Roasted Carrots with Maple Syrup (Printable)
Tender carrots glazed with maple syrup and herbs.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into sticks or rounds
→ Glaze
02 - 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
03 - 1.5 tbsp olive oil
04 - 0.5 tsp salt
05 - 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper
06 - 0.5 tsp fresh thyme leaves
→ Garnish
07 - 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
02 - In a large bowl, toss the carrots with olive oil, maple syrup, salt, pepper, and thyme until they are evenly coated.
03 - Spread the carrots in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet to ensure even roasting.
04 - Roast for 25–30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the carrots are tender and caramelized at the edges.
05 - Transfer the carrots to a serving platter and garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serve warm.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The carrots get crispy-edged and caramelized while staying tender inside, which is harder to mess up than you'd think.
- You literally toss everything together and let the oven do the work, which means you're free to handle the main course.
- That maple-herb combination tastes expensive and elegant but costs almost nothing and takes ten minutes to prep.
02 -
- The maple syrup can burn if your oven runs hot, so keep an eye on them in the last ten minutes and if edges look too dark, they're probably fine but trust your instinct.
- Stirring halfway through is genuinely important because one side will brown while the other stays pale if you don't, and that actually changes the flavor distribution.
03 -
- Cut your carrots to roughly the same size so they roast at the same rate and finish tender at the exact same moment.
- Don't skip the halfway stir because that's what gives you carrots that are caramelized on multiple sides instead of just one.