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    Home Β» Vegan Recipes Β» Vegan Side Dishes Β» Christmas Carrots with Orange & Maple

    Christmas Carrots with Orange & Maple

    Published: Dec 18, 2016 Β· Modified: Dec 10, 2021 by Kate Ford Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

    Christmas Carrots
    JUMP TO RECIPE JUMP TO VIDEO
    pinterest pin for easy festive carrots

    These Christmas carrots with orange and maple are deliciously sweet but retain their crunch as a perfect accompaniment for Christmas dinner.

    🍽 Why you will love this recipe

    There's a lot of pressure to serve up a 'perfect' Christmas dinner each year, and what we all need are some simple but sensational side dishes that can be prepared ahead of time and need minimal time and effort on the big day.

    These sweet and crunchy Christmas carrots with orange and maple are just that. They are full of flavour with a delicious crunch, and can be prepped and par-boiled a day ahead. On the day, you just need to bubble them in orange juice and maple syrup until they have a glossy glaze and are sweet and crunchy, then serve.

    A perfect accompaniment to Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. Maximum flavour, minimum fuss - just what you need!

    Jump to:
    • 🍽 Why you will love this recipe
    • πŸ“ What you need
    • πŸ‘©πŸ½β€πŸ³ How to make your Christmas Carrots
    • πŸ‘©πŸ½β€πŸ³ Variations
    • πŸ”ͺ Top Tips & FAQs
    • 🍴 If you liked that...
    • πŸ“– Recipe
    • πŸ’¬ Comments and Reviews
    Ingredients for christmas carrots

    📝 What you need

    Carrots obviously! I like the little baby Chantenay carrots, they are short and fat and just the perfect bite-sized carrot. But the long and thin baby carrots are also excellent, or even the multicoloured 'heritage' carrots that are sometimes sold at this time of year.

    If you can't get hold of baby carrots, just use ordinary carrots instead, (they will need peeling, then cutting into batons).

    Orange juice I would go for a smooth rather than 'with bits' juice. Definitely look for a pure juice rather than a concentrate, or your carrots will be far too sweet.

    Dairy-free margarine I always use a good block margarine for cooking (rather than a tub of spread). My favourites are the Flora Plant block 'butter' or Naturli block if you can find it. Both are delicious and really 'buttery'.

    Maple syrup There is quite a difference between the cheap syrup that has a bit of maple and lots of other ingredients to bulk it out, and the really pure Canadian maple syrup. If your budget allows do go for the pure stuff, it is significantly better.

    👩🏽‍🍳 How to make your Christmas Carrots

    For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page 👇🏼.

    Trim carrots and par-boil

    Trim and halve the baby carrots. Par-boil them for 5-6 minutes then drain.

    Glaze with orange juice and maple

    Return the carrots to the pan and add the orange juice. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the margarine and maple syrup and bubble until the glaze is thick and syrupy. Season well with salt and black pepper, scatter with finely chopped parsley and serve.

    👩🏽‍🍳 Variations

    There are lots of tweaks you can make to these tasty Christmas carrots, to mix them up each year! How about:

    • Spice it up Add some festive spices for a special twist - how about star anise, cardamon or a tiny pinch of cinnamon?
    • Make them nutty Finely chopped walnuts or hazelnuts scattered over the finished carrots make a deliciously crunchy addition.
    • Carrots with Apple Simply swap the orange juice for apple juice - a lovely subtle match for the carrot flavour.

    🔪 Top Tips & FAQs

    Keep taste-testing until your carrots have just the right amount of crunch. This will depend both on your particular carrots and how 'al dente' you prefer them. The timings in the recipe are just a guide.

    If the glaze isn't thickening quickly enough remove the carrots with a slotted spoon, bubble the glaze over a high heat until it is fairly thick and glossy, then return the carrots to the pan and toss to coat them fully in the glaze.

    Christmas Carrots Recipe
    Can I use normal carrots instead of baby carrots?

    Yes certainly. Peel and trim them, then cut into batons or diagonal chunks if you're feeling cheffy. They may take longer or shorter to cook depending on how you cut them, so keep tasting and testing.

    How much can I prepare ahead?

    You can do a lot of the preparation these the day before. Trim and halve the carrots and par-boil them, then leave to cool and keep in an airtight container in the fridge. Then on the day itself you can just do the final steps with orange juice and maple syrup - just 5-10 minutes work.

    Can I freeze these Christmas carrots?

    You can certainly freeze leftovers and they will still taste great, but for a special occasion I would always cook them fresh.

    What other side dishes can I serve with my Christmas Dinner?

    No Christmas Dinner is complete without crispy roast potatoes, and of course the obligatory brussels sprouts (my sprouts with ginger and sesame are pretty epic!). If space on the cooker is running out, how about trying my Slow-Cooker Red Cabbage with apple and cranberry? And I've sometimes served up carrot and swede mash too which is wonderful with gravy and all the trimmings.

    Loved this recipe? ⭐️ Leave a star rating below! 📸 Snap a photo of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram, tagging me @thevegspace or #thevegspace 📩 And get all my latest recipes in a weekly e-mail by subscribing to my newsletter.

    🍴 If you liked that...

    .... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:

    Vegan Roast Potatoes
    Crispy Vegan Roast Potatoes
    Festive Butternut Roast
    Festive Butternut Roast
    Slow Cooker Red Cabbage
    Christmas Pie
    Vegan Christmas Pie

    πŸ“– Recipe

    Vegan Christmas Carrots

    Christmas Carrots with Orange & Maple

    Kate Ford | The Veg Space
    These Christmas carrots with orange and maple are deliciously sweet but retain their crunch as a perfect accompaniment for Christmas dinner.
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 13 minutes mins
    Course Sides
    Cuisine British
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 134 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 500 g Chantenay / Baby Carrots
    • 100 ml orange juice
    • 2 tablespoon maple syrup
    • 25 g dairy-free margarine
    • fresh parsley (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Clean, top and tail and halve the carrots, (or leave them whole if they are particularly small). Place them in a large, lidded saucepan and just cover with water, and a generous pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and cook for 5-6 minutes, then drain.
    • Return the carrots to the pan, and add the orange juice. Bring to the boil, cover with the lid and boil for 3-4 minutes.
    • Add the maple syrup and margarine to the pan and continue to bubble gently until the glaze has become syrupy and fully coated the carrots.
    • Season with salt and black pepper, scatter with finely chopped parsley (optional) and serve.

    Video

    Notes

    Keep taste-testing until your carrots have just the right amount of crunch. This will depend both on your particular carrots and how 'al dente' you prefer them. The timings in the recipe are just a guide.
    If the glaze isn't thickening quickly enough remove the carrots with a slotted spoon, bubble the glaze over a high heat until it is fairly thick and glossy, then return the carrots to the pan and toss to coat them fully in the glaze.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1portionCalories: 134kcalCarbohydrates: 21.8gProtein: 1.3gFat: 5.1gSaturated Fat: 0.8gSodium: 146mgPotassium: 475mgFiber: 3.1gSugar: 14.3gCalcium: 50mgIron: 1mg
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    Vegan in 15 by Kate Ford

    For more quick and easy vegan recipes take a look at my latest book Vegan in 15.

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    « Ginger & Sesame Christmas Brussels Sprouts
    Vegan Mincemeat »

    About Kate Ford

    Hi! I'm Kate, vegan home cook and blogger behind The Veg Space and author of Vegan in 15. I'm passionate about creating easy vegan recipes that even a first-time cook can follow.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jess says

      December 03, 2021 at 1:46 pm

      This recipe gives me all the feels. Reminds me of my grandma making them every holiday season.

      Reply
    2. Lauren Michael Harris says

      December 03, 2021 at 1:37 pm

      I've never heard of Christmas carrots before, but the flavors sound delicious! My super picky child is sure to love these!

      Reply
    3. Gina says

      December 03, 2021 at 1:29 pm

      The orange juice brings such lovely and unexpected flavor to these carrots! What a great side dish for both the holidays and even just weeknight dinner!

      Reply
    4. Natalie says

      December 03, 2021 at 1:20 pm

      What a beautiful side. Perfect addition to Holiday table I'm excited to give this a try. Thnaks!

      Reply
    5. Valerie says

      December 03, 2021 at 1:03 pm

      We must try these baby carrots, they look perfect! I love how simple they are to make!

      Reply
    6. Karen says

      December 24, 2020 at 11:20 am

      Do they carrots go into cold water or boiling water? If cold, when does the 6 minutes start, once the water has started boiling? Thanks

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        December 28, 2020 at 5:31 pm

        Hi Karen, they go into boiling water - so 6 minutes from when they hit the pan. Kate x

        Reply
    7. Chloe Edges says

      November 04, 2020 at 11:21 am

      Looks delicious! I often glaze my carrots but usually just use plain sugar - I'll def be giving maple syrup a go next time as I love the stuff. And you're right, the fake stuff is abhorrent. Aldi and Lidl both do very reasonably priced pure syrup so I never feel like I'm paying too much for it. Also massive points from me for actually topping and tailing the carrots. It drives me bonkers seeing the tops left on, no matter how pretty they might look. I really hate having to prepare my veg on the plate to remove the inedible bits!!!

      Reply
    8. Camilla Hawkins says

      November 03, 2020 at 1:26 pm

      Love these carrots, a real treat for Christmas! Thank you for sharing my Crispy Coated Roast Potatoes:-)

      Reply
    5 from 10 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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