These are the glaziest roasted carrots you’ll ever eat. This easy recipe requires minimal prep time and tending to, making it a strong choice for a lazy weekend supper or as a side dish during a holiday feast—whether it’s Easter, Rosh Hashanah, Christmas, or Thanksgiving. With their sweet-hot kick, these glazed carrots compliment everything from sweet potatoes to lamb, ham to green bean casserole.
Leave the baby carrots for another day and look for long, slender carrots without many cracks or roots, ideally with their green tops still attached. Brown sugar and maple syrup play up the root vegetable’s natural sweetness, but can make a mess of a baking tray, so be sure to line it well with foil, not parchment paper, for easy cleanup. Roasting in a single layer in a hot oven helps ensure perfectly cooked carrots with lightly crispy edges, instead of a soft, limp texture. Just 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 helps balance the sweetness.
If you’re looking for an even simpler weeknight roasted carrot recipe with olive oil and black pepper, head this way.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with 3 sheets of foil (you’ll need it!). Cut carrots on a diagonal into 3" pieces (halved or quartered lengthwise if large).
Step 2
Spread out carrots on foil. Evenly top with butter, brown sugar, syrup, and red pepper flakes. Season with kosher salt and toss to combine.
Step 3
Bake 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 sea salt (if using).
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in November 2018. For more of our best carrot recipes, head this way →
