These lightly sweet glazed carrots sparkle with the flavors of orange and ginger and are the perfect accompaniment to any meal–especially holiday feasts!
As a lazy cook who values one-pot meals, I don’t cook many side dishes. If a meal lacks a vegetable, I’ll usually toss together a salad and call it a day.
The only time I find I need true side dishes is when dinner centers around a protein-heavy dish, like mini tofu quiches, quinoa cutlets, pistachio-crusted tofu, or meatless loaf, that needs a plethora of veggie sides to round out the plate. Simple steamed vegetables will often do the trick, but when I want a side dish that seems “dressier” but still is quick and easy to make, these lightly sweet carrots meet all my needs: sparkling with the flavors of orange and ginger, they cook in about 15 minutes and are the perfect accompaniment to any meal.
I served them with the broccoli-rice casserole I posted last week, but they really go with everything–or with nothing, as I found out when I kept reaching for them cold as a snack. Even with no fat and with much less sugar than most glazed carrots, they’re still seriously addictive.
I’ve tested them with several different sweeteners (including date syrup, which I don’t recommend because it overwhelmed the orange and ginger) and like them best with agave nectar, but I’ve included a couple of other options for those of you who avoid agave. If you’re looking for a very low-sugar option, try them with the new Monkfruit-Sweetened Maple Syrup. It’s only 15 calories for the two tablespoons required in the recipe.
I think I’ll be serving these glazed carrots every Thanksgiving. They’ll be the perfect accompaniment to Mushroom Seitan Roast, Vegan Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing, and Vegan Green Bean Casserole. Give them a try at your next holiday meal!
Find more great holiday dishes in my Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes archive.
Ginger-Orange Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby carrots or peeled carrots cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon ginger root grated
- 1 teaspoon grated orange peel plus additional for garnish
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar, sugar, or maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt optional or to taste
Instructions
- Place the carrots in a medium-sized sauce pan and add salt and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil just until carrots are beginning to soften, about 3 minutes for very small carrots, longer for thicker carrots. Drain water and return carrots to sauce pan.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the carrots and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook uncovered, stirring often, until the liquid is reduced until very little–about a tablespoon–remains. Serve hot, warm, or cold with additional orange peel as garnish.
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Barb
December 5, 2011 at 11:27 amThose look great! I usually do a “candied” carrot but these look much healthier! I might bring these to an upcoming potluck 🙂
Wendy (Healthy Girl's Kitchen)
December 5, 2011 at 1:00 pmYou just reminded me how much I love roasted carrots drizzled with a hint of maple syrup after they are done roasting. So thanks Susan! And I agree, I’m not big on side dishes. Everything is served with a salad to make it a complete meal, thus the elimination of the side dish . . . interesting.
sweet road
December 5, 2011 at 1:28 pmI had these recently but I only used orange juice, a little bit of agave, and carrots. I would be interested to see how the recipe tastes with the added ginger and orange peel. Much more flavorful I’m sure!
Rita
December 5, 2011 at 3:18 pmHi Susan, these are definitely going on my Christmas day menu along with your Meatless Loaf, cranberry relish and a huge tray of roasted spuds. I’m also giving your Eggnog cheesecake a go but I’m going to crumble some plum pudding on top. Don’t suppose you have anything unusual for brussels sprouts or stuffing then you’ll have full credit!!! Rita
KCalla
December 5, 2011 at 8:12 pmRita,
Can I suggest Susan’s Creamy Vegan Broccoli and Rice Casserole (Nov 21, 2011 posting). I made it for our dressing replacement for this Thanksgiving. It was wonderful….got rave reviews and was quickly gone. I made it in a 9×13 pan. Our Thanksgiving brussels sprouts were a hit, too, but very simple and no formal recipe: Halve Brussels Sprouts, cook in 1/2 inch or so of water until done. Drain. Mix together about one tablespoon each (depending on how many sprouts you make, I made 2 pounds) of Dijon mustard and Maple Syrup or other sweetener and add a teaspoon or so of soy sauce. Toss with Brussels Sprouts. I don’t know who to credit for inspiring this, but it may have been Susan. My thanks to the inspiration. Requests are in for us to make this again at Christmas.
Karen
Rita
December 6, 2011 at 3:23 amThanks Karen, those sprouts sound good alright. Have done something similar in the past using orange juice and balsamic vinegar but was looking for another take on it. I’ll give yours a go. The creamy broccoli bake IS yum but it’s been done too many times here now to be Christmassy for my lot. Thanks again!
Susan Voisin
December 6, 2011 at 6:49 amRita, have you tried my Brussels sprouts and mushrooms: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/02/brussels-sprouts-and-mushrooms.html ? If your family likes mushrooms, they’re really good.
I’m really honored that so many of my dishes will be on your Christmas table! 🙂
Rita
December 6, 2011 at 10:45 amI love mushrooms and have never thought of putting them with sprouts before. This is one I have to try but my youngest has mushrooms as this weeks aversion. Normally I completely ignore such behaviour but in viewing that recipe I then noticed your roasted sprouts, and seeing as how the oven will be on anyway I think that’s the way to go for the big day! I’m the only vegetarian in the family (not fully vegan, sorry!) so I try to be as indulgent as possible with the sides. By the way, you feature regularly on our table. It’s a huge compliment to you that my family of hardened carnivores have never ever rejected anything I’ve picked up from here. Happy Christmas!
Susan Voisin
December 6, 2011 at 11:02 amAw, thanks, Rita! I haven’t had as much success feeding my own carnivorous extended family, so I’m happy to hear that yours likes my recipes. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
Kathleen
December 5, 2011 at 9:54 pmThose look SO good! I love carrots so much — thank you for this amazing recipe! 😀
Anna
December 6, 2011 at 3:47 amOh I thought the orange was referring to the vibrant color of the carrots…I never realized you really added citrusy-orange flavor. The combination is fantastic. Side dishes can be limelights of the party too…I love the recipe, so does my little girl. Thanks for posting!
Vegetarian
December 6, 2011 at 6:40 amgreat recipes! I do love all your posting!
Pearl
December 6, 2011 at 1:23 pmperfect. I have all those ingredients too.
csteph
December 7, 2011 at 9:09 pmSusan, I apologise for asking this question here – I wasn’t sure where the best place was. I just fell for the 4 lb box of Meyer lemons at Costco, and I don’t know what to do with them! I remember you mentioning them a few times, so I thought you might have some ideas for me. And maybe the other several thousand who might have succumbed to the same temptation!
Susan Voisin
December 7, 2011 at 9:16 pmIt’s such a coincidence that you asked! I just finished juicing a big bag of them. I juice them every winter, freeze the juice, and have good Meyer lemon juice throughout the year.
If you don’t want to do that, I recommend my lemon pie: http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/03/05/lemon-pie-filling/ You can also do a search of the site for lemons. Any recipe you find here that uses lemons was made with Meyer lemons.
csteph
December 8, 2011 at 1:13 amThat is a brilliant idea! It never occurred to me to juice them, but I would love to have easily available frozen lemon cubes. Do you use these lemons interchangeably with other lemons, or do you have to compensate for their extra sweetness somehow?
Susan Voisin
December 8, 2011 at 7:25 amI sometimes add a little more of their juice if something isn’t tart enough, but I do it mostly by taste. I’ve gotten so used to them that supermarket lemons just don’t taste good. (I’m lucky that my parents grow them and I get them for free!)
csteph
December 8, 2011 at 10:51 amThanks so much for your help – I’ll go start squeezing……!
Nicole
December 8, 2011 at 5:53 pmO! I make this all the time actually. The only real difference is that I use both carrots and beets! I roast them together first tho. Quite good really.
GetSkinnyGoVegan
December 10, 2011 at 10:22 amSounds so comforting for the cold……..thanks!
fimere
December 11, 2011 at 9:46 amC’est très original! L’association me tente beaucoup
bonne journée
fimere
Annie
December 11, 2011 at 5:09 pmJust made me think how much I like roasted carrots..mmmm. Love the colors in the photos, looks great!
Drisana (SoulShineBlog)
December 12, 2011 at 5:13 amThese look tasty and pretty simple to put together! I’ve never tried ginger in glazed carrots but I think I’ll give it a try. Thanks!
Kshitija
December 12, 2011 at 10:08 amHello Susan,
One more wonderful recipe with fabulous photos. I have been following your blog for so long but this is my first comment !!! I will soon start working on my first blog.Your recipes and images have inspired me to start one !!! If I am not being impolite to ask this, would you like to share some thoughts on how well you are able to manage such a great website?
torviewtoronto
December 12, 2011 at 8:31 pmthis looks delicious
It's Carmen
December 31, 2011 at 2:38 pmYum. This is so simple, but my mouth is drooling as I read this recipe.
Claire
February 22, 2012 at 6:02 pmJust wanted to come back, and thank you for this lovely recipe! I served it at my yearly holiday dinner party, and it was a huge hit with omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans alike!!
Melissa
November 29, 2013 at 4:52 amThese were a hit at my vegan Thanksgiving!
Tracie
November 17, 2014 at 5:10 pmI just made these last night as a test before Thanksgiving. OMG they’re good!! I could have eaten the whole dish by myself!! I will definitely make this for Thanksgiving dinner — I’m in charge of the veggie side dishes. Thanks!
Jennifer
January 9, 2016 at 10:24 amHi, Susan! How would you modify this recipe for an Instant Pot?
Rick
November 22, 2018 at 4:06 pmJust made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it Thank you for the recipe.