloin, roast chicken, ribeye roast – or with lighter meals like Ham and Bean Soup or Tomato Chickpea Salad.

For more of our recent favorite main dishes, visit below: