Maple Miso Roasted Carrots

Lately I’ve been trying to branch out beyond my garlic and onion obsession and play with new flavors. Miso is something I haven’t experimented with in the past, but I’ve wanted to explore for ages. So the other day I picked up a small container of white miso (the milder variety) and whipped up these super simple Maple Miso Roasted Carrots.

The maple miso butter that drenches the carrots and caramelizes while the carrots roast is an amazingly rich and has an almost caramel-like flavor. If you’re not into carrots, these flavors would go equally as well with sweet potatoes or even sweet winter squashes like butternut or acorn. The amount of maple miso butter in the recipe below would probably be enough for up to 1.5 lbs. of carrots, sweet potatoes, or squash, so you can probably get a little more milage out of it and reduce the cost per serving even more (I only had 1 lb. of carrots on hand).

I made these carrots to go in my weekly meal prep bowl, but you’ll have to wait until Sunday to see what I paired them with! ;) In the mean time, here are some other dishes that these carrots would pair beautifully with: Slow Cooker Sesame Beef, Soy Marinated Tofu Bowls, Slow Cooker 5 Spice Chicken, or Stir Fry Beef Noodles.

Oh, and one more note. Both miso and real maple syrup are definitely pricier ingredients, but because they are both potent in flavor and incredibly shelf stable (refrigerate them after opening), I am able to work them into my budget. I use only a small amount in a recipe and the leftovers can be saved for the next recipe instead of going to waste.

Never heard of miso? Here is a good miso primer to get you started. :)

Maple Miso Roasted Carrots

Maple Miso Roasted Carrots

These Maple Miso Roasted Carrots are sweet, savory, and rich, and make a great side dish to any Asian inspired meal. 

• 2 Tbsp white miso ($0.78)
• 2 Tbsp real maple syrup ($0.60)
• 1 Tbsp melted butter ($0.13)
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.03)
• 1 tsp soy sauce ($0.13)
• 1 lb. carrots ($0.89)

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a bowl, combine the miso, maple syrup, melted butter, grated ginger, and soy sauce. Stir them together until smooth.

2. Peel and slice the carrots into about 1-inch sections (for thicker parts of the carrots, cut them slightly shorter, for thinner parts of the carrots, cut them slightly longer). Place the carrot pieces on a non-stuck baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with foil.

3. Pour the maple miso butter over the carrots and stir the carrots until they are evenly coated. Spread the carrots out over the sheet so there is a little bit of space between each piece. This is critical to the caramelization of the maple miso butter.

4. Roast the carrots in the oven for 15 minutes, then stir. Make sure to spread them back out after stirring, then return them to the oven for an additional 15 minutes. If the carrots are nicely golden brown at that point they are finished. If not, stir one more time and roast for an additional 5-10 minutes to achieve browning.

The maple miso butter around the edges will burn slightly. Just make sure not to scrape that part up when stirring or serving the carrots. You do want some browning of the maple miso butter to achieve the caramelized flavor.

Step by Step Photos

Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF. In a bowl, stir together 2 Tbsp white miso, 2 Tbsp real maple syrup, 1 Tbsp melted butter, 1 tsp fresh grated ginger, and 1 tsp soy sauce. 

Peel and slice one pound of carrots into approximately 1-inch sections. You want the pieces as close to the same size as possible so they roast in an even manner, so cut the thicker parts of the carrots into shorter pieces and the thinner parts of the carrots into slightly  longer pieces.

Drizzle the maple miso butter over the carrots and stir the carrots until they are evenly coated.

Spread the carrots out on a non-stick baking sheet or a baking sheet covered with foil (for easy cleanup) and make sure the carrots are spaced out a bit. If they are too close together the maple miso butter won’t caramelize properly.

Roast the carrots in the fully preheated 400ºF oven for 15 minutes, give them a good stir, spread them out again, and roast for an additional 15 minutes. At that time check to see if you have any browning action. If not, stir again and roast for another 5-10 minutes, or until the maple miso butter is brown and jam-like. The maple miso butter around the edges will burn a little, so just make sure not to scrape up that part as you stir.

And that’s it! The Maple Miso Roasted Carrots are ready to serve. :) I garnished with a few sliced green onions for color, but they’re not necessary for flavor. These sweet and salty carrots are amazing on their own!

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