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Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots have fresh carrots sliced on the bias and roasted until tender. Then a sweet (but not too sweet) maple glaze is poured over the top and roasted again to caramelize. This is a great side dish option for Thanksgiving or any fall meal!
I’m always on the lookout for easy and delicious side dish recipes that go well with just about any main course. These Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots definitely fit that bill! They are a great menu option to serve alongside your holiday turkey, ham, or prime rib dinner.
Tender roasted carrot slices are topped with a maple syrup glaze that has both Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar in the mix – two savory flavors that prevent the glaze from becoming too sweet, plus they really complement the earthy carrot flavor.
Why you’ll love Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots
- The flavor of the maple syrup glaze enhances the sweetness of the fresh roasted carrots.
- It’s simple to prepare and you can easily adapt the quantities to make more or less, depending on the size of your dinner party.
- You can do much of the prep ahead of time so you don’t have tie up oven or stove top space while your main course is roasting.
Reader Review
“Made these for Christmas Eve dinner. Big hit! They were the only thing with no leftovers.” -Susan
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Carrots – Chose medium to large carrots of uniform size so the slices in the prepared dish are the same size. This will help to ensure even cooking and doneness.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black pepper
- Unsalted Butter
- Shallots – While a yellow onion could be substituted instead, we prefer the mild onion flavor of shallots in this dish.
- Fresh Garlic – Always cook with fresh garlic. The jarred minced garlic has a slight bitter taste.
- Maple Syrup – Choose 100% pure maple syrup and avoid syrup with artificial maple flavors, as well as low sugar or sugar-free syrups. You want to use real maple syrup with natural sugars that will caramelize.
- Brown Sugar – Either light or dark brown sugar can be used.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Dijon Mustard
- Fresh Thyme
- Cayenne Pepper – Just a touch is added to balance the richness of the glaze. It won’t make the glaze spicy.
Special Tools Needed
- Two Foil-Lined Sheet Trays
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Large Bowl – To toss the cut carrots before roasting.
- Small Saucepan
- Various Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Spatula/Turner
- Rubber Spatula/Scraper
- Wooden Spoon
What does it mean to cut ‘on the bias’?
To cut ‘on the bias’ simply means that you want to cut the slices on an angle.
Rather than cutting the carrots in straight-across round slices, angle your knife as you cut the carrot. This makes longer slices with pointed and angled tips on each end.
How do I make Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots?
- Clean and trim carrots to remove any blemishes but do not peel. Cut into thick slices on the bias.
- Toss cut carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper, then pour out onto two foil lined sheet trays.
- Roast for 20 minutes, turn carrots over with a spatula or turner, then roast for 15 minutes more.
- While carrots are roasting, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and cook shallots and garlic for three minutes. Add all other sauce ingredients and cook for five minutes then remove from heat.
- Combine roasted carrots onto one sheet tray and toss with the glaze then roast for ten minutes longer.
- Serve immediately.
Tips & Tricks
- To avoid over cooking, place your oven racks in the center and top of the oven. Avoid placing the oven rack at the bottom of the oven – the carrots may brown too much as they roast.
- Three pounds of carrots seems like a lot, but they will shrink up considerably after roasting. This recipe yields about six servings.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Maple Glazed Carrots ahead of time? If pressed for time or oven space, you could roast the carrots in advance and make the glaze ahead. Bring the already-roasted carrots and glaze back to room temperature. Then, when ready to serve, toss the carrots with the glaze and finish roasting for ten minutes to caramelize.
- How do I store leftovers? Store refrigerated in a covered container for up to four days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat leftovers in the oven or microwave.
- Can I freeze? No, the glazed carrots will get soft and mushy after thawing.
You might like these other Carrot Recipes:
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Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots
Maple Glazed Carrots have fresh carrots sliced on the bias and roasted until tender. Then a sweet (but not too sweet) maple glaze is poured over the top and roasted again to caramelize. This is a great side dish option for Thanksgiving or any fall meal!
Ingredients
3 pounds fresh carrots (choose medium to large evenly sized carrots)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup shallots, minced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F with oven racks in center and top.
- Line two sheet trays with foil.
- Clean the carrots under cold running water and remove any dark spots or imperfections, but do not peel.
Trim off ends then cut the carrots into half-inch thick slices cut on the bias. - Place the cut carrots in a large bowl and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.
- Pour out onto the sheet trays in single layers and roast for 20 minutes. Remove and toss and flip the carrots then return to the oven for 15 minutes longer.
- While carrots are roasting, in a small to medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add the shallots and garlic and stir and cook for three minutes.
- Add the maple syrup, brown sugar, fresh thyme, mustard, vinegar, and cayenne and stir with a wooden spoon and cook for five minutes. Remove from heat.
- When the carrots have cooked for 35 minutes, remove, combine the two pans into one and pour on the glaze. Toss in the pan and roast on the center rack for ten minutes longer.
- Remove to a serving bowl and serve.
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Made these for Christmas Eve dinner. Big hit! They were the only thing with no leftovers.
So glad to hear this Susan! Thank you!
This dish was delicious! I had the family for dinner last night and they all raved about it! Will definitely make it again.
So glad to hear Jenny – thank you!
These look delicious. However, why don’t you peel the carrots?
Hi Susan – The peel has a lot of nutritional value plus they roast up better. As long as you’ve cleaned them well and removed any damaged spots, you really don’t need to peel them unless you plan to steam them.