Active Time
10 minutes
Total Time
1 hour
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.
Ingredients
4 servings
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 →
Leave a Review
Reviews (75)
Back to TopMy first time making caramelized carrots, and this recipe is a keeper! I reduced the brown sugar and maple syrup to 1/4 C each, which was plenty sweet and delicious. I'll make this for the Thanksgiving dinner.
Rosa
Seoul, Korea
11/22/2023
Loved these carrots - they tasted like candy. So easy to make. To hasten the cooking process, I cut all the carrots in half lengthwise. It took about 20 minutes.
Anonymous
Evergreen, CO
11/7/2023
Theses were way too sweet for me.
Mandy
Los Angeles
4/27/2023
A bit too sweet for my taste, but a fun and easy recipe to try once
Anonymous
2/14/2023
My husband has burned these twice! What are we missing? We can tell they would be fabulous if not blackened, but what happens obviously has escaped hubby's vision in the oven. I'm not sure I want him to try again.
Anonymous
Erie PA
1/1/2023
Can I travel, make ahead?
Anonymous
Milford CT
11/19/2022
These are my favorite carrots to make for EVERYONE. My husband and toddler who are anti-veg eat these, my mom who only eats veg thinks these are a treat - they’re the best. Agree with others that they do end up super sweet, but like, who cares. Salt to taste after and you’ll be *chefs kiss* My favorite for the Thanksgiving table! For those asking about reheating, I toss them back in the oven with a few smaller cubes of butter for 15. Avoid the microwave since they’ll go limp (boo).
Kaitlin
Detroit
11/9/2022
Fabulous! Asking again if these can be made in advance and reheated. If so, what’s the best reheating method?
ShelleyMae
10/17/2022
These were phenomenally good. For context, I would describe myself as somebody who does not like cooked carrots. That said, I loved these. I had bought some fresh carrots at a local farmers market and then went looking for a recipe that used ingredients I already had to make something for my daughter, who does like them. Once they were done I thought I'd have a "taste" that got progressively more, well, greedy. If you think the inclusion of the red paper flakes is weird, let me assure you t hat the blend of that heat with the overall sweetness really pairs well. Based on using this for a weekend dinner on Sunday, I've decided that I'm making them for Thanksgiving dinner when my extended family comes over.
John O
Massachusetts
10/11/2022
Delicious. I used 3 lbs. of carrots and there was still a lot of sauce. Will think about the garlic.
Anonymous
Luxembourg
4/5/2022
These are absolutely delicious!! I made them exactly as written and everyone loved them. I may try adding garlic like some of the other commenters suggested the next time around, but it's fantastic as written. Also, I made these several hours in advance and popped them back in the over right before serving with no issues. Great recipe, thank you, Andy!
Amy
New York, NY
3/3/2022
Fantastic recipe. Agree with cutting back on sugar to 1/4 cup. Also agree with adding garlic and adding extra pepper flakes. Made this for New Years and did not have any any left.
Anonymous
Murfreesboro, TN
1/2/2022
Delicious! The sauce is abundant - use more carrots. One has all the ingredients in the pantry....except, of course, the carrots. I used whole carrots, peeled, cut into 2" pieces. Raw carrots are hard, but a Cutco knife will make the job easy. Whole carrots are much more flavorful than the mini, processed carrots.
Andrea Taylor
Chicago, IL
12/5/2021
Can these be made ahead and reheated?
ShelleyMae
10/10/2021
Five Stars!!!
Anonymous
Tulsa OK
4/4/2021