Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots

by Kayla Berman on July 20, 2022 0 comments

Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots are the best side dish for any occasion! Made in the oven with whole carrots, pure maple syrup, light brown sugar, and fresh thyme – these easy carrots are sweet, savory, buttery, and perfectly tender. Serve at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even your next family dinner!

Need more of the delicious orange veggie? Check out my Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower with Parmesan.

Sweet, Savory, & Delicious Side Dish

This might be crazy of me to say, but I am a sides over main course kind of girl. Especially at the Thanksgiving dinner table!

I mean I am all for the big turkey in the middle, but how could that ever beat cheesy au gratin potatoes or flavorful apple sausage stuffing? It simply couldn’t!

And it most definitely doesn’t top maple roasted carrots.

These carrots are all of the things – sweet, savory, saucy, buttery, tender, and full of maple flavor! I promise the whole family will love! Even the picky eater and veggie hater will be going back in for more.

Plus this dish is elegant and impressive enough for any holiday table, but simple enough for weeknight dinners! It’s truly the perfect side dish recipe for any occasion.

Ingredients

Maple Glazed Carrots are made with only 6 simple ingredients! Plus salt and pepper.

They come together to make perfectly sweet, saucy, and tender carrots.

Ingredient Notes

Carrots: The main ingredient here is of course carrots! This recipe calls for 1 lb of large carrots.
Fresh Garlic: 2 fresh garlic cloves adds so much flavor here. Sweet and savory deliciousness!
Butter: These beautiful carrots are roasted with 3 tbsp of unsalted butter. The result is an incredibly delicious and buttery maple syrup glaze.
Pure Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is a rich liquid sweetener that I love in any dish! It compliments the natural sweetness of the carrots so well here. Add 3 tbsp! Make sure to use pure, real maple syrup not imitation syrup. You can find it in most grocery stores or buy online!
Light Brown Sugar: 1 tbsp of light brown sugar adds a bit of extra sweetness too. It also helps caramelize the carrots.
Fresh Thyme: Fresh thyme adds such great flavor to this easy side dish! The herb truly tastes like Thanksgiving to me and I love to toss it in all my holiday dishes. Use 1/2 tsp and extra for garnish!
Salt & Pepper: Add a generous amount of salt and pepper to this recipe. It helps compliment the sweet sauce.

Substitutions & Additions

There are a few substitutions and additions you can make to this recipe for it to meet your personal needs or preferences!

Carrots: You can really use any kind of carrots in this dish. I love to use the large whole carrots, but a bag of baby carrots would work too. You would just roast for less time! Purple carrots would be fun too.

You could even replace the carrots entirely with different root veggies. Perhaps sweet potato, turnips, or parsnips!

Maple Syrup: Although sweet maple syrup is the star of the show here you could swap it with a different liquid sweetener. Like honey!

Fresh Herbs: I love the addition of fresh herbs in this side dish. It livens things up so much! Fresh thyme is a delicious option, but you could swap it with any you like. Perhaps fresh parsley, rosemary, or sage.

Seasonings & Spices: Feel free to add additional spices to this recipe for more flavor. Try red pepper flakes, ground ginger, or nutmeg! You could also use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic if needed.

How To Make Maple Glazed Carrots

This carrot recipe is such an easy side dish! There’s pretty much three simple steps – sauce, toss, and roast.

It’s the perfect dish to add to all your holiday dinners!

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: First set the oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2: Next peel the carrots, trim off the ends, and cut in half lengthwise. Place carrots in a large roasting pan or dish.

Step 3: Then add the light brown sugar, maple syrup, and fresh thyme to a small bowl. Add salt and pepper. Combine evenly.

maple syrup, brown sugar, thyme, and garlic in a small bowl

Step 4: Pour the maple and garlic mixture over the carrots in the baking dish. Toss to combine thoroughly.

Step 5: Next slice the butter into thin slices. Place the thin slices on top of the carrots.

carrots in a baking dish covered with maple glaze

carrots covered with maple glaze and butter in a baking dish

Step 6: Roast for 40-50 minutes depending on the size of the carrots, tossing one or two times throughout. Roast until the carrots are fork tender.

Step 7: Remove the carrots from the oven. Toss one last time and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Expert Tips

Make sure to cut the carrots in half lengthwise, especially the larger carrots! This makes for a quicker cook time and provides more servings.

These carrots are quite sweet, so if you don’t prefer that – add less maple syrup!

Toss the carrots thoroughly in the glaze.

Be generous with the salt and pepper. It makes for the perfect sweet and savory flavor!

Use a larger dish and arrange the carrots in a single layer. This will roast the vegetables faster and more evenly!

For a larger crowd, say at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner – double the recipe! As the dish is quite saucy, you could also just add more carrots.

Bake right in the serving dish for a super easy side – no need for an extra messy dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, totally! This recipe is perfect for a holiday meal, but only serves about four to five people. Therefore, I definitely recommend doubling if you are serving a large crowd.

Do you have to peel the carrots beforehand?

No, you do not have to peel the carrots beforehand. However I do like to! I just think it gives a much cleaner look.

If you don’t peel the carrots just make sure to really scrub and wash them before roasting.

Can glazed carrots be made ahead?

Yes they can! Glazed carrots can definitely be made ahead of time – which makes them perfect for the holiday season.

You can roast the carrots ahead of time to save up some oven space on the big day. Then just cover and pop back in the oven to warm up.

How do you store maple roasted carrots?

Store roasted carrots in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for about 5 days!

Love this recipe? Check out more delicious sides…

Connect with me!

If you make this roasted carrots recipe recipe or any of my other recipes, I would absolutely love to know! Tag me @wellnessbykay on Instagram so I can see and share your recreations.

Love this recipe? Leave a comment and a rating! I love to see and it helps me continue to develop delicious recipes for this blog.