Crispy and chewy, sweet and delicious; these roasted carrot strips are sure to win over even the most notorious carrot haters out there!
I have mentioned before how I believe that roasting vegetables is the most child friendly way to serve them. The roasting mellows the flavour of vegetables and helps to release the natural sugars, making them more appealing to kids.
Carrots are one of the sweetest vegetables out there, which make them perfect for roasting. When thinly sliced, like in these roasted carrot strips, the caramelisation is taken to a whole new level. This provides the crunchy chewy texture and sweetness that kids actively look for in foods.
I can’t even begin to properly describe just how good these are, the photos really don’t match up to how they taste. I made several attempts to capture a photo that gave these carrots justice but I failed. Honestly, you have to try these and when you do you will be hooked.
How to Make the Perfected Roasted Carrot Strips.
Thickness of your strips – You want to slice the carrots around 2-3 mm thick. If you slice to them too thin they will burn easily, slice too thick and you won’t achieve the same level of crispness.
Uniform Slices – I don’t suggest you try to slice the carrots using a knife, uniform thin slices will be very hard to achieve this way. I used a mandoline at the second thickness setting (which is around 2mm). If you don’t have a mandoline then you can use a Y peeler.
Lightly Oil – You don’t want to drench you carrots in oil, I find using a pastry brush gets the best results. Lightly brush the carrots on each side before baking.
Flip and Watch – Make sure you flip your carrots half way through the cooking time. Towards the end of the cooking time keep an eye on your carrots, they can burn quickly and you want to catch them just before that point. If you don’t feel the carrots are crispy enough, place them back in the oven and keep a close eye on them.
How to Serve Roasted Carrot Strips
Snacks – Great as a snack just the way they are. They taste delicious both hot and cold.
Sandwiches – Take your sandwiches to the next level, they give sandwiches a great flavour and texture boost.
Lunchboxes – Pop a few in the lunchbox.
Part of a main meal – Serve them as a side dish, in Buddha bowls or chopped on top of salads.
How to Store Roasted Carrot Strips
On the rare occasion that you have any leftover, they will store in the fridge for a couple of days.
Have you tried these Roasted Carrot Strips? I’d love to know what you and your kids thought. Please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram or Facebook.
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Roasted Carrot Strips Recipe
Ingredients
- 450g Carrots * SEE NOTE 1
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika * SEE NOTE 2
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 180C / 350F
- Top and tail the carrot and slice very thinly, lengthways, to form long, even strips . I used a mandoline to do this but you could use a y peeler.
- Place the carrots strips flat on a baking tray, side by side, making sure they don't overlap. (I usually fill 2 baking trays)
- Lightly brush each carrot strip with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with a dusting of smoked paprika. *SEE NOTE 2
- Bake for approx. 20 mins, flipping them halfway. *SEE NOTE 3
Recipe Notes
- I filled two baking trays with carrot strips and my total weight was 450g. This will vary depending on size of carrots and the thickness of the strips.
- Smoked paprika is optional, I love the sweet, smokey taste it gives. You can leave it out or substitute it for another spice, such as cumin.
- You may need slightly shorter / longer than 20 mins depending on your oven and the thickness of the carrots. I sometimes roast them for longer as I like the crispy texture.
Seo Lee says
I used a potato peeler to make carrot strips, and placed the cooking sheet in the middle rack. Despite frequent checking and turning, thinner parts ended up burning, and thicker parts remained damp after 17 minutes in 180.d.c. However, I don’t consider this a failure.
I ate up the burnt part, which was pleasantly crispy and tasty (but probably unhealthy for babies). My 15MO baby ate the rest of the batch in one sitting…
I think I will try lower temperature next time.
Amy says
Hi Seo Lee, thanks for the detailed feedback and I’m glad you aren’t giving up on the recipe. I’m guessing your strips were thinner than mine, a lower temperature should work 🙂
Roxana Grisaffi says
Do these freezer well?
Amy says
Hi Roxana, I haven’t frozen these before. I don’t think they would be great after freezing but without trying I can’t say for sure.