Glazed carrots are a holiday side dish staple, but they can feel like an afterthought next to everything else on the table. Wrapping each carrot in a spiral of bacon and brushing it with a maple, honey and Dijon glaze turns them into a crispy, smoky, glossy, delicious side dish that will have everyone asking for seconds!
Upgrade your holiday side dish menu
We've made quite a few holiday carrot recipes over the years (see: spiced carrots over green goddess feta dip, brown sugar glazed carrots, and harissa roasted carrots), but this one might take the cake.
I don't think we need to give too much explanation as to why. But if you need it: the carrots are perfectly tender, wrapped in super crispy bacon and covered with a flavorful glaze that really clings to the exterior. It's so hard for us not to eat the whole tray before it gets to the table. (Side note: these are also naturally dairy and gluten free, so they're a great option for food allergies in our family!)
This recipe took four rounds of testing to get right. Our first batch used thick-cut bacon on raw carrots, and after more than 45 minutes in the oven the carrots were still firm in the middle and the bacon was only halfway crisp.
The fix was to blanch the carrots for a few minutes before wrapping them, which gives them a head start and softens them just enough to push a toothpick through. We also switched to regular-cut bacon, which wraps neatly and crisps in the same amount of time it takes the carrots to finish cooking. On our second test the carrots sat right on parchment and one side of the bacon cooked much faster than the other, so a wire rack became a must.
For the glaze, we tried brown sugar first, but it turned grainy and scorched in patches. A blend of maple syrup and honey with Dijon, smoked paprika, thyme and a splash of apple cider vinegar brushes on smoothly and bakes into a glossy, sticky coating. Serve these next to our Tennessee onions for a holiday spread that's a little out of the ordinary!
xoxo, Lexi & Beth
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Key Ingredients Needed for Bacon Wrapped Carrots
- Carrots: Look for medium carrots that are about 8 inches long and similar in thickness, so they all finish cooking at the same time. If you can find carrots with their green tops, leave about ½ inch of the greens on for a pretty presentation.
- Regular-cut bacon: We tried thick-cut bacon in our first test, and it was hard to wrap, looked messy, and didn't crisp up before the carrots were done. Regular-cut bacon wraps neatly and gets perfectly crispy.
- Maple syrup and honey: Use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup. We like the combination of honey and syrup and found that honey alone was too strong of a flavor, but maple syrup alone wasn't viscous enough to cling to the carrots. Feel free to use all honey if preferred.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon adds a tangy kick that balances the sweetness. We tested whole-grain mustard too, but it was overpowering here.
- Smoked paprika and apple cider vinegar: The paprika adds a bit of smokiness that complements the bacon, and a teaspoon of vinegar keeps the glaze from tasting too sweet.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Carrots
Blanch the carrots
Preheat the oven to 400˚F and set a wire rack over an aluminum foil-lined sheet pan.
To a large pot of boiling water, add the whole carrots and blanch them for 6 to 7 minutes. Thin carrots only need about 4 minutes, while extra-thick ones may need 8 to 9, but ideally they'll all be about the same size. Drain them and pat them completely dry, since any water left on the surface will keep the bacon from crisping.
Wrap the carrots in bacon
Starting at the thick end of each carrot, wind a slice of bacon around it in an even spiral, leaving a stripe of carrot showing between each turn. At each end, push a toothpick all the way through the bacon and the carrot so it pokes out through the bacon on the other side. This holds everything in place when you flip the carrots later. Lay the wrapped carrots on the rack.
Roast and glaze
Place the carrots in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the fat in the bacon starts to render.
Meanwhile, whisk together the glaze ingredients.
Brush the top side of the carrots with about a third of the glaze and return them to the oven for 10 minutes.
Then flip the carrots, brush with more glaze, and cook another 10 minutes. Flip once more, brush on the rest of the glaze, and cook a final 10 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the glaze is glossy and set.
To check for doneness, slide a paring knife into the thickest part of a carrot. If it goes in easily, they're ready. If not, give them 5 more minutes, laying a sheet of foil loosely over the top if the bacon is already crisp. Let the carrots rest for 5 minutes so the glaze can set, then pull out the toothpicks and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Don't leave the carrots on the wire rack for more than 5-10 minutes, otherwise the glaze can make them hard to remove.
Top Tips from the CK Test Kitchen!
- Carrot thickness makes a big difference here. Thin carrots blanch in about 4 minutes and may be done after two rounds of glaze, while super thick carrots carrots need 8 to 9 minutes of blanching and longer in the oven.
- Use a wire rack. This is an essential step to make your bacon super crispy! It also lifts the carrots off the sheet pan, so the bottoms don't sit in rendered fat and any glaze that drips off burns on the pan instead of on the carrots. We line the pan beneath with aluminum foil so it's super easy to clean up.
- Wait to add the glaze. The sugar in the glaze will burn if it goes on at the very beginning, so give the bacon a head start before the first coat.
- One side will be a little crispier. Because the carrots get flipped twice, one side spends slightly more time facing up. The difference is small, so don't worry if yours aren't perfectly even.
- Make ahead: You can blanch and wrap the carrots up to a day ahead, then cover and refrigerate them right on the pan. Glaze and roast them the day you plan to serve them.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them on a wire rack at 400˚F for about 10 minutes, until heated through and the bacon crisps back up.
More Holiday Side Dishes You'll Love
- Make-Ahead Buttermilk Biscuits with cheddar and chives
- Parmesan Crusted Brussels Sprouts with hot honey mustard dipping sauce
- Dauphinoise Potatoes (Potatoes au gratin)
- Fondant Sweet Potatoes with brown sugar bourbon pecan sauce
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Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Carrots with Maple Dijon Glaze
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F/200˚C. Set a wire rack over an aluminum foil-lined sheet pan.
- To a large pot of boiling water, add the whole carrots and blanch for 6 to 7 minutes (about 4 for thin carrots, 8 to 9 for extra-thick ones). Drain and pat completely dry.
- Starting at the thick end of the carrot, wrap one slice of bacon around each carrot in a spiral. Space the turns so a stripe of carrot shows between each one, with no overlap. At each end, push a toothpick all the way through the bacon and the carrot so it comes out through the bacon on the other side. Lay the carrots on the rack.
- Place the carrots in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the fat in the bacon starts to render.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the maple syrup, honey, Dijon, olive oil, kosher salt, smoked paprika, thyme, black pepper and apple cider vinegar until well combined. Brush the top side of the carrots with about ⅓ of the glaze, then return to the oven and cook another 10 minutes.
- Flip the carrots, brush the side now facing up with another ⅓ of the glaze, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
- Flip again, brush with the remaining glaze, and cook a final 10 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the glaze is glossy and set. Test for doneness by sliding a paring knife into the thickest part of a carrot. If it goes in easily, they're done. If not, return them to the oven for 5 more minutes, laying a sheet of foil loosely over the top if the bacon is already crisp.
- Let rest for 5 minutes so the glaze can set, then remove the toothpicks and finish with herbs. Don't leave the carrots on the wire rack for more than 5 to 10 minutes, or the glaze can make them hard to remove.
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