Among the simplest sides to prepare! There’s just the proper amount of sweetness, a delightful buttery crunch, and a bit of flavor from the fresh thyme in our recipe for Easy Maple Roasted Carrots. Serve these maple-glazed carrots with a Christmas ham or simply for fun!
Easter is quickly approaching; are you preparing your sides? My children have been requesting this dish for a while now, and it goes well with a Christmas ham! Our 30-minute Easy Maple Roasted Carrots recipe pairs perfectly with crisp butter walnuts to create a maple-glazed carrot dish. Crispy and sweet with a hint of savory thyme.
Ingredients Needed
- Carrots: While we typically prefer whole carrots, baby carrots work just as well in this recipe.
- Our favorite nut for this dish is walnuts because of their amazing buttery flavor, which perfectly complements the butter. Pecans, however, are also a fantastic option!
- Maple Syrup: Without maple syrup, maple-glazed carrots would not be possible! Also essential is real maple syrup!
- Brown Sugar: Just enough to give these carrots a delightful molasses taste!
- We like salted butter, but unsalted can work just as well.
- Ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt are the ideal partners for this maple syrup-infused carrot dish!
- Thyme: Very little. Just enough to give the meal a last flourish of flavorful flavor.
Ready Fast
Cut the Carrots: For this dish, bite-sized carrot chunks that are peeled and chopped into roughly 2-inch pieces are ideal. Cut the carrot in half lengthwise so that the thicker portion cooks more evenly and all of the pieces are around the same size.
Prepare the Glaze It doesn’t get much simpler than this: simply add the butter, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, maple syrup, and salt in a saucepan, melt the butter slowly, and stir to fully incorporate the sugar.
Pour in the glaze and stir.
When the glaze is finished, combine it with the carrots and finely chopped walnuts in a dish, whisk, and get ready to roast!
Cook Spread everything out in a uniform layer on a large baking sheet that has been lined with foil.
All it took was 20 minutes in the oven! Sugar-Roasted Carrots Made Easy! Is that glazing visible? Observe those crispy walnuts. Yes, you won’t want to miss these carrots with a maple glaze!
Recipe Notes
Can baby carrots be used?
Naturally, of course! While we much prefer using whole carrots in most recipes, this maple syrup-infused carrot dish works just well with tiny carrots. However, I must admit that there’s something about the way these chopped carrots look that makes them appear somewhat more elegant.
Turn it vegan.
This dish is easily veganized simply replacing the dairy butter with your preferred plant-based butter.
It’s free of gluten!
Not a trace of gluten to be found here!
Cut the Carrots Evenly
These about 2-inch-long chunks of carrot have the ideal cooking temperature and duration to produce soft yet firm maple-glazed carrots. However, if you’re using carrots with large, thick ends, simply cut them in half and add another slice to make them more similar in size to the other carrots.
Add thyme last.
A few fresh thyme springs are completely optional, but they offer just the perfect amount of savory flavor!
More Recipes You MIght Like
- Beef Stock From Scratch
- White Bean Leftover Turkey Chili
- Enchilada Skillet Pasta
- Egg Roll Cabbage Soup
Easy Maple Roasted Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 lbs carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 1 cup walnuts gently chopped
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme to finish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place foil on a big rimmed baking sheet and put it aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar completely dissolves.
- To a large bowl, add the walnuts and carrots. Cover them with a mixture of butter and maple sauce.
- Transfer carrots to the sheet covered with foil. Create a layer that is uniform in thickness. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Take out of the oven and place the carrots on a platter for serving. Apply the leftover glaze on the carrots’ foil using a spatula. Add fresh thyme to finish and mix thoroughly.
Notes
Make sure the pieces of carrots you chop up are as similar in size as possible. This is especially important if you are using large carrots, as it will allow the largest parts to be sliced in half and cooked thoroughly.
Keepsake
Keep chilled for a maximum of three days.
Replacements
Carrots: Baby carrots are a perfect substitute.
Pecans are an additional delectable option for walnuts!
Butter: You may use your preferred dairy-free butter or oil to make it vegan.