Cinnamon Glazed Carrots Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What enhances carrot flavor? ›

Flavor Enhancements

Use spearmint, marjoram, a small bay leaf, thyme, grated ginger root, chopped chives, dill or parsley.

Cooking instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then add the carrots and parsnips and toss to coat in the oil. Add the thyme, cinnamon, star anise and some seasoning. Cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turning the vegetables frequently, until golden brown and almost cooked through.

Roasting really brings out carrots' best qualities. To make them, just toss carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Roasted carrots have the best texture, and the flavor is amazing. Roasting draws out the natural sweetness and you get a nice caramelized flavor. They're so much better than boiled carrots! Roasting is also easy; it's hard to overcook a roasted vegetable: if it gets too done, it's clearly burned.

Seasoning carrots is a great way to help bring out their flavor. For a simple and versatile seasoning, stick with salt, pepper, and garlic. For an herbier taste, add rosemary, parsley, cumin, or coriander. Or, to bring out their fresh, woody flavor, add some anise.

Homemade Ranch Dip made with Greek yogurt, dill and chives is perfect for dipping carrots, cucumbers or chips - healthier than store-bought!

While there's certainly space for creamy dips and soft cheeses on any snack table, when it comes to the crudité platter, it's really all about the crunch, which is why you want to keep carrots in water when you store them in the fridge so you never wind up with soggy sticks.

And for many of them, the adaptation that keeps them from dying in the cold also makes them sweet and delicious. In the above video, UCLA biochemist Liz Roth-Johnson explains how this works for the crunchy carrot: When it gets cold out, carrots (and parsnips) convert some of their starch stores into sugar.

Undercook them, and the texture is tough and dense. Overcook them, and they're dry and wrinkled. The secret is to soften the carrots slightly by boiling them briefly before roasting. The texture will be firm-tender with just the right amount of caramelization on the outside.

As they cook, vegetables give off moisture, and when arranged too close together it results in a soggy outcome. Follow this tip: To achieve beautiful browning and crisp, roasted perfection, vegetables need some breathing room. Arrange vegetables in a single layer and don't overcrowd the pan.

Do you have to parboil carrots before roasting? ›

If you try to roast them through in the oven 100% of the way, you end up with shriveled, wrinkled remains. Instead, I find it's much better to par-cook them in salted water, since they'll tenderize without shrinking. This step can be done in advance.

Although, carrots flavor profiles can change slightly depending on its size, color, and how it was grown. Typically though, if you want to enhance a carrot's flavor, they normally pair well with things such as ginger, garlic, honey, sugar, maple, and citrus fruits like lemon and orange.

There are a few possibilities for why your carrots aren't as sweet as they should be. You are right to think about your soil--a crop of carrots can deplete a soil of nutrients. Be sure to rotate crops in your garden, rather than planting carrots in the same place year after year.

Mix honey or sugar into vinegar a little bit at a time to your desired level of sweet/sour, tasting as you go. Heat in a nonreactive pan over medium high heat with mustard seed until at a simmer and add carrots. Simmer carrots in vinegar, honey and mustard seed till cooked but still crisp (1-3 minutes).