Glazed Carrots

This easy side dish recipe is a delicious way to make carrots feel like a special treat! I love serving these at Thanksgiving but they’re a favorite anytime treat too. 

What You’ll Need for This Recipe

Unsalted butter: If you’d like to use salted butter then reduce the added salt by a pinch.

Brown sugar: I used dark but you can use light or dark brown sugar for this recipe.

How to Make Glazed Carrots

1. Peel the carrots then cut 1/2 inch pieces on the diagonal. You can use baby carrots or cut carrot sticks if desired.

2. Transfer the cut carrots into a large pan and pour cold water over them until submerged by about 1/2 inch.

3. Place pan over medium heat and bring the carrots to a simmer then cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Drain carrots and set aside.

4. Add butter, brown sugar, salt, and pepper if using, to the same pan and place over medium-low heat. Stir over heat until melted.

5. Once the brown sugar has melted you can add the carrots back in.

6. Increase to high heat and stir the carrots to coat. Continue cooking while stirring until the glaze thickens and carrots take on a slightly darker color. Remove from heat and garnish with a tablespoon of minced parsley before serving.

Pro Tips for this Recipe

• If using baby carrots then you’ll need to increase the cook time by about 2-3 minutes.
• So many spices can get added to this recipe! You can try 1/2 tsp cinnamon, a pinch of chili powder, nutmeg, or ginger.
• You can cut the carrots into matchsticks if that’s more visually appealing to you.
• These can be made up to three days ahead, just warm in the oven or microwave before serving.
• Try trading out a tablespoon of brown sugar for maple syrup or honey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make these in the microwave?

Yes! Mix warm melted butter with brown sugar and salt and set aside. Place the cut carrots in a large microwave safe bowl then cover with water and cook for about 6 minutes or until tender. Drain the carrots then pour the brown sugar mixture over the carrots and microwave for 1 minute, then toss and microwave an additional minute. Glazed carrots cooked in the microwave will taste great but will not have as thick of a coating as when you make them on the stovetop.

How long do they keep for?

These carrots keep for up to a week if stored in a sealed container and refrigerated. You can warm them in the microwave or oven before serving.

Can you make this with more carrots?

You can definitely scale this to 2 pounds of carrots without altering the glaze. If you’d like to double the recipe keep in mind that our pan will need to be pretty large and you will also need to increase the glaze proportionally. 

What can you add to this?

Toasted pecans bring lots of crunch and flavor to glazed carrots but you can also try adding cinnamon, nutmeg, or even chili powder. Try subbing in 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar for maple syrup or honey.

If you’ve tried this Glazed Carrots recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!