Veggies Don't Bite

Cooking with plants and lovin' it...and ditching the gluten and {refined} sugar along the way!

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Maple Roasted Carrots Recipe

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These maple roasted carrots are the perfect side for your next holiday meal. Easy to make, great for the entire family and a lemon thyme sauce to die for!

Smoky maple roasted carrots on a white plate drizzled with a creamy dressing

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This post was sponsored by NOW Foods but the content and opinions expressed are fully my own.

This post was originally published on 10/31/2016

I’m always looking ahead to holidays, especially the delicious ones that come in fall. Since my life is pretty much sides during this season, I need all the delicious things on my table.

Maple Roasted Carrots

This maple roasted carrots recipe are number one on my veggie side dish menu. I mean, what is better than a super easy, super tasty, and healthy recipe that your kids devour? As a mom, NOTHING.

Tips on choosing carrots

Since this is such a simple recipe, you want to make sure that the ingredients you use are top notch. When it comes to the carrots, you want them flavorful. So make sure that you get fresh full size carrots. Look for those with a rich orange color.

As much as I love the baby carrots, those would not be my first choice. They would bake up too soft, which isn’t my favorite.

Tips on choosing maple syrup

The other main star is the maple syrup, and let me tell you that there IS a difference between kinds of maple syrup. The first thing you need to look at is the ingredients. There should only be one, maple syrup! No sugar, no additives.

One of my top faves when it comes to maple syrup is NOW Foods maple syrup. It is made of pure maple syrup, the flavor is top notch and it’s organic. The perfect complement to this recipe!

Front view of a hand holding a bottle of maple syrup

Tips for baking

Since you are baking maple syrup, and it’s a sugar, there is a chance it can burn. This will mostly happen if it pools in one area of the pan. So you need to watch it carefully and take it out at the right time.

You can also make sure that you use your hands to coat the carrots well with the maple syrup. I tried baking these on a parchment lined cookie sheet instead of in a pan and that helped as well.

How do I store maple roasted carrots?

While I doubt you will have leftovers, these carrots are still good the next day. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, you can use the microwave or heat again in the oven. Add a little bit of broth into the bottom of the pan to avoid them drying out and burning.

Can I prep these ahead of time?

Because there isn’t much to the recipe, other than getting the carrots peeled and ready, there isn’t a whole lot extra to do. However, you can make the awesome lemon thyme drizzle the day before so it’s ready to go!

Front view of a thyme sprig in front of a glass jar of creamy sauce

How to Make Maple Roasted Carrots in 4 Easy Steps:

These are a perfect addition to the holidays because they are simple and easy. Since so many things are the exact opposite of that during the holidays, it’s so refreshing to have one thing to count on!

  1. Put the carrots in a dish and mix in other ingredients.Front view of hand pouring maple syrup over carrots
  2. Bake.
  3. While baking, put sauce ingredients into blender to make lemon thyme drizzle.Collage of tray of fresh carrots and tray of roasted carrots drizzled with sauce
  4. Devour.

Super easy and kid approved. Great for all ages, little guys can mash these right into their mouth, just cook them a little softer. Adults can also mash them in, I don’t judge.

Other veggies you can sub for the carrots:

  • brussels sprouts
  • sweet potatoes
  • butternut squash
  • cauliflower
  • potatoes
  • beets
  • parsnips

What else can I serve with these awesome roasted carrots?

Truth be told, even when I ate meat, I wasn’t much of a turkey or roast or whatever person. I always was one of those people that loaded up on sides. To me, those made a meal. Here are a few other great sides we love, both for holidays and every day:

We can’t forget the dessert though! After eating all these healthy veggies, we need to finish it off with the best vegan dessert ever:

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If you like this recipe, please consider rating it with the star rating system and leaving a comment below. I love hearing from you and seeing your awesome remakes! Find me on Instagram and tag me @veggiesdontbite and #veggiesdontbite, or you can also find me on Facebook, and Pinterest. Thanks for helping me spread the word about delicious food!

Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate. Please read more about that here.

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5 from 2 votes
A side shot of smoky maple carrots on a white plate
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Smoky Maple Roasted Carrots with Lemon Thyme Drizzle
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

These vegan maple roasted carrots are the perfect side for your next holiday meal. Easy to make, great for the entire family and a lemon thyme sauce to die for!

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: vegan thanksgiving sides, vegetable side dish
Servings: 3
Calories: 157 kcal
Author: Sophia DeSantis
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch carrots , about 6 large
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup , I use NOW Foods brand
  • 2 tablespoons veggie broth , low sodium if needed or 2 teaspoons favorite roasting oil if using oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme , or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Lemon Thyme Drizzle
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup raw almonds
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.

  2. Wash and peel carrots (if needed). Place carrots into a baking dish.

  3. At this point you can put all the other ingredients into the dish (not the sauce, just the carrot flavorings) and simply use your hands to mix and coat well. Or you can put the flavor toppings into a small bowl, mix well, then pour over the carrots to coat.

  4. Bake carrots at 400°F/200°C for 35 minutes. You can bake less or more depending on how cooked you prefer them. (see tip 1 in notes).

  5. While they are baking, make sauce by putting all ingredients, except for thyme, into a high speed blender and blending until smooth. Then put in thyme and pulse to break up and incorporate. Refrigerate until ready to use.

  6. When the carrots are done, remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Then drizzle on lemon thyme sauce and devour! The sauce is great used as a dip too.

Recipe Notes
  • You can also transfer the carrots onto a parchment lined cookie sheet before roasting, just make sure to get all the flavor onto the carrots.
  • Be aware that the maple syrup does tend to burn while baking, so if it collects or pools in a certain area you may get some burning. The carrots should be fine, you can easily throw away or clean off the burned syrup pieces.
  • I preferred the flavor of the fresh thyme on the carrots, but feel free to use dried.
  • Serving size is 2 carrots.
  • The sauce makes 1 1/2 cups. Nutrition info includes using half of this sauce.

Tips to prep ahead

  • Make drizzle.

Baby/toddler food idea

  • Make sure they are cooked well.
  • Cut into small pieces and serve with drizzle as a dip.
Nutrition Facts
Smoky Maple Roasted Carrots with Lemon Thyme Drizzle
Amount Per Serving
Calories 157 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 610mg25%
Potassium 490mg14%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Fiber 5g20%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 19265IU385%
Vitamin C 14mg17%
Calcium 98mg10%
Iron 1.5mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  7. The Vegan 8 says

    Ok, do you remember telling you one of my obsessions in a message months ago how much I love roasted carrots and how I will eat an entire bag at once?! Yup, that is how much I love roasted carrots and I would DEVOUR these in seriously just 5 minutes. I make some roasted carrots with cinnamon and maple which are rather sweet, but I’m loving the idea of lemon juice and smoked paprika. Smoked paprika is like in my top 3 spices! OMG. I bet they smell amazing. And oh lord, here you go again with sauce….I LOVE fresh thyme, LOVE it and looks like I got another addiction coming up…hahahaha! They look completely beautiful, too.

    Reply

    • veggiesdontbite says

      Ha! We may or may not have eaten an entire bag…whoops! You would love the smoky flavor in these!! The fresh lemon and thyme counter the smoky and sweet really well. Thank you mama!!

      Reply

  15. Mandy says

    Smoky + maple! Sold! These would be a perfect Thanksgiving side dish!! And carrots are actually one of Willow’s favorite so I’m sure she would love these! That lemon thyme drizzle sounds absolutely divine ❤️

    Reply

  19. Nicole Dawson says

    I’m a huge fan of roasted carrots. I just love how they naturally sweeten when roasted and then with that little extra drizzle of sweetener, it’s like a veggie candy. Looks wonderful Sophia.

    Reply

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