Delicious Miso Glazed Carrots Recipe

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• It’s easy side dish to make!
• The savory sweet flavor is interesting and delicious.
• You only need one pan!
• These carrots are a great side with many cuisines.

What is a Miso Glaze?

A miso glaze is simply a glaze (thick sauce) with miso paste incorporated into it. Miso paste is a fermented soybean paste that is used often in Japanese cooking but it has found its way around the world because of its unique flavor. It has such an interesting and delicious taste, and is a versatile ingredient to add to so many recipes.

Our miso glaze in this recipe has maple syrup, blonde/white miso paste and soy sauce as a base, giving it a sweet and savory taste with a mellow umami flavor from the miso and soy sauce. Once in the oven it will reduce and thicken and coat the carrots.

Ingredients

Here is what you need to make this miso roasted carrots recipe:

• Carrots: Nice similar width uniform whole carrots about ¾” in diameter are perfect here. If using thicker large carrots, you can slice them in half length-wise.
• Oil: We use safflower, or avocado oil, but any neutral oil will do to sear the carrots.
• Maple Syrup: This provides the sweetness in the glaze as well as the main component to thicken the glaze. We recommend using real maple syrup for best results.
• Miso Paste: The main flavor of the glaze comes from this beautiful blonde/white miso paste. 
• Soy Sauce: The depth of flavor is made with the soy sauce. We prefer to use low-sodium soy sauce or tamari to control the saltiness of the dish.
• White wine vinegar: Just the smallest amount to give some acidic balance to the glaze.
• Black Pepper: Just a pinch for flavor.
• Parsley: Finely chopped optional garnish.

See recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions

Here are a couple of common substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:

• Vinegar: Any light vinegar will do, such as rice vinegar, white vinegar or champagne vinegar.
• Blonde/White Miso: We have tried this with several different miso pastes and the lighter, less aged blonde/white miso has the mildest flavor. But every miso paste we tried worked wonderfully, so feel free to test this out with a different miso, such as red miso or yellow miso.
• Soy Sauce: Use Tamari in place of soy sauce if you need a gluten free option (or prefer the flavor).

How to Make Miso-Glazed Carrots

This miso-glazed carrot recipe is very simple and takes very little time. Once the carrots are peeled and thoroughly cleaned, they are seared in oil to give some texture and color on the carrots. The glaze is mixed separately, then poured over the carrots. The whole pan goes into the oven for about 20 minutes and they’re done! 

Equipment

Here is what you need to make this dish

• Large oven-safe pan to sear and roast carrots
• Small mixing bowl and whisk to mix the glaze

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare the Carrots

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel each carrot and, if the stem is attached, trim the carrot tops, then give them a good scrub to remove any dirt around the top of the carrot. Set aside.

Make the Miso Glaze

• Combine the maple syrup, miso paste, soy sauce, vinegar, and black pepper in a small bowl. Whisk the miso mixture well to combine and dissolve the chunks of miso paste in the liquid. 

Sear the Carrots

• Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and cook, shaking and rotating the carrots often. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the carrots have gotten some color. Remove from the heat and pour off any excess oil (there shouldn’t be much or any).

Glaze and Roast the Carrots

• Pour the glaze over the carrots. Ensure that all the carrots are covered in the glaze. Place in the oven and roast carrots for 12-25 minutes depending on the size of carrots used. Start checking with a wooden toothpick at around 12 minutes if you used smaller carrots. If you like the carrots soft, cook until there is no resistance to the toothpick. For the sized carrots in this recipe, this takes 19-20 minutes. Remove the carrots and serve. Garnish with finely chopped parsley if desired.

Variations

Here are a couple ways to change up this recipe:

• Try using parsnips with or instead of the carrots for a distinctly different flavor.
• Replace the maple syrup with honey and add some herbs at the end for a completely different taste with a miso honey glaze.

Storage

How to store leftover carrots:

• Store for up to 4 days in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.

How to reheat leftover miso glazed carrots:

• Gently reheat cooked carrots in a pan over low heat until heated through.

Can you freeze leftover carrots?

They can be frozen but the texture will not be as good when reheated. Since these roasted carrots are so easy to make, we prefer to make them fresh.

Troubleshooting

Since oven temperatures and carrot sizes vary, don’t solely rely on time. Use a wooden toothpick to test the carrots. If you like the smallest crunch, cook for less time and remove when there is still resistance to the toothpick from the carrots. If you like them completely done and soft (like we do) there should not be any resistance to the toothpick.

What to serve with Miso Glazed Carrots

This goes so well with many things so almost any main dish will be good to serve with these carrots. We especially like them with fish. Nearly any fish dish works with these carrots. But they really go with any protein and many different cuisines. We love serving these with a holiday roast or Easter lamb dish.

What Wines To Drink with Miso Glazed

We suggest pairing wines with the main course. However, if you are just pairing to these carrots, we suggest Champagne, Sauvignon Blanc, or a dry Sake.