These maple-roasted carrots are the glaziest side dish you’ll ever eat, their sweet-hot kick complementing everything from ham to lamb to green bean casserole. Bonus: The easy recipe requires minimal prep time, making it a strong choice for a lazy weekend supper or holiday dinner—whether for Easter, Rosh Hashanah, Christmas, or Thanksgiving.
Leave the baby carrots for another day and look for long, slender whole carrots without many cracks, ideally with their green tops still attached. The candy-like glaze plays up the root vegetable’s natural sweetness, while a dash of chile flakes keeps the cooked carrots in check. Note that the glaze can make a mess of a sheet pan, so line it well with foil (not parchment paper) for easy cleanup. Roasting in a single layer in a hot oven helps ensure caramelized, fork-tender glazed carrots with lightly crispy edges; keep an eye on them as they near the end of the cooking time since that sugar can darken quickly. Adding a bit of flaky salt as a final garnish balances the sweetness, but if you prefer a hit of something fresh, add a shower of roughly chopped fresh herbs like parsley or oregano—or those carrot greens.
Need something faster for your weeknight dinner? Head this way for a simple roasted carrot recipe made with olive oil, black pepper, and fresh thyme.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
2
6
⅓
⅓
¾
Preparation
Step 1
Place rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with 3 sheets of foil (you’ll need it!). Cut 2 lb. medium carrots, tops trimmed to about ½", scrubbed, on a diagonal into 3" pieces (halved or quartered lengthwise if large).
Step 2
Spread out carrots on foil. Evenly top with 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, ⅓ cup (packed; 70 g) light brown sugar, ⅓ cup pure maple syrup, and ¾ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes. Season with kosher salt and toss to combine.
Step 3
Roast carrots, tossing every 20 minutes, until tender and browned around the edges, 50–60 minutes. Transfer to a platter (with syrup, if desired). Sprinkle with flaky sea salt (if using).
Editor’s note: This recipe for maple-glazed carrots was first printed in November 2018. Head this way for more of our best carrot recipes →
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Reviews (75)
Back to TopI made this recipe for thanksgiving and it was a hit. Super yummy! Several people asked me for the recipe. Didn’t change a thing
Anonymous
Florida
12/10/2018
I made this recipe 3 times in one week. I substituted the maple syrup for honey but oml amazing!
Anonymous
12/17/2018
Freaking delicious! Out of everything I made for Christmas dinner this was the biggest hit-even our friend’s four year old daughter loved it! This was such an easy side, this is a no fail recipe I will turn to again.
meghan.gracefisher
Seoul
12/26/2018
I made this for a New Year's Eve get-together and was a knock-out along with my ham main course (another recipe courtesy of Bon Appétit). This was a total knockout. Really easy to make and a solid backbone to a meat-driven meal. Definitely consider this as a surprisingly heavy-hitting vegetable support to your night.
jrehbock
Los Angeles, CA
1/1/2019
Love it! Caramelized carrots with just a bit of heat from the Crushed red pepper. Matches really well with a savory dish that could use a hint of sweet. Really simple to prepare as well.
1/13/2019
Really great recipe! Next time i will use more maple syrup and brown sugar and less butter though.
Anonymous
6/24/2019
We LOOOOOVE this recipe. It is in heavy rotation in my house. Even my husband that doesn’t really do sweets thought This was amazing! I literally make it 4 times a month....
eholmes80s
Columbus, Ohio
11/2/2019