Hasselback Carrots with Brown Sugar Glaze
Hasselback Carrots with Brown Sugar Glaze are delicious and impressive roasted vegetables. The deep cuts allow the glaze to penetrate into the carrots making them caramelised on the outside and tender inside.
What are Hasselback Carrots?
Hasselback carrots are inspired by the Swedish hasselback potato technique. The carrots are sliced crosswise into thin evenly spaced cuts, almost but not all the way through. When the carrots roast the cuts open creating a fan like effect.
How do I make the cuts in the carrots?
It’s important that you don’t cut all the way through the carrots, so you need something to stop your knife going down to the chopping board. I use two plastic chopsticks but you can also use the handles of wooden spoons or even pencils that you have carefully cleaned.
Why make Hasselback Carrots with Brown Sugar Glaze?
Carrots are a staple vegetable side dish on everyone’s dinner table. But if you want to take your carrots to the next level for a special dinner, Christmas, Thanksgiving or just as a treat, then hasselback carrots are the way to do it!
I’m not someone who likes to spend hours preparing anything, my cooking style is simple with easy prep. And although these hasselback carrots look like they take a lot of effort, they are actually quite simple to make.
What ingredients do I need to make Hasselback Carrots?
Most of the ingredients are things that you probably already have in your larder or fridge. Here is what you need:
- Carrots
- Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Dark brown sugar
- Vinegar
- Dark soy sauce
- Black treacle
- Chipotle chilli flakes (optional)
Scroll to the end of this article to find the full recipe and all quantities of ingredients, with step-by-step photo instructions.
What kind of carrots should I use?
You will need fresh carrots that are a similar size, particularly in terms of thickness. This is to ensure that they carrots all roast at the same rate and will be ready together.
What kind of oil should I use?
The oil you use needs to have a high smoke point and a neutral flavour such as rapeseed oil (canola), sunflower oil or other vegetable or seed oils. Olive oil has a classic flavour but it’s not not so good for roasting at high temperatures.
Can I substitute another kind of sugar for dark brown sugar?
Dark brown sugar gives a rich caramelised flavour to the carrots. If you don’t have dark brown (muscovado) sugar, then you could use soft light brown sugar and add an additional teaspoon of treacle (molasses).
What kind of vinegar should I use?
I use my homemade Blackcurrant Vinegar as it has a rich flavour and a slight sweetness but you could use balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Why should I use dark soy sauce?
Light soy sauce has a saltier and sharper taste than dark soy sauce. And it is used mainly for seasoning, marinades, and dipping sauces, as well as in stir-fries where you want to enhance the salty, umami flavour without overpowering the dish’s colour.
Dark soy sauce is thicker, with a deep, almost black colour due to a longer ageing process and the addition of molasses or caramel. It has a milder, slightly sweet taste, and is less salty than light soy sauce.
It is mostly used to add a rich colour and a hint of sweetness to dishes like red-cooked meats, stews, and braised dishes. It’s less about seasoning and more about depth and appearance.
What is treacle?
Black treacle is a dark sticky syrup that is a by-product of the sugar refining process. Treacle is best known as an ingredient in bakes like gingerbread. It is also used to make sweets like liquorice and treacle toffee.
Is molasses the same as treacle?
Molasses is similar but not the same as black treacle. It has a stronger, bittersweet flavour and a dark, almost opaque appearance. It is also generally thicker than treacle.
Can I use molasses in the Brown Sugar Glaze?
If you are unable to source black treacle then molasses is the nearest equivalent.
What are chipotle chilli flakes?
Chipotle chilli flakes are a type of spice made from dried and smoked jalapeño peppers that have been ground into small, coarse pieces. They provide a distinctive smoky, slightly sweet heat to dishes.
Can I use unsmoked chilli flakes?
Yes, if you don’t have the chipotle chilli flakes then either leave them out altogether or use unsmoked chilli flakes.
Can I make Hasselback Carrots with Brown Sugar Glaze ahead of time?
You can prepare the carrots and partially roast them the day before you want to use them. You can also make up the brown sugar glaze and keep it in the fridge then combine the two for a final roast.
Can I freeze the Hasselback Carrots?
Unfortunately, this dish doesn’t freeze well, so it’s definitely one that’s best made on the day or partially made the day before.
How many people will Hasselback Carrots serve?
It’s difficult to give an exact number of people because it depends on how you serve it and on you and your guests appetites. If you are serving the carrots with a number of other side dishes then it will serve 4 people. If you are serving it as the only vegetable with a main dish and potatoes then it will serve 2 people.
Can I increase the quantities?
Yes, you can double or treble the quantities of carrots and glaze if you plan to serve the Hasselback carrots to more people. They should not take any longer to cook if you make sure the carrots are in a single layer in your roasting pan.
Vegetarian
This recipe is suitable for vegetarians.
Gluten Free
Most of the ingredients in this recipe are gluten free. However, some soy sauce contains wheat so please check any packaged products to ensure they meet your dietary requirements.
For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How should I serve Hasselback Carrots with Brown Sugar Glaze?
These carrots are a perfect side dish for slow cooker or roast meats such as chicken, turkey, beef, or pork. It’s also a a lovely dish to serve alongside vegetarian mains like nut roasts or as part of a festive spread with roast potatoes, brussels sprouts and cauliflower cheese.
You can also serve hasselback carrots with everyday dinners like pork chops, sausages or meatloaf.
Hasselback Carrots with Brown Sugar Glaze
Equipment
- 1 chopping board
- 1 Sharp knife
- 2 chopsticks or wooden spoons
- 1 roasting pan
- 1 Measuring spoons
- 1 small bowl
Ingredients
- 500 grams (1 lb) carrots
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or other neutral cooking oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Brown Sugar Glaze
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon blackcurrant vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon black treacle
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Pinch crushed chipotle chilli flakes optional
To garnish
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley or chives
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200℃/400℉
- Peel 500 grams (1lb) of even sized carrots.
- Use the handles of two wooden spoons or two chopsticks and lay them either side of the carrot. Use a sharp knife to cut even slices across the carrot. The spoon handles or chopsticks will ensure that you don't cut all the way through. You are aiming to cut about ¾ way through the carrot keeping it intact.
- Put the carrots into a roasting dish and add 2 tbsp sunflower oil. Make sure the carrots are covered with the oil. Season with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- Roast for 30 minutes until the carrots are just tender. Test them with the tip of a sharp knife.
For the Brown Sugar Glaze
- While the carrots are roasting, make the brown sugar glaze.
- Put 3 tbsp of dark brown sugar into a small mixing bowl.
- Add 1 tbsp Blackcurrant Vinegar or other vinegar to the sugar.
- Add 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce.
- Add 1 tbsp black treacle (molasses).
- Add 1 tsp salt (I use sea salt).
- Finally add a pinch of crushed chipotle chilli flakes (optional) and mix all the ingredients together.
- When the carrots are just tender, remove from the oven. You can get ahead to this point and set aside the carrots, finishing with the glaze just before serving.
- Pour over the glaze and rerutn to the oven for 10-15 minutes until the the carrots are fully roasted and the glaze has caramelised.
- Lift the Hasselback carrots carefully into a serving dish and pour over the glaze. Garnish with chopped parsley or chives.
- Hasselback carrots with brown sugar glaze are ideal to serve with roast dinners, alongside roast potatoes, brussels srpouts and other side dishes.
I’m fuming that I didn’t think of this first! They were so good, especially with the brown sugar and they looked stunning!
Thank you. They do look the part as well as tasting delicious.
These hasselback carrots were a revelation the brown sugar glaze really coating the carrot. Absolutely the tastiest way to serve carrots.
I’m so pleased that you liked them. They are a favourite in our house.