Roasted Maple-Glazed Carrots

spring things…. maple syrup, carrots and sunshine 🌿

ready?

me too

let’s go.

The Carrot Variety — start where you are, use what you’ve got. I don’t have access to cute (and highly photogenic) bushy tailed market carrots right now but I did manage to go beyond baby carrots this month to find some large sturdy Imperator carrots with good surface area for this tasty maple-cider glaze.

The Prep — I kept the skin on these fragrant carrots and aimed for about 3 inch pieces.  The idea with the longer pieces is to create more surface area for the glaze; keep in mind too that the carrots will shrink as they roast.

The Cut — as you can see, there’s absolutely no consistency to the thickness or shape of my carrots (asymmetry continuing to elude me).

the cool thing about this wonky approach though is that it gives rise to variation in texture, color and prized jammy bits (you’ll be fighting over those sticky bits let me tell you).  All the carrots end up cooked (al dente) but some are more gooey, ooey (ooey, gooey?) than others.

quite a delicious mess.

The Glaze — a simple reduction of maple syrup, soy sauce and apple cider vinegar.  The combination gives rise to a mighty tasty carrot but as always, there are lots of options – also, I’ve had a couple readers mention that they doubled the glaze for extra deliciousness, that’s always an option! 

Substitutions:

Sub for Apple Cider Vinegar: white rice vinegar (or any of the Asian vinegars) or use orange juice for a delicious variation (I think lemon would be too astringent)

Sub for Soy Sauce: tamari or shoyu sauce

Sub for Maple Syrup:  I mean it’s a crime, but okay, you can use honey

The Toppings — if you have access to fresh greens, some chopped parsley is a good choice (have also used basil) but just about anything in moderation works (if you’re working with a very fragrant herb like rosemary, just go easy). I’ve sprinkled on some sesame seeds too.

Reheating — the carrots will store well in a covered container in the fridge.  This recipe created 3 sides (6 portions in total) for my husband and I to enjoy throughout the week.  For reheating, I suggest simply using a skillet, it’s quick and works well.

I can’t wait to hear how it goes! Enjoy.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Roasted Maple-Glazed Spring Carrots

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Roasted Maple-Glazed Spring Carrots -- warm, sticky, jammy, delicious eats!

Author: kelly

Recipe type: sides

Serves: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (900 g) carrots (cut into roughly 3 inch pieces shaped as desired)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (or tamari)
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white rice vinegar or orange juice)
• ½ tsp salt, or to taste
• good pinch pepper (it does increase 'spiciness' though so according to taste)
• optional: 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• chopped fresh parsley for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Wash, cut and pat dry carrot pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Option: I've had a couple readers mention that they doubled the marinade and loved the results.
4. In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients: olive oil, maple syrup (or honey), soy sauce (or tamari), apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar or orange juice), salt, pepper and ginger (if using).
5. Pour well whisked glaze over carrots and mix thoroughly to combine.
6. Spread glazed carrots onto a large baking sheet -- note: I use an unlined baking sheet but to make short work of clean-up, you can line -- make sure the carrots are not overlapping but rather making direct contact with the sheet, it's that underbelly that will become caramelized.
7. Roast the carrots somewhere between 25-35 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven and how well roasted you would like the carrots to end up -- times will vary)
8. Remove from oven and transfer to a serving dish. Top as you wish with a sprinkle of fresh chopped greens, nuts, seeds, etc. and serve as a side.
9. These carrots are delicious warm from the oven but will store well in a covered container in the fridge. Reheat in a skillet (works great!). This recipe created 3 sides for my husband and I (total of 6 portions) to enjoy throughout the week.

3.5.3251