Roasted Carrots with Maple Tahini Miso Glaze

Are you looking for a super easy roasted vegetable side dish? Try these maple tahini miso glazed carrots. They’re great year round but especially as an easy recipe for holidays like Easter and Thanksgiving. Bonus: They’re accidentally vegan if you use a vegan miso! Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.

I LOVE an easy vegetable side dish – who doesn’t? But this recipe was born from an especially frantic Easter dinner, rushing to get some sort of vegetable on the table that my kids would actually eat. Turns out, it got rave reviews by adults and children alike! And it literally came together in 30 minutes (not counting oven preheating time). IT’S A MIRACLE DISH! With a vegan glaze made from maple syrup, tahini, and white miso paste, these roasted veggies are full of umami that you could easily transfer to pretty much any other vegetable as well.

Maple, Miso, and Tahini Sauce

The key to this recipe is really this sauce that you toss the cooked veggies in. I realize I tend to call it a “glaze” because it goes on roasted foods, but since it doesn’t actually get cooked, I guess it’s just a sauce? That’s great because it makes this recipe even easier.

It’s only four ingredients: white miso paste, maple syrup, tahini, and water. Gently stir everything together and drizzle over your carrots after they come out of the oven. Give it a stir if you like them fully coated or leave as a drizzle for visual effect.

That’s it! The sweetness from the maple syrup with the creaminess and nuttiness of the tahini and the salty umami of the miso go so well together.

Tips for Cooking with Miso

I feel like shopping for tahini in the US is relatively easy – just head to Trader Joe’s and pick up a jar. Shopping for miso can be a little more complicated, as there can be so many different types offered at your local Japanese market. For this recipe, I use white miso paste, which has a milder flavor, making it very versatile. It’s great for making soups, miso butter, and other marinades, so you’ll definitely be able to use up leftovers.

Miso burns very easily, so I do not recommend trying to toss the carrots in the sauce prior to baking. 

Note for vegans: Please make sure you buy a vegan miso paste! Some miso pastes contain fish products. My favorite brand is Hikari Miso! I’m leaving a link to Amazon here so you can see the packaging, but it’s WAY cheaper if you buy in person at your local market.

Ingredient Substitutions

This recipe is easy to adjust to your preferences. While I recommend white miso, if you really want a stronger miso flavor, feel free to substitute for red or other types.

If you’re not vegan, you can substitute honey for the maple syrup. Plain white sugar works fine too.

If you want your sauce to be more savory, you can add a little soy sauce.

For more acidity, you can add a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of rice vinegar.

This sauce also goes great on other roasted vegetables. Try broccoli, sweet potatoes, or brussel sprouts.

Tips for Roasting Substitute Vegetables

Speaking of other vegetables, here’s what you’ll want to do if you’re making some substitutions. Luckily, roasting vegetables is so easy, you don’t really have to adjust much. I roast all my veggies at 425 degrees F. No matter the type of veggie, simply chop them to roughly 1 inch chunks and they’ll be fully cooked within half an hour. If you’re tempted to skip the chopping step, you’ll pay for it later with a longer roast time.

More Vegetable Recipes

Looking for more easy vegetable recipes? I got you! Check these out:

• 5 Minute Chinese Vegetables
• Japanese Grilled Corn with Miso Butter and Furikake
• Hawai’i Style Chinese Chicken Salad
• Ramen Noodle Salad
• Easy Japanese Quick Pickled Cucumber