Maple Glazed Carrots

🥗 Why We Love This Recipe

• A classic side dish, elevated: Because these carrots are packed with complementary flavors like rich maple syrup, salty miso, and tart pomegranate, they deliver a lot more flavor than your typical holiday side dish. (Soggy, overcooked glazed carrots, begone!)
• Quick and easy: They're super easy to make on a busy holiday, with just two major steps: whisking the glaze together, and then roasting the carrots. Pan-roasted pepitas are optional, but make for a great crunchy, nutty contrast to the sweet carrots.
• Naturally vegan: these maple glazed carrots are completely dairy free, but still have so much flavor, thanks to miso, soy sauce and a few extra seasonings. We love that this is a side dish that both vegans and non vegans can enjoy!

🥕 Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make these maple glazed carrots:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Miso: We used white miso in this recipe. White miso is the mildest and sweetest miso variety. (The name is a bit deceptive – it's not really white, but the lightest in color when it comes to miso varieties!) As the color of the miso darkens, the flavor intensifies and the salt content increases. If you can't find any white miso, yellow miso is a perfectly fine substitute. We wouldn't sub in red miso in this recipe, which has a more intense flavor and may change the taste of these maple glazed carrots.
• Soy sauce: You can use soy sauce or opt for Tamari if you're gluten free. Low-sodium is fine in this recipe – it's mostly just used to add an extra boost of umami flavor.
• Maple syrup: make sure to use the good stuff here, not pancake syrup, which doesn't contain any actual maple. Whether you choose dark or light maple syrup is up to you – either tastes great with these carrots.
• Carrots: We sliced our carrots on a bias, which increases their surface area, allowing for more glaze--and therefore more flavor--to stick to each slice. You can also keep the carrots whole, but depending on their size, you may need to roast for longer.
• Pepitas: pepitas are a variety of pumpkin seed that don't need to be shelled before enjoying. We love the subtle crunch and nuttiness they add to these maple glazed carrots. You can also sub with pecans, walnuts or pistachios is preferred.
• Pomegranate: pomegranate arils are an optional topping, but they add such a fantastic little pop of sweetness and tartness. Plus, they're in season around the holidays, so they make for a festive touch to this recipe.
• Salt: we always use fine grain kosher salt unless otherwise noted.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

Prep: Preheat your oven to 400˚F / 205˚C. Wash, peel and slice carrots into 1” thick slices on a bias (angled).

(1) Whisk together the maple syrup, miso, tamari, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, pepper, and salt.

(2) Pour mixture over carrots and add chopped fresh thyme, then toss until carrots are evenly coated.

(3) Roast for 40-45 minutes total, stirring 2-3 times, until the carrots are fork tender and slightly caramelized.

(4) While the carrots are roasting, make your pan-roasted pepitas. Add olive oil to a small sauté pan over medium heat.

(5) Add pepitas and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

(6) Add maple syrup, thyme, salt, cinnamon, and pepper.

(7) Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper to cool so they don't stick together.

(8) Remove the roasted carrots from the oven and top with fresh pomegranate arils and pepitas.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Slicing the carrots on a bias will create more surface area for the glaze to stick to, thus creating more flavor.
• Be sure to keep an eye on the carrots during the final 10 minutes of roasting. Since the glaze has a high sugar content, it can burn fairly easily.
• The same goes for the pepitas, which can burn easily in a pan. Make sure to stir them frequently to prevent burning.
• To prevent accidentally creating granola, spread your pepitas out on a sheet pan after pan roasting them. This will prevent them from clumping together before you sprinkle them over your carrots.
• Storage: you can store these maple glazed carrots in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days. To reheat, add the carrots to a skillet over medium heat and sauté until warmed through. If they look a little dry, add in some more olive oil.
• Serving suggestions: we love serving these maple glazed carrots at the holidays alongside other classic recipes like brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, stuffing and more. They're also a delicious vegetable to serve alongside your favorite fall meals, like roasted cauliflower steak, lasagna, vegan meatloaf, etc.

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