Sauteed carrots in Maple Thyme Glaze is a real crowd-pleaser not just among adults, but among kids as well. Maple glazed julienne carrots are such an elegant and delicious side dish to add to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. They are easy to prepare and fit most diets.
The best side dishes are the ones that are quick and easy to make. Usually, we pay more attention to prepare the main course, but sometimes a perfect side dish can steal the show. I am talking about you, damn delicious Roasted Asparagus and you, caramelized Sauteed Mushrooms. You should all watch out, as these maple glazed Sauteed Julienne Carrots are coming to get you.
Whole, diced, sliced or julienned carrots?
Let’s start with the beginning. Once upon a time… All right, cut to the chase. You can sautee whole carrots, halved carrots, diced carrots, sliced carrots, shredded carrots, but let me tell you why you should sautee julienned carrots.
- Not whole or halved – Carrots are hard root vegetables that need a lot of time to sautee/roast especially if you leave them whole or even halved. All other veggies are already done or turned to mush when whole carrots are finally perfect.
- Not diced or sliced – Diced and sliced carrots belong in soups and not as a side dish. They don’t look elegant enough at all to pull off being a Thanksgiving side dish.
- Not shredded – They just turn to mush after one-minute sauteeing. They are perfect though to add to a Vegan Nut Loaf or any veggie patties.
Julienned carrots are the perfect size to make a delicious side dish to any Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. They are large enough to sautee them without falling apart, but not too large so you can get them ready quickly. This way, you don’t need to pre-cook them in boiling water. Win-win.
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How to julienne carrots?
Julienned carrots is a fancy French word for matchstick carrots. Cutting a vegetable julienne-style means that you create long and thin carrot sticks similar to matchstick. So how to cut julienne carrots home cook style?
Quick note: Restaurant-style julienne carrots means that they trim the edges and only work with perfect matchstick look-alikes. But as a conscious home cook, I don’t get rid of the not-so-perfect trimmed matchsticks. They are equally delicious.
Young carrots vs Baby carrots
Choose young small/medium carrots as they are sweeter than large, thick ones. The sweetest ones in my opinion is those where you can see the fresh, soft, young carrot greens, which by the way is also edible.
On the other hand baby carrots might not be as sweet as you would hope them to be. According to my father-in-law (who is a gardener), baby carrots are actually the small parts that break off large carrots and then polished to look like smooth and well-shaped.
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Cut your carrots julienne-style
If you have young carrots, then you don’t need to peel them. Just wash them and you are ready to start cutting. If they are long, cut them in half to have approx. 4-inch long (approx. 10 cm) carrot stalks. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be exactly this long. It is just a reference. Then, cut them in quarters vertically 1/4-inch thick (approx. 5 mm). That’s it. You are ready to sautee your julienned carrots.
How to sautee carrots?
Here comes the fun part. My husband always jokes about the fact that I like to cook everything on the highest to get things done quicker. I agree, not always the best method. Maybe that is why I am the baker and he is the cook. But in this regard, he has to do the same. 🙂
Pre-heat the frying pan to high heat and add olive oil (photo #1). When the pan is hot enough, add the chopped carrots (photo #2). Add salt and pepper and let them cook in a single layer (photo #3). Don’t stir until 2-3 minutes so that your carrots can get a nice golden brown colour on one side and try to flip every carrot sticks to another side when you eventually stir them. After another 2-3 minutes add maple syrup and thyme and continue sauteeing your carrots on high heat (photo #4). You are ready in approx. 5 minutes.
Top tips to make perfect Sauteed Carrots
- You can choose to make whole, halved, diced or sliced carrots, but we recommend julienne/matchstick carrots. They are large enough to sautee them without falling apart, but not too large so you can get them ready quickly. This way, you don’t need to pre-cook them in boiling water.
- We recommend pre-cooking the carrots in boiling water if you sautee larger or thicker carrots.
- We use young carrots as they are sweeter than large, thick carrots and surprisingly even sweeter than baby carrots.
- Sautee the carrots in a single layer to get them ready quicker.
- You can definitely use a wok or a heavy pan like a cast-iron skillet as they will help to keep the pan steady hot if you have to do a large batch.
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FAQs and Substitutions
What other sweetener can I choose instead of maple syrup?
We tested this recipe only with honey and maple syrup. I bet rice syrup, or agave syrup or even date syrup works perfectly. Quick note though: We recommend only liquid sweetener so you can have that yummy caramel glaze on the carrots without much hassle.
What other spices can I use?
We love sauteed carrots with thyme, rosemary or parsley. Let us know what is your favorite below in the comments.
What to serve with Maple Glazed Carrots?
NUTS.
We love to add raw or roasted walnuts or pecans. We don’t sautee them together as the nuts can absorb the moisture especially if they are raw and you end up with soggy, soaked nuts. Any other nuts would also be awesome like pistacios, almond slices or cashew bits. Let us know your favorite combination in the comments!
What goes great with Sauteed Carrots?
This tasty sweet carrot side dish is perfect next to our Best Damn Vegan Lentil Loaf to make a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. So what do you have for Thanksgiving? Just asking… casually… 🙂
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This Maple Glazed Sauteed Julienne Carrots recipe is meat-free, dairy-free and egg-free. It is suitable for vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and nut-free diets (this later is only if you skip the optional nut topping).
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More side dish recipes
You can browse through our Vegan Gluten-free Side Dish Recipes or check out
- Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
- Roasted Mushrooms and Asparagus
- Sauteed Mushrooms in Garlic Soy Sauce Glaze
- Vegan Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
- Vegan Mashed Potatoes – stay tuned!
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Sauteed Julienne Carrots in Maple Thyme Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 6 Young carrots 1/2 lb (225 g)
- 3 Tbsp Maple syrup
- 1 tsp Thyme (fresh, chopped)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional topping
- 1/4 cup Chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
Cutting julienned carrots
- If you have young carrots, then you don't need to peel them. Just wash them and you are ready to start cutting.
- If they are long, cut them in half to have approx. 4-inch long (approx. 10 cm) carrot stalks. Don't worry, it shouldn't be exactly this long. It is just a reference.
- Then, cut them in quarters vertically 1/4-inch thick (approx. 5 mm). That's it. You are ready to sautee your julienned carrots.
Sauteed Carrots
- Pre-heat the frying pan to high heat and add olive oil.
- When the pan is hot enough, add the chopped carrots. You will hear the julienned carrots sizzle a bit. Add salt and pepper and let them cook in a single layer. Don't stir until 2-3 minutes so that your carrots can get a nice golden brown colour on one side and try to flip every carrot sticks to another side when you eventually stir them.
- It will take 5-6 minutes before you can add the maple syrup and thyme.
- Continue sauteeing your carrots on high heat, while the maple syrup is bubbling up. You are ready in another 5-6 minutes.
- Serve it right out of the pan or add chopped raw/roasted walnuts/pecans.
Notes
- You can choose to make whole, halved, diced or sliced carrots, but we recommend julienne/matchstick carrots. They are large enough to sautee them without falling apart, but not too large so you can get them ready quickly. This way, you don't need to pre-cook them in boiling water.
- We recommend pre-cooking the carrots in boiling water if you sautee larger or thicker carrots.
- We use young carrots as they are sweeter than large, thick carrots and surprisingly even sweeter than baby carrots.
- Sautee the carrots in a single layer to get them ready quicker.
- You can definitely use a wok or a heavy pan like a cast-iron skillet as they will help to keep the pan steady hot if you have to do a large batch.
Sapana
These were absolutely delicious! I love how you cut the carrots — loved the texture and maple syrup.
My Pure Plants
Thank you for your kind words.
Kate
This sounds so delicious, the flavors sound perfect together! Yum!
My Pure Plants
Thanks.
Krissy Allori
Yum! The honey are thyme are perfect together. Adding this to my Thanksgiving dinner.
My Pure Plants
Sounds great. It is on my list too. 🙂
Sara
What a delicious side for the fall. I’m putting this on my Thanksgiving list!!
My Pure Plants
Sounds great. It is on my list too. 🙂
Romina
These look absolutely fantastic. I love that you add maple syrup to them.
My Pure Plants
Thank you.