Home » Recipes » Side Dishes » Grilled Carrots with Carrot Top Persillade
| |

Grilled Carrots with Carrot Top Persillade

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you (thank you!). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Grilled Carrots with Carrot Top Persillade — grill-roasted, with a subtle hint of smoke, and dressed with a lemony, herbaceous sauce. When you’re grilling this spring and summer, this delicious side dish goes with everything! 

Grilled whole carrots with green herb sauce on a white platter.

Carrots on the Grill 

Our family loves carrots — raw, roasted, sautéed — and grilled! You’ll love how simple it is to prepare and it’s absolutely delish! 

The vibrant colors make it stunning to look at, and it’s versatile enough to accompany any main dish. Burgers? Yep! Steaks? Absolutely! Seafood? You bet!

What To Do With the Tops of Carrots?

How many times have you purchased that pretty bunch of carrots with the green tops intact only to chop them off and toss them out when you get home? I’m totally guilty. 

But, there are so many things you CAN make with them…

  • Carrot top pesto
  • Carrot top chimichurri
  • Add them to the pot when you’re making veggie broth
  • Add them to salads
  • Sauté them as you would other greens
  • Use them in place of other herbs (its flavor hints of carrots and mild parsley)

Aaaannnd…that’s exactly what this recipe does. Persillade is a green sauce traditionally made with parsley (‘persil’ en français), so carrot tops are the perfect stand-in!

Grilled whole carrots with green herb sauce on a white platter.

Ingredients for Grilled Carrots with Carrot Top Sauce

In addition to pantry staples of olive oil, kosher salt + fresh cracked black pepper, you’ll also need:

  • Whole carrots with the green tops
  • Fresh garlic
  • Lemon juice + zest

That’s it! I mentioned this was simple, right?

Raw ingredients for grilled carrots with carrot top persillade.

How to Prepare This Recipe

  1. Make the persillade — use a mini food processor (rough chop the garlic + greens) or mix it by hand (finely chop the garlic + greens). Combine all the ingredients and set it aside until it’s time to serve.
  2. Season the carrots — just a little olive oil, salt + pepper is all it takes.
  3. Grill the carrots — you can use a gas or charcoal grill. Set it up for 2-zone cooking (direct + indirect heat). 
  4. Dress and serve — arrange the grilled carrots on a serving dish and drizzle with the persillade!
Photo collage of the four steps to make persillade and grilled carrots.

Helpful Tips for Grilled Carrots

What is 2-zone cooking?

Two zones on a grill is when one side is hotter than the other…meaning one side will have a high flame (or hot coals) and the other side will have no/low flame (or no coals). The carrots begin on the hot side to get a little charring and color, then they finish cooking on the other side to roast by indirect heat.

For example, my gas grill has 3 burners (left, middle, right). After preheating the grill with all 3 burners on, I leave the left burner on high (for direct heat), turn the middle burner to low, and turn the right burner off (for indirect heat). With the lid closed, the internal temperature hovers between 425-450°F.

What if my carrots are different sizes?

It’s going to happen, but no worries! Small to medium carrots should be left as-is. Larger carrots can be cut in half lengthwise so they’re similar in size to the small/medium ones. Keep in mind that smaller/thinner carrots may finish cooking sooner. Remove carrots from the grill as they finish to prevent burning.

Four carrots of different sizes on a white surface.

How do I store and reheat leftovers?

Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in your refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or wrap in foil and warm in the oven (350°F) or on the grill until heated through.

What if I can’t find whole carrots with the greens attached?

If your market doesn’t have them, any whole carrots will be fine, including rainbow (tri-color) carrots. Use Italian flat-leaf parsley instead of carrot tops for a classic persillade sauce.

How should I clean the carrot greens?

Thoroughly rinse your carrots and greens. Trim the greens off, leaving about 1/4 inch at the top of the carrot. There may be some additional dirt and debris on the carrot where the greens are attached — scrub that by hand or with a small veggie brush, then peel the carrots. Rinse the greens again in cool water to remove any sand still clinging on, then gently blot dry with a tea towel.

Grilled whole carrots with carrot top sauce on a white platter.

If You Like This Recipe, Check These Out…

Grilled Carrots with Carrot Top Persillade

Grilled whole carrots with green herb sauce on a white platter.
Grilled Carrots with Carrot Top Persillade — grill-roasted, with a subtle hint of smoke, and dressed with a lemony, herbaceous sauce. When you’re grilling this spring and summer, this delicious side dish goes with everything!
Sip + Sanity | Linda Feller
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Serving Size 4 people

Ingredients

For the Carrots

  • lbs whole carrots with green tops (about 2 bunches) trim off tops + reserve for persillade, peel
  • 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste

For the Persillade (see notes)

  • 3 cloves garlic peeled + roughly chopped
  • ½ cup carrot top greens cleaned; roughly chopped, measure after chopping
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin is best
  • ¼ tsp lemon zest optional, omit if you prefer less lemon flavor

Instructions

  • Preheat your grill.
  • To make the persillade, toss the garlic, carrot greens, lemon juice, kosher salt + pepper into the bowl of food processor. Pulse several times to finely chop and combine, but don't liquify. Scrape down the sides as needed between pulses. Remove the mixture to a bowl and mix in the olive oil and lemon zest. Set aside until the carrots are ready to serve. 
  • In a shallow dish, toss carrots with olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.
  • Create 2 zones in your gas grill by setting the flame on one side to high/medium-high (direct heat) and turning the other side off (indirect heat). For charcoal grills, push all the coals to one side of the grill.
  • Grill the carrots over direct heat with the lid closed for 6 to 7 minutes, turning often to char evenly. Move the carrots to the side of the grill that is off, close the lid and cook for another 15 minutes. Check and turn them every few minutes to make sure they aren't burning.
  • Test for doneness by piercing one with a fork. If the fork goes all through, with little to no resistance they are done. Carrots may cook at different rates due to size. You may need to remove some from the grill sooner than others.
  • Remove the carrots to a serving platter. Give the persillade one last stir, then drizzle it over the grilled carrots.

Nutrition

Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 990mg | Potassium: 558mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 28417IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg

Notes

You can also make the persillade without a food processor: finely chop the garlic + greens before mixing with the other ingredients in a bowl. 

Pin for Later! Grilled Carrots with Carrot Top Persillade

Pin image for grilled carrots with carrot top persillade.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating