Name: Roasted Carrots with Maple Tahini Sauce (Small Batch)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 10 oz. medium-sized Carrots; 2 tsp. Olive Oil; 1 tsp. Maple Syrup (best quality); 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder; 1 sprig Thyme (leaves removed, stem discarded (or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme)); Salt + freshly cracked Black Pepper; 3 tbsp. Tahini; 2 1/2 tsp. Maple Syrup (best quality); 2 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice; 1 1/4 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar; Salt + freshly cracked Black Pepper; 1 tbsp. Water (or more as needed); 2 tbsp. Roasted Pepitas; 2 tbsp. Dried Cranberries

A gorgeous small batch side dish recipe with roasted carrots, a creamy maple tahini sauce, sweet dried cranberries, and crunchy roasted pepitas. This is a stunning recipe that delivers big on flavor, too!

A plate full of colorful roasted carrots drizzled with a maple tahini sauce and garnished with roasted pepitas and dried cranberries.

Small batch side dish recipes are my jam, and this roasted carrots recipe is one of my current favorites! It makes 2-3 servings (using just over 1/2 lb. of fresh carrots), and comes together in about 25 minutes.

The creamy maple tahini sauce has a sweet, earthy flavor that perfectly compliments the roasted carrots. Tahini is similar to a nut butter, as it is a ground sesame paste. This recipe has been nestled in my brain for quite a while, and I really am so excited to finally share it with you!

Ingredients

For the Roasted Carrots:

10 oz. medium-sized Raw Carrots
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Maple Syrup
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
leaves from 1 Thyme Sprig
Salt + freshly cracked Black Pepper

For the Maple Tahini Sauce:

3 tbsp. Tahini
2 1/2 tsp. Maple Syrup
2 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice
1 1/4 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt or Sea Salt
1 tbsp. Water, or more as needed

For Serving:

2 tbsp. Toasted Pepitas
2 tbsp. Dried Cranberries

Ingredient Notes

Carrots :

I loved using multi-colored carrots for these photos! They are also about 6-7″ long, so a little shorter than a typical carrot. ANY size will work for this recipe, but roasting time will vary based upon how thick they are. If you have baby carrots (which are typically pretty thick), roast them for 20 minutes. If you’re using skinner carrots (usually the case with whole carrots like carrots from the farmers’ market), roast for 15. Regardless of your carrot choice, the other ingredient quantities are the same.

Maple Syrup:

I recommend using a high quality maple syrup for this recipe, such as this one from Wisconsin (about $10) or this Canadian one (about $17). I don’t recommend pancake syrup as an alternative, as it is usually loaded with sugar and doesn’t deliver as much “maple” flavor, which is what we are going for. Honestly, I just look for a bottle at the store that has a high grade and isn’t over $10. 🙂 They’re typically from Wisconsin, Vermont, or Canada.

Thyme Sprig:

Fresh thyme is great on these roasted carrots, but dried thyme works, too! Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. of dried thyme over the carrots instead of using fresh thyme sprigs if preferred.

Tahini:

Tahini is a ground sesame paste that has a similar texture to a nut butter (like peanut butter). It has a toasted, earthy taste that pairs really well with carrots! It is thick, so I use a little water to thin out the tahini sauce after all of the ingredients are combined. I really love this organic option (it’s what I actually use!) , and this one (but it’s more expensive). Any major grocery store should carry tahini, just look for it near the nut butters!

Alternative Toppings: The roasted pepitas add a beautiful crunchy texture to this recipe, but they can easily be substituted with toasted walnuts, sliced toasted almonds, or even toasted pecans. Any toasted seeds or nuts should work!

The other ingredients are pretty straightforward, but feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions!

Directions

How to Make Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a quarter baking sheet (this is the one I use) with parchment paper.
Clean the carrots and cut off the leafy green tops if there are some; reserve the leafy greens for a carrot top pesto or compost.
Toss carrots with 2 tsp. Olive Oil, 1 tsp. good Maple Syrup, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, a healthy pinch of kosher salt or sea salt, a crack of fresh black pepper, and the leaves from one sprig of thyme.
Spread the carrots out onto the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and roast the carrots for 15-20 minutes until tender.
While the carrots are roasting, make the maple tahini sauce. Combine 3 tbsp. Tahini, 2 1/2 tsp. good Maple Syrup, 2 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice, 1 1/4 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar, and salt in a small bowl. Stir until combined, then add 1 tbsp. water and stir until creamy. Add more water (about 1 tsp. at a time) if desired for a thinner consistency. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Transfer the roasted carrots to a serving dish and drizzle with maple tahini sauce. Sprinkle with toasted pepitas and dried cranberries, and serve.

See below for a step-by-step guide on how to make these Roasted Carrots with Maple Tahini Sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a quarter baking sheet (this is the one I use) with parchment paper. Clean the carrots, scrubbing them lightly, then chop off the leafy green tops. (Carrot tops can be used to make pesto if you’d like to cut down on waste! Otherwise I typically throw them into our compost bin.)

Colorful carrots laid in a straight line across a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Toss the carrots with olive oil, maple syrup, fresh thyme leaves, and a healthy pinch of salt. Exact measurements are: 2 teaspoons olive oil (or avocado oil), one teaspoon maple syrup (best quality), leaves from one sprig of thyme (or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme), 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, and a healthy pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper- (usually more salt than you think)! Spread the carrots out across the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven (preheated to 400 F).

Roast the carrots for 15-20 minutes until tender. (Texture matters, and some of us like carrots crunchier than others. I like a soft exterior with a little crunch in the middle, which usually runs me about 15 minutes in the oven at 400 F. If you prefer a softer texture throughout, shoot for closer to 20 minutes. The size of your carrot will also impact how long they need to roast. Test them after 15 minutes and use your best judgment to continue roasting or be done.) They will be slightly shriveled, but still retain their size.

A glass bowl full of maple tahini sauce with a spoon resting in it.

Make the Maple Tahini sauce while the carrots are roasting. Combine 3 tbsp. Tahini, 2 1/2 tsp. good Maple Syrup, 2 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice, 1 1/4 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Stir until combined, then add 1 tbsp. water and stir until creamy. (Add more water [about 1 tsp. at a time] if desired for a thinner consistency.) Taste and season with more salt if needed. Add more of the other ingredients if desired, too.

Roasted multi-colored carrots on an orange plate being drizzled with a maple tahini sauce.

Serve! Transfer the roasted carrots to a serving dish and drizzle with maple tahini sauce. Sprinkle with toasted pepitas and dried cranberries, and serve.

This is such a perfect small batch side dish for date night in. Serve these roasted carrots alongside roasted chicken, grilled pork chops or steak, or a really solid portobello mushroom burger!

You can even save this recipe for a small batch holiday feast. We lived in downtown Chicago for a couple of years, which kept us away from our family one Thanksgiving. So, we made a full-on small batch Thanksgiving feast (I’m talking green bean casserole, homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, roasted turkey, the works!) and this would have been a perfect vegetable side dish to throw into that feast. If you find yourself in a similar situation, you have to add this to your list of recipes to make!

If you’re looking for more small batch side dish recipes, I have a few favorites on the blog. From potatoes to vegetables, here’s some great ones to check out:

More Shrimp Recipes for Two:

If you make these Roasted Carrots and love them, I would love for you to leave a comment and star rating below! You can also snap a photo and tag me on Instagram. Feel free to email me with any questions you have, too. Cheers!

xx Sara