Today I want to share with you a delicious gluten free, vegan carrot recipe that is the perfect side dish. Well, perfect if you love carrots. I’ve been making these oven roasted carrots for my kids for years and they’re quick to gobble them up each time. I’ll show you how to transform simple ingredients into something super tasty, but I’l also be sharing easy ways you can make these your own. So, grab a bunch of carrots and let’s get to work.
Allergy Status
Free From: Wheat/Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Tree Nut (including Coconut), Peanut, Fish, Shellfish, Sesame, Top 9 Allergens, Top 14 Allergens, Alliums, Apple, Avocado, Banana, Beans & Lentils, Berries, Buckwheat, Cane/Refined Sugar, Celery, Cinnamon, Citrus, Corn, Cruciferous, Garlic, Legume, Lupin, Mushroom, Mustard, Nightshade, Oat, Onion, Pea & Pea Protein, Potato (Nightshade Variety), Poultry, Red Meat, Rice, Seeds, Squash & Gourd, Stone Fruits, Strawberry, Sweet Potato & Yam, Tapioca/Cassava/Yuca/Manioc, Tomato, Yeast
Friendly To: EOE, GERD, Paleo, Vegan
Compatible With: Seed Free, AIP Paleo, GAPs, SCD, Low Histamine
- Corn Free: Omit smoke or use homemade smoke.
- Seed Free & AIP: Omit Cumin
- GAPs & SCD: Use a safe and legal sweetener to replace the maple, or omit.
- Low Histamine: Swap the cumin for caraway or sweet paprika, and omit the liquid smoke.
Tools to Make This Vegan Carrot Recipe
- Vegetable Peeler (I have several of these)
- Knife (currently my favourite knife)
- Cutting Board
- Steaming Pot (this is the brand that I have)
- Large Pan for Stovetop Cooking (I love this brand)
Ingredients for Your Vegan Spiced Carrots
Part 1 Ingredient
- 450g Organic Carrots (16 ounces/1lb)
Part 2 Ingredients
- 2 TBSP Oil of Choice for Cooking
- 1 TBSP Organic Maple Sugar
- 1 TBSP Organic Dried Parsley
- 4 drops Liquid Smoke
- 1/2 tsp Organic Ground Cumin
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
- Optional: Squeeze of Lemon to Taste (or splash of organic lemon juice)
- Optional: Organic Ground Black Pepper to Taste
Ingredient Notes
Carrots: If you’d like something a little different, you can use rainbow carrots in place of regular orange carrots as pictured. You can also use parsnips in place of the carrots in a pinch. Parsnips would make a wonderful addition to your side dish and you could use a 50/50 blend of parsnips and carrots for this recipe.
Oil of Choice: You can use any oil you enjoy cooking with including olive oil, and tiger nut oil (tuber, not a tree nut). If needed, you can use melted vegan butter or even melted coconut oil. Know that if you use a fat that’s solid at room temperature, when you store your leftovers, the cooking fat will harden a considerable amount.
Maple Sugar: You can swap this for other granulated sweeteners including organic brown sugar, organic coconut sugar, and organic date sugar.
Liquid Smoke: This is the brand that I use. It’s a very clean, high quality smoke. Not all brands are created equally. In fact, I’ve seen some brands that add very questionable ingredients to their smoke, so, be sure to use a top notch brand.
Sea Salt: You can swap this for smoked salt if you want a little extra oomph in your carrots. Do not use smoked salt if you have a corn allergy.
Optional Ingredients: You can add so much flavor with lemon juice and black pepper, even in small amounts. If you have these ingredients on hand, give them a try when making this delicious side dish.
More Gluten Free, Vegan, Allergy Friendly Side Dishes
If you need gluten-free, dairy-free, super allergy friendly recipes, look no further. These sides would be perfect with a weeknight dinner, or you can jazz them up for special occasions.
- Cheesy Green Beans Recipe (top 14 free)
- Lactose Free, Top 14 Free Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Easy Vegan Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe
- Gluten Free, Dairy Free Vegan Broccoli Mac n Cheese Recipe (great for kids and adults)
 |
 |
 |
 |
Vegan Carrot Recipe Directions
Peel, wash, and slice your carrots (parsnips as well if decided to give them a try). You want your carrots to be sliced into bite sized pieces as pictured.
Transfer the carrots to your steamer pot and steam until they’re fork tender (easy to pierce, but not mushy). You can also steam carrots in your rice cooker if it has the insert basket and you need to make some rice.
Once the carrots are done steaming, heat a large nonstick pan on medium-high heat. Add the cooking oil and once it’s hot, add the rest of the Part 2 Ingredients. If you’re using either of the optional ingredients, now is the time to add them.
Mix well and cook your carrots. The goal is to allow the carrots to develop caramelized edges and develop a golden brown color. This will also give them a little bit of crisp as they cook in the oil. Your carrots are ready when they’re browned to your liking. That’s it! You can transfer your carrots to a serving dish and enjoy.
Overall, the total cooking time is about 25 minutes, but this can vary based on the size of your carrot slices.
How to Change Up Your Vegan Carrot Recipe
This is a delicious side dish that I’ve been making for my kids for years. Each time I make this easy recipe, I tweak the spices a bit. Here are different ways I’ve altered this vegan carrot recipe:
- Use a different kind of carrots (rainbow carrots, purple, sweet red carrots, etc.)
- Add chopped garlic cloves during the stovetop cooking step.
- Swapped the cumin and parsley for BBQ leaning seasonings.
- Add in small diced shallot along with minced garlic cloves during the stovetop cooking step.
- Top with chopped fresh parsley (you can garnish with other fresh herbs you enjoy).
- Added thyme and small diced mushrooms during the stovetop cooking step, along with a little more sea salt for balance.
- Added seasoned + oven roasted, halved pearl onions half way through the stovetop cooking process.
- Once the carrots have nicely caramelized edges, added this balsamic glaze and vegan cream cheese.
Each of these tweaks just took this vegan carrot recipe to the next level and everyone was very happy to eat their vegetables. If you have a good farmers market in your area, you can purchase different kinds of carrots there. It’s where I’ve been able to find a range of great options. Also, try different vanities of carrots from different vendors. I found that some farmers had carrots that had more natural sweetness than others.
How to Store Your Leftover Carrots
After you’ve made this carrots recipe, allow the carrots to cool before putting them away. You’ll want to store them in an airtight container in your fridge and eat within a week. Do not freeze your leftovers.
You can use your leftovers to accompany another delicious meal, or make them part of something else. For example, you could roughly chop your leftover carrots and add them to a vegan fried rice. Alternatively, you could use your carrots as part of a tofu scramble, a warm salad with dairy free cheese, or part of a vegan coconut milk curry.
More Delicious Vegan Carrot Recipes
If you love carrots, I think you’re going to enjoy these recipes. Each one would be a great addition to your weekly meal plan. These recipes are all gluten free, vegan, and very allergy friendly.
- Gluten Free, Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe (one of my kid’s favorite carrot recipes)
- Vegan Pulled Por-que (a play on pulled pork made with carrot and sweet potato)
- Dairy free Parsnip & Carrot Soup Recipe (this is a great side dish during the holidays, or a fantastic winter lunch)
- Vegan Maple Carrot Oat Cookies (my low/no sugar kid says this is one of their favorite recipes)
 |
 |
 |
 |
Be Inspired!
If you enjoy eating vegan recipes, know that carrots have a wide range of applications. Given their size and range of texture (depending on the cooking time and method), they can be used in a so many creative ways. You can search online for great recipes, or take these ideas and apply your kitchen knowhow to make your own version.
The next time you pick up a bag of carrots, try one of these new ways to use them:
- Carrot Bacon
- Carrot Hot Dogs
- Carrot Ice Cream
- Carrot Lox
- Carrot & Orange Juice Smoothie
- Mini Carrot Dogs (think pigs in blanket)
For some of these ideas, you’ll need specific kitchen tools to get the best results. For example, you’ll want a mandolin slicer for something like carrot lox, though, you could use your vegetable peeler in a pinch.
If you opt to make something like mini carrot dogs, use baby carrots. I’ve made this before, and the baby carrots are the perfect size to make you think about a traditional pig in a blanket.
I’ll tell you this: my entire family thought I had lost my mind when I served up carrot ice cream, only to be silenced by how delicious it was. It’s a real treat to see others enjoy my wild creations considering I’m allergic to all of the recipes I develop.
Answering Your Vegan Carrot Recipe Questions
Can I use baby carrots to make this recipe?
Yes, you could use baby carrots to make this vegan carrot recipe. You’ll want to cut the baby carrots in half, or in thirds, depending on the size. You’ll use the same weight of carrots, and follow all of the directions as-is.
Could I use pure maple syrup instead of the maple sugar?
Yes. In this particular vegan carrot recipe, you can swap the granulated sweetener for a liquid sweetener such as maple syrup.
Would this recipe work with cauliflower instead of carrots?
I don’t see why you couldn’t cut cauliflower and apply the same cooking steps and seasonings. The taste and texture will change for sure, but that’s not a bad thing. You may want to increase the amount of seasonings by 10 – 15% since cauliflower has a stronger taste and lacks the natural sweetness found in carrots.
Is this considered a healthy recipe?
I’d like to think this is a healthy plant-based recipe, however, the term healthy isn’t a regulated term. It can mean something different to each person you ask. Someone transitioning away from the Standard American Diet (SAD) may think this is one of the healthiest recipes they’ve ever seen. On the flip side, someone who follows a strict low carb diet may think this is closer to a dessert given the amount of carbohydrates. It’s all about perspective.
However, if we look at the nutrients provided by this recipe, and the fiber, it’s totally a healthy, nutritious recipe, and a great way to eat your vegetables. Not only that, this is a very kid friendly recipe, and if you’re feeding a family and want to get more veggies on the menu, this is a great way to achieve that goal.
Can these carrots be served as an appetizer?
I think it depends on the rest of your menu. Personally, I see this as more of a side dish than an appetizer, however, I also tell people they can serve anything at anytime and everything is fine.
Assess your overall menu and look at the menu progression. If you have lots of heavy dishes to serve, this could be your appetizer course. However, if you have a salad on the menu, along with light soups, this would be better as a side dish with your main(s).
Now, if you’re having a party, can I suggest cutting the carrots a bit larger than what’s in my photo, and after cooing the carrots, spear them with toothpicks. That would make for an awesome little bite your guests can have as they start to chit-chat.
