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These vegan pigs in a blanket, also called carrots in a blanket, are the perfect vegan finger food for your next party or your Easter brunch with family and friends.
Do you love food trends? Then it’s a must to try these vegan pigs in a blanket. They are made with a soft smoky carrot which is hulled and baked in a blanket of puff pastry.
If vegan or not, carrots in a blanket are a better and healthier way to enjoy finger food. I can highly recommend serving these for your Easter brunch. Especially kids will love them as they are super cute and hey, is there any better way to snug in veggies into your kid’s meal?!
Smoky Carrots
You have to marinate the carrots with a smoky sauce and bake them for 15 minutes to soften them. Have you ever heard of carrot dogs? A hot dog made with carrots! The preparation is almost the same for both recipes.
Must-Have Ingredients
There are two essential ingredients which you need to make this recipe:
1. A Bunch Of Carrots With Green Tops
These carrots are smaller than regular carrots, and it just looks cuter if the green tops are looking out of the blanket. You can get those at every farmer market.
→ If you don’t find them, use regular carrots and bake them (step 2 in the
2. Liquid Smoke
Liquid smoke is essential for a smoky taste of your carrots. It can’t be substituted with anything else and is worth having if you tend to cook often vegetarian or vegan recipe to imitate the smoky taste of bacon. Here is another recipe which uses liquid smoke: Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara.
→ If you don’t have it and don’t want to buy it, you can leave it out. I have made this recipe without liquid smoke, and it was still delicious. Another option is to use smoky barbecue sauce instead of ketchup.
Carrots In A Blanket Recipe
- Wash and peel the carrots. Leave 2″/5cm of the green tops and cut away the rest. → Store the green tops in the fridge if you want to use them for decoration later. They stay longer fresh that way.
- Mix all the ingredients for the smoky sauce and place them with the carrots in a baking dish. You can brush each of the
carrot using a pastry brush or turn them in the sauce using your hands. - Bake for 15 minutes until they start to soften. Leave the carrots to cool for ~ 30 minutes. Ther will likely be some remaining sauce in the baking dish, which is thick and sticky → Brush your carrots with it for extra flavor.
- Cut the puff pastry in long thin strips and roll it around each of the carrots. I needed 2-3 strips to cover one carrot and pushed the ends slightly together when using a new strip.
- Brush each one with plant-based milk (prevents the dough from drying out) and bake until golden.
More Carrot Recipes
Vegan Recipes for Your Easter Brunch
- Vegan Easter Bunny Rolls
- Vegan Braided Easter Bread
- Vegan Zopf Bread – Swiss Braided Bread
- Homemade Hummus
(Vegan Pigs) Carrots in a Blanket
Ingredients
Smoky Carrots
- 1 bunch (∽10-12) carrots with green tops
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp ketchup or barbecue sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or red vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar
- 2 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp smoked paprika or regular paprika
- 1 tsp liquid smoke see notes
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Blanket
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1-2 tbsp plant-based milk oat or soy work best
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 395°F/200°C. Wash and peel the carrots. Leave about 2″/5cm of the green tops on the carrot and cut away the rest (store the greens in your fridge for decoration later).
- Mix all ingredients for the sauce, place the carrots in a baking dish, and pour the sauce over. → Brush each of the carrots with the sauce using a pastry brush. Bake the carrots for 15 minutes and turn them a few times while in the oven.
- Take them out of the oven and let them cool down for about 30 minutes. There will be thick excess sauce in the baking dish, brush each carrot with it (for extra flavor). → Switch off the oven in the meantime but leave the oven door closed.
- Cut the puff pastry in thin (0.2″/0.5cm) long strips. Take a carrot and roll one strip around the carrot. Use a second or third strip to cover the entire carrot, push the dough slightly together at the ends. Lay on a with parchment paper lined baking tray.
- Heat the oven again to 395°F/200°C. Brush each carrot with the milk (optional) and bake for 15 minutes until golden.
Notes
- Liquid Smoke is essential for smoky carrots. However, leave it out if you don’t have it. You could swap the ketchup with a smoky barbecue sauce.
- Most storebought puff pastries are vegan, but better check the label to be sure.
- You can decorate the carrots with the green tops after baking.
- The carrots are best if fresh. Leftovers can be stored for one day in the fridge and reheated in the oven.
Karly says
These are so cute! Perfect side for Easter!
Aline says
Thank you so much, Karly! Yes, they are perfect for Easter (and a great way to make kids eat veggies) 🙂