Maple Glazed Carrots are a perfect side dish with only 7 ingredients for great flavors. There are two ways to cut carrots for a fancier side dish. Cut on a slant or roll cut carrots and then cook with a buttery maple glaze.
Carrots are one of those vegetables that I forget about. My usual go-to's are broccoli, cauliflower and green beans and I don't know why I forget about carrots.
Besides having a long shelf life they are sweet and have a wonderful texture. I especially like them rolled cut and braised or glazed as in this recipe.
My husband gave me a good idea because he also loves carrots. He said to maybe tape the word carrot on the inside of the freezer door where I stock the frozen vegetables.
Now if I go to the freezer to get an idea for dinner the word carrot is looking at me. A great reminder.
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Since I always have carrots in the refrigerator's 'Fresh' drawer then the decision is easier. Now that I have this recipe and keep that little note taped in the freezer my decision is really easy.
Ingredients
- Carrots are sweet, fast to prepare and everybody likes them.
- Extra virgin live oil
- Dairy-free butter
- Organic brown sugar has a deep sweet flavor that mixes well with maple syrup.
- Maple syrup
- Garlic gives a contrast in flavor but very subtly.
- Salt and pepper are the perfect seasonings.
🥕Preparation and cooking maple glazed carrots
- The instructions are very easy and the first one is to heat a frying pan to medium-high heat and then add the olive oil and butter.
- After the butter is melted add the carrots, brown sugar, maple syrup, and garlic to a frying pan. Stir to combine.
- Cook for 10 minutes or until tender, tossing several times for even cooking.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. That is probably just a sprinkle of both.
- Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.
See what I mean? A really easy recipe and, believe me, it tastes really good too.
You can see in the photos above that the carrots have been cut at a slant. That makes a very nice presentation.
Well, let me tell you about another way to cut carrots. The technique is called rolled cut and there is a small process in turning the carrot to get the pretty look below.
Let me explain.
🔪 How to roll cut carrots
- It's quite easy. As easy as slicing carrots but the idea is to give the different slice a better chance at being done at the same time. The angled cuts help do this.
- This is a lot of words to explain the process but it's very easy in execution.
- Try to have all of the carrots about the same size. meaning not just a couple of really skinny ones and all of the other big fat ones. So, nice big fat ones work great.
- With a kitchen knife cut off the ends at about a 45-degree angle. Do not change the angle of your knife or knife hand. Roll the carrot, only, to the other side and cut again. It is sort of like a triangle. The smaller pieces are more triangular and the larger ones are more os a stretched triangle. See the photo below.
- The whole idea is that when you cut the thinner part you cut it at a steeper angle and as the carrot gets bigger you cut at a wider angle. This gives the pieces a better chance of being the same size and cooking more evenly.
- The large carrot looks much larger to the eye. But ... if you picked up a small one and moved it around the big piece, matching the tips, you'd visualize more clearly that one large piece is actually very close to three small ones. Angles and all.
- Because of this, the pieces cook more evenly - Carrots Rolled Cut. It's actually fun to do when you get started and get in the rhythm.
🥕 What is the difference between glazed carrots and braised carrots
- Glazed food is food that is cooked and coated with thin sauce right in the pan. The finished sauce coats the food with a shiny surface.
- Braising is a specific way of cooking. The food is quickly fried in a pan and then the liquid is added and the pot is covered to cook with moist heat.
- The recipe braises the carrots and then the liquid is reduced for a sweet coating.
Carrots are such a versatile vegetable and vegan braised carrots are a real treat to have on the table. It's true that they're a great side but they also make a wonderful addition to soups and stews too.
I even have a couple of appetizers on the blog. One is a really delicious finger food called Carrot Bundles with Cashew Maple Spread. You might want to check that out sometime soon!
💭 FAQ's
Yes, I know how picky eaters are and the carrots will still be delicious.
Yes, you can. I find oil gives a higher frying temperature but you can sure start the recipe off with just dairy-free butter.
Fresh parsley or fresh thyme are both complementary herbs.
📋 Recipe
Maple Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots - slant cut or roll cut
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup dairy-free butter
- 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic - smashed and minced or finely cut
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- chopped pecans - optional
Instructions
- Add the oil and dairy-free butter in a skillet and heat to medium-high.
- Once the butter has melted add the carrots, brown sugar, maple syrup, and garlic. Stir to combine
- Cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender, tossing several times for even cooking.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle with chopped pecans if so desired.
Karin Collison
What are those little gold things scattered in this dish?
Ginny McMeans
Chopped pecans Karin. They can be added as a garnish.
Sara
This was a quick, easy, and delicious way to prepare carrots. Instead of butter and olive oil, I used about 1/8 cup canola oil, and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!