These maple glazed carrots are so simple to make and oh-so-satisfying. My favorite part is that they take just 5 minutes to prep, then the rest of the time is just waiting for them to roast in the oven. With the vibrant herbs and sweet maple syrup, this is the perfect combination of sweet and savory.
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Table of Contents
Many years ago now, Jon and I went to his cousin’s wedding in Austin, Texas. One of the only vegan items being served was these maple roasted carrots. I loved them so much that I walked into the kitchen where the caterers were working and asked if I could have an entire plate of just maple-syrup-glazed carrots. They were so kind, so I ended up eating carrots for dinner! Hah! Ever since then, for years now, I have thought about those carrots! (Never in my life would I think that I would “daydream” about glazed carrots with maple syrup. Seriously!)
So, this recipe is my recreation of those absolutely delicious and nostalgic candied carrots with maple syrup.
I love serving them with Hasselback sweet potatoes, carrot and butternut soup, and mini pot pies. Oh, and this fall charcuterie board has some incredible vegan cheeses that taste divine paired with this maple carrot recipe.
Nutrition For Mental Health
As a mere human, I wasn’t the biggest fan of cooked carrots before experiencing roasted carrots with maple syrup. As a nutritionist, of course I’m a fan of carrots! Did you know that they are 89% water? Carrots are a good source of biotin and potassium. They are also a good source of vitamins A (from beta carotene), K1, and B6. A meta-analysis found that eating a diet rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene is linked to a lower risk of depression.
Ingredients + Substitutions
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this maple glazed carrots recipe. They’re easy to customize based on what you have on hand too. Here are a few tips and substitutions if needed.
- Carrots: (Obviously.) I tend to opt for the small carrot bundle that still has its greens, but I always recommend using what you have on hand. That could also mean using baby carrots or even rainbow carrots. (Just make sure you use about 1 pound or 454 grams.)
- Maple syrup: I know, another obvious ingredient. I mean, it’s in the name! Maple syrup is already my go-to sweetener for most things. I don’t recommend swapping it out. That being said, if you really don’t want to use maple syrup, you could use light brown sugar as a 1:1 substitution by volume. My main recommendation here is to thoroughly whisk it into the melted butter! Also, at the 15-minute mark, check to see if the carrots are drying out. If needed, drizzle 2-3 teaspoons of water over them to keep them from drying out.
- Butter: This recipe uses vegan butter, but you could use avocado oil or olive oil instead.
- Herbs: I use fresh herbs to make these maple carrots. That being said, you can definitely use dried herbs instead. Just keep in mind that when swapping dried herbs for fresh, you use ⅓ the amount of dried herbs as you would fresh. Since this recipe calls for 2 teaspoons each of fresh rosemary and sage, you would use ⅔ teaspoon of each if you decide to use dried herbs. (The easiest way to do this is to just use your ⅓ teaspoon twice.)
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Glazed Carrots With Maple Syrup
Making these roasted maple syrup carrots couldn’t be easier! They are prepped and ready to bake in just 5 minutes. You’ll have a delicious sweet and savory side dish ready in just 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F/205°C.
- Spread the carrots out on a baking pan and drizzle with melted butter, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine and coat.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes (until tender).
- Garnish with fresh herbs, chopped pecans, and pomegranate seeds.
Storage Tips
Okay, let’s be real. You will not have any leftovers of these baked maple glazed carrots. We literally never have. However, if you are meal prepping, let the carrots cool and transfer them to a glass airtight container. Then, store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
When it comes to reheating and maintaining their texture, I recommend doing so in a frying pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, flipping occasionally.
FAQ
It really depends on what temperature you are roasting carrots at. For this maple syrup carrots recipe, I recommend roasting carrots at 400°F/205°C for about 25 minutes, until fork-tender. I also cut my carrots in half lengthwise so they would roast a bit faster.
Nope! Definitely not when it’s a single pan recipe. There’s absolutely no need to boil or steam carrots before baking them. Baking carrots raw allows their natural sugars to caramelize while maintaining a good texture. Just make sure you are baking similar-sized carrots so that they cook evenly. (If one carrot is significantly bigger than the others, you can cut it lengthwise to get it a similar size to your other carrots.)
For these maple glazed roasted carrots, I add the maple syrup in the beginning before baking them. Mixing the maple syrup with the melted butter really creates the sweet and savory aspect of this recipe.
More Vegan Sides Dishes
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Recipe
Maple Syrup Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots, ~6-7 large carrots, scrubbed, trimmed, and sliced lengthwise in half
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced
- pomegranate seeds, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F/205°C.
- Spread the carrots out on a baking pan and drizzle with melted butter, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine and coat.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes (until tender).
- Garnish with fresh herbs, chopped pecans, and pomegranate seeds.
Notes
Okay, let’s be real. You will not have any leftovers of these baked maple glazed carrots. We literally never have. However, if you are meal prepping, let the carrots cool and transfer them to a glass airtight container. Then, store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. When it comes to reheating and maintaining their texture, I recommend doing so in a frying pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, flipping occasionally.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
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Reference
Zhang, Y., Ding, J., & Liang, J. (2022). Associations of Dietary Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene Intake With Depression. A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Frontiers in nutrition, 9, 881139. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.881139
These were so good! We ended up eating the entire plate before dinner so we quickly made a second batch to have with dinner.