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Smoky Maple Roasted Carrots with Lemon Thyme Drizzle

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These smoky maple roasted carrots are a perfect, easy, throw together side dish that will help bring some calm to the craziness of the season! They’re healthy, packed with flavor and drizzled with a sauce that will make you lick your plate clean.

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

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

Now that Halloween is here, it’s time to think about the next phase of fall. Thanksgiving. And these smoky maple roasted carrots are number one on my veggie side dish menu this year! I mean, what is better than a super easy, super tasty, and healthy recipe that your kids devour? As a mom, NOTHING.

Front view of hand pouring maple syrup over carrots

Thanksgiving is all about the sides and dessert!

Truth be told, even when I ate meat, I wasn’t much of a Thanksgiving person. I always was one of those people that loaded up on sides. To me, those made a meal. Well, that and dessert (side note, if you haven’t tried my Simple Vegan Pumpkin Pie or my Layered Pumpkin Caramel Pie, you NEED THEM IN YOUR LIFE).

So when I set off to start my side dish checklist for this year, I wanted to create something simple but fun. I started thinking about flavors, and smoky came to mind. With smoky, I often think maple. And in a moment that can only be described as kismet, my eyes met the brand new container of NOW Foods maple syrup I had in my cupboard.

Front view of a hand holding a bottle of maple syrup

It’s all about the flavors!

The smoky and maple flavor of these roasted carrots go heavenly together. But I still wanted another layer in there. Something to counteract that sweetness. Lemon thyme drizzle was born. Almond based, fresh ingredients, and a perfect pair to this side dish. I drizzled it on and dipped it in!!

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

Perfect Smoky Maple Roasted Carrots in 5 Easy Steps:

  1. Wash and peel carrots (if necessary).
  2. Put all ingredients into a dish with the carrots and coat well.
  3. Bake.
  4. While baking, put sauce ingredients into blender to make lemon thyme drizzle.
  5. Devour.

See how easy this is?! My kids loved the hint of maple on them. I have made them multiple times, mainly because they keep asking for smoky maple roasted carrots and you just can’t say no to more veggies! Plus, super easy for the youngest one to eat cut up in little pieces. I have more Thanksgiving deliciousness to come, so stay tuned, but in the mean time MAKE THESE!!

Collage of tray of fresh carrots and tray of roasted carrots drizzled with sauce

 

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
 
Smoky maple roasted carrots are your favorite holiday side dish this year! So easy to make, great for the entire family and a lemon thyme sauce to die for!
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy side dish, Vegan Thanksgiving
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 155 kcal
Author: Sophia DeSantis
Ingredients
Lemon Thyme Drizzle:
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup raw almonds
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 ¾ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink 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.
  • The sauce makes 1 1/2 cups. 

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 155 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 14%
Sodium 619mg 26%
Potassium 303mg 9%
Total Carbohydrates 16g 5%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Sugars 8g
Protein 4g 8%
Vitamin A 129.9%
Vitamin C 10.7%
Calcium 8.8%
Iron 10.5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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.

This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. For more information on this, please click here.

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Comments

  3. 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

  7. 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

  15. 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

    • 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

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