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Smoked Carrots with Hot Honey for Traeger & Pellet Grill

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These deliciously seasoned smoked carrots with hot honey are the perfect veggie recipe for your Traeger or pellet grill! These grilled carrots are super easy to make with spices that highlight their natural sweetness, while the smokiness from the grill and the hot honey add a variety of fun flavors to this healthy side dish.

Platter of smoked carrot pieces with cup of hot honey.

I actually came up with the idea for these smoked carrots as a side dish for my Jamaican jerk chicken thighs with coconut rice. I wanted to come up with a fun and summery meal idea to bring to some friends who just had a baby.

Many of the smoked carrot recipes I found online weren’t really smoked, but rather just roasted using the Traeger. That is a great way to use the Traeger for sure, but I was wondering how these carrots would turn out if we gave them a little smoke time first to really soak up that smoky flavor.

My first attempt at this recipe…well, let’s just say it wasn’t great. Here are a few things I learned from that experience:

  1. Don’t smoke the carrots too long.
  2. Don’t turn up the temperature too high after the smoke.
  3. Don’t add the hot honey until the end because it will burn.

I’m a stubborn person and kept working on these smoky carrots because I just KNEW they could be amazing, and I’m pleased to say after a few tweaks, we came up with great instructions for this delicious smoked carrots recipe. They are the perfect side dish for any occasion!

Traeger Carrots with Hot Honey Ingredients

You only need a handful of ingredients to make this tasty side dish:

Whole Carrots – Wash your carrots and peel them if desired. The timing for this recipe is for whole carrots cut into large pieces, not baby carrots.

Olive Oil

Spices – Salt, Cinnamon, and chili powder bring out the lovely natural sweetness of the carrots.

Hot Honey for drizzling.

As for equipment, you will need a cutting board, sharp knife, vegetable peeler, Traeger grill or pellet smoker, and a pan or baking sheet.

A cutting board with whole carrots and small dishes of seasonings, oil, and a bottle of hot honey.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Smoked Carrots

These smoked carrots are easy to make. Simply follow the instructions below:

This is a Trager pellet grill with the hood open as it heats up on a wooden deck.

1. Preheat Traeger or Grill

Turn on your Traeger grill (or other smoker) per instructions for your model. Preheat the smoker to 180ยฐF.

Chopped carrot pieces on a cutting board.

2. Prep Carrots

Slice carrots into large pieces, about 2-3 inches long. If the pieces are from the thick base of the carrot, you can slice them in half, if they’re from the narrower end of the carrot, or just thinner carrots in general, you can leave them whole. Place the carrots in an 9×13 pan or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Seasoned carrot pieces on parchment paper.

3. Season Carrots

Mix the salt, cinnamon, and chili powder together in a small bowl. Drizzle the carrots with olive oil and then sprinkle the bowl of spices over them. Stir and toss the pieces to evenly coat. Arrange in an even, single layer.

Glass Pan of carrot pieces on the Traeger Grill.

4. Smoke Carrots

Place the pan directly on the Traeger grill grate. Cook at 180ยฐF for 30 minutes to saturate the carrot pieces with smoky flavor.

Glass Pan of carrot pieces on the Traeger Grill with a fork flipping them over.

5. Flip Carrots & Roast

After 30 minutes at 180ยฐ, turn the heat up to 375ยฐ. Cook for 20 minutes, then flip the carrots over and roast 10 more minutes until fork tender but not mushy.

A platter of smoked carrot pieces with a small dish of hot honey.

6. Serve with Hot Honey

Remove the carrots from the smoker and drizzle them with hot honey. Serve immediately.

Storing & Reheating Leftovers

Store leftover carrots in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat as desired in the microwave or oven at 350ยฐ for about 10 minutes. Leftovers should be reheated until they reach an internal temperature of 165ยฐF.

Substitutions

Feel free to drizzle these carrots with regular honey or maple syrup if you don’t have hot honey.

If you would like to use baby carrots instead of chopped whole carrots, you need to reduce the cooking time in step 5. Start with 10 minutes, then stir the carrots and cook until they are fork tender.

Serving Suggestions

As stated earlier in the article, we made these as a fun veggie side to go with my Jamaican Jerk Chicken Thighs and Coconut Rice.

But these carrots would also go super well with my smoked whole chicken, my smoked spatchcock chicken, or my Traeger Smoked Ham with Pineapple Cherry Glaze.

Serve alongside my cucumber blueberry-lemon salad and you will have the perfect summer meal! Find more warm-weather recipes on my Spring & Summer recipes page.

Platter of smoked carrot pieces with cup of hot honey.

Leave a Comment & Review

These delicious smoked carrots deserve a spot at your dinner table tonight! If you make these and love them, please leave a comment and 5-star review. It means the world!

Platter of smoked carrot pieces with cup of hot honey.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Seasoned Smoked Carrots with Hot Honey

These tender, smoky carrots are rubbed with a delightful mix of spices and served with a drizzle of hot honey. They are to die for!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: grilled carrots, smoked carrots, traeger smoked carrots
Servings: 4
Calories: 67kcal
Author: Holly Lee
Cost: $5

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 6 whole carrots - washed, peeled, and dried
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt - more to taste
  • hot honey for drizzling

Instructions

  • Turn on your Traeger grill (or other smoker) per instructions for your model. Preheat the smoker to 180ยฐF.
  • Slice carrots into large pieces, about 2-3 inches long. If the pieces are from the thick base of the carrot, you can slice them in half, if they're from the narrower end of the carrot you can leave them whole. Place the carrots in an 9×13 pan lined with parchment paper or foil.
  • Mix the salt, cinnamon, and chili powder together in a small bowl.ย Drizzle carrots with olive oil and then sprinkle the bowl of spices over them. Stir and toss the pieces to evenly coat. Arrange in an even, single layer.
  • Place the pan directly on the Traeger grates. Cook at 180ยฐF for 30 minutes to saturate the carrot pieces with smoke flavor.
  • After 30 minutes at 180ยฐ, turn the heat up to 375ยฐ. Cook for 20 minutes, then flip the carrots over and roast 10 more minutes until fork tender but not mushy.
  • Remove from the smoker and drizzle smoked carrots with hot honey. Serve immediately.

Notes

Store leftover carrots in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 308mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 549IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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