Roasted Maple Curry Carrots

Roasted Maple Curry Carrots is a delicious, familiar, yet unique side dish for your holiday gathering. Carrots roasted with tangy cranberries, mildly spicy curry, and then gently caramelized in sweet maple syrup, it’s the ultimate carrot recipe!

Oval plate with glazed carrots on it, garnished with pepitas.

Are carrots high in sugar?

The short answer: no. They are not.

I recently saw a comic of a bunch of carrots in the fridge chowing down on cake and sodas. Honestly, that’s the only way your carrots have a lot of sugar in them!

In my post Tropical Carrot Cake Oatmeal, I dive pretty in depth into this misconception, if you want to read more. But here’s a brief quote from it:

“A half of a cup of chopped carrots contains about 3 grams of sugar. By comparison, a 12 oz Coke contains 39 grams of sugar! A teaspoon of sugar or honey is 4 grams. An apple has 10 grams of sugar.”

Laura Yautz, RDN

So, anyway, enjoy your carrots, please! Start with roasted maple carrots!

How do I get my roasted carrots to be soft?

In this healthy glazed carrots recipe we use a secret weapon to get wonderfully soft, but not mushy, roasted carrots! The secret is to parboil the carrots first! Parboiling is similar to blanching.

First peel and chop the carrots to whatever size you like, and then give them the hot tub treatment for a few minutes. Just 3-5 minutes in boiling water is enough to ensure your carrots roast up perfectly!

Crunchy roasted carrots that are raw on the inside and burned on the outside? No more!

What to serve with Maple Syrup Roasted Carrots

If I do say so myself, this is a perfect holiday carrots recipe. But besides the turkey or ham, here are some other great options for serving with roasted maple carrots:

FAQs and Tips

Is it necessary to boil the carrots before roasting them?

Technically, no. Boiling them first helps ensure they cook through without burning on the outside. If you don’t want to do that, skip that step, but watch your carrots so they don’t burn. They may take longer to roast also.

What to use instead of pepitas?

You can skip that ingredient entirely, or use another seed or nut. I think pistachios would be great, or perhaps some chopped almonds.

I don’t like cranberries. What can I use instead?

A few options here. First, if you don’t use cranberries, reduce the maple syrup to 2 Tbsp.
It’s fine to leave the cranberries out altogether. Or you could use pomegranate arils in place of them. If you do that, sprinkle them over the top with the pepitas instead of roasting them.

If you try this maple glazed carrots recipe with curry, tell me in the comments!

And don’t forget to try some of our other carrot recipes!

Oval plate with glazed carrots on it, garnished with pepitas.
5 from 2 votes
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Roasted Maple Curry Carrots

A delicious, familiar, yet unique side dish for your holiday gathering. Carrots roasted with tangy cranberries, mildly spicy curry, and then gently caramelized in sweet maple syrup, it's the ultimate carrot recipe!

Course Holiday, Side Dish, vegetable
Cuisine American, Indian-Inspired
Diet GlutenFreeDiet, LowLactoseDiet, LowSaltDiet, VeganDiet, VegetarianDiet
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 146 kcal
Author Laura Yautz

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Carrots, scrubbed well
  • ½ cup Fresh Cranberries
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp Curry Powder (more or less to taste)
  • ¼ – ½ tsp Salt
  • 3 Tbsp 100% Pure Maple Syrup
  • 2 Tbsp Unsalted Pepitas

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Fill a large pot with water, and bring to a boil over high heat.
  3. Prepare the carrots: peel them if you like. Cut off the tops and bottoms. Cut the carrots on a diagonal in about 1 inch pieces. Cut them in half lengthwise first if they are thick.
  4. When the water reaches a boil, add the carrots, and boil for 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
  5. Put the carrots and cranberries on a lined baking sheet, and toss with olive oil, curry powder, and salt.
  6. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing a few times.
  7. Remove from the oven, and add the maple syrup. Toss again.
  8. Optional: Toast the pepitas, by placing in a small pan (no oil), and tossing over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until fragrant.

  9. Return to the oven, and roast an additional 10 minutes, or until the carrots are tender and caramelized.
  10. Spoon the carrots onto a serving platter, and sprinkle with pepitas.
Nutrition Facts
Roasted Maple Curry Carrots
Amount Per Serving
Calories 146 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Sodium 203mg9%
Potassium 509mg15%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 4205IU84%
Vitamin C 10mg12%
Calcium 59mg6%
Iron 0.7mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Oval plate with glazed carrots on it, garnished with pepitas. Text overlay: Roasted Maple Curry Carrots; Vegan, gluten free.

4 thoughts on “Roasted Maple Curry Carrots

  • December 15, 2022 at 1:44 pm
    Permalink

    5 stars
    I made these yummy carrots for dinner guests and everyone loved them! There was not a single carrot left in the serving dish! Great job!

    Reply
    • December 17, 2022 at 9:04 am
      Permalink

      Thank you so much! Happy it was such a hit!

      Reply
    • November 29, 2022 at 9:40 am
      Permalink

      Awesome to hear! I think this is probably my new favorite way to make carrots. Glad you enjoyed!

      Reply

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