Perfect Glazed Carrots Recipe - Savory Nothings (2024)

40 minutes mins

| 2 Comments |

4.96 from 21 votes

Jump to Recipe | Updated: | by Nora

These Glazed Carrots (with the best honey and brown sugar glaze) are such an easy side dish – and they are so quick to make on the stove. Perfect for holiday dinner like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter – or to make Sunday dinner extra special!

Perfect Glazed Carrots Recipe - Savory Nothings (1)

A couple of years ago I started making these Crock Pot Glazed Carrots, but I really needed a quick and easy version I could make without much planning ahead.

Now I frequently make this quick and oh-so delicious recipe for Glazed Carrots right on the stove – which is very handy for when the slow cooker takes too long, and the oven is too full to make Honey Roasted Carrots!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Perfect Glazed Carrots Recipe - Savory Nothings (2)

Ingredient notes

  • Carrots: Use medium-thick carrots for best results and presentation.
  • Sweetener: Feel free to use all honey, or all brown sugar. I appreciate the sweetness of the sugar combined with the flavor of the honey, but the dish turns out great with either!
  • Orange juice: This is a great way to add a little extra depth and tanginess to the dish, without making it too sour.
  • Parsley: I don’t really use parsley when I add ground cinnamon to the carrots, but love it with the more savory seasoning. Feel free to go according to your personal taste here!

Recipe variations

  • Baby carrots: Baby carrots work well with this glaze. I find it difficult to get baby carrots cooked evenly in a skillet though, so I recommend following the instructions on the bag for the first part of the recipe. Once the baby carrots are almost tender, transfer them to a large skillet with the glaze ingredients, then continue the recipe as written.
  • Liquids: Instead of orange juice, use vegetable broth or water; or 1 tablespoon lemon juice with 1 tablespoon water.
  • Seasoning: This is where this recipe gets very personal – I know some people prefer very savory seasoning with glazed carrots to offset the sweetness, while others prefer to keep things mild. I like either, so I’ll season to suit the occasion and other dishes on the menu. Here I’m using a touch of garlic powder and ground ginger for a more savory flavor. You can also use ground cinnamon instead of the garlic powder, it goes great with the ginger and with the carrots! Alternatively, a pinch of dried thyme is delicious for a more herby flavor (with or without garlic powder).

How to make Glazed Carrots

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, season, then cook them until they’re almost tender. This will take about 10-20 minutes, depending on how firm you like the carrots.

Please note, they will continue cooking for another 15 minutes in the glaze, so they shouldn’t be fully cooked at this point – just crisp-tender.

If you like your carrots very buttery, I recommend cooking them 20 minutes at this point. If you dislike overly cooked vegetables, stick to 10 minutes.

2. Add the orange juice, brown sugar, honey and butter to the skillet. Stir well, then allow the carrots to simmer in the glaze over medium to medium-high heat (the glaze has to be bubbling in order to reduce, but must not cook vigorously!) for around 15 minutes, or until thick and sticky.

Stir frequently in the beginning, then stir constantly for the last 5 minutes to keep the glaze from getting burned. If it seems to darken, reduce the heat.

Please note: The glaze will be very runny at first, but simmering it for 10-15 minutes will reduce it to a thick, sirupy glaze that nicely clings to each carrot coin. Trust in the process, do NOT crank up the heat to high (the glaze WILL burn and turn bitter!), just allow it the time it needs.

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3. Once the glaze has thickened, immediately serve the carrots – either with or without chopped parsley stirred in. The carrots taste best served hot.

Perfect Glazed Carrots Recipe - Savory Nothings (7)

Recipe notes

Cooking time: While this recipe is simple and easy to prepare, you do need to allow it its time.

Carrots need their 15 minutes in the skillet until they start to soften, and the glaze needs 10-15 minutes over medium to barely medium-high heat until it has thickened and reduced enough to coat the carrots.

Don’t rush the process, or you can easily mess up the dish.

Make ahead instructions:

  • Cook the carrots up to 3 days in advance and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use
  • When ready to serve, place the carrots and glaze ingredients in a large skillet and gently simmer until the carrots are hot and the glaze has thickened.

Quick tips

  • Slice the carrots as evenly as possible, for even cooking.
  • Do not undercook the glaze – there should be very little liquid left at the bottom of the pan, most of the glaze should be sticking to the carrots when it’s done.
  • Do not use too much heat on the glaze. It should be bubbling, but not vigorously cook. It can burn and turn bitter easily!
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Serving ideas

These go really well with a holiday dinner – both with my Crock Pot Pineapple Ham or my Crockpot Honey Glazed Ham, but also with a turkey dinner (try an air fried turkey breast or a slow cooker turkey breast for a smaller gathering).

But the carrots also delicious on a weeknight with some mashed potatoes or instant pot mashed potatoes and Crock Pot Cranberry Pork Chops, oven baked steak or even with a

Recipe video

PSIf you try this recipe, please leavea review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along onPinterest,FacebookorInstagram.

Printable recipe

Printable Recipe Card

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Perfect Glazed Carrots

These Glazed Carrots (with the best honey and brown sugar glaze) are such an easy side dish – and they are so quick to make on the stove.

Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings

made it? tap the stars to add your rating!

4.96 from 21 votes

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Recipe details

Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 30 minutes mins

Total 40 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 pound medium-thick carrots peeled, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal into ⅜-inch thick coins
  • ¼ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
  • teaspoon ground ginger optional; see notes for seasoning tips
  • 1/16 teaspoon garlic powder OR ground cinnamon to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons runny honey
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • chopped parsley optional, to serve

Instructions

  • Prep: Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, season with salt, garlic powder, ground ginger and black pepper.

  • Cook carrots: Cook, stirring often, for about 15-20 minutes, or until carrots are starting to soften but still retain a bite.

  • Make glaze: Add butter, brown sugar and orange juice to skillet and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring often at first and constantly for final 5 minutes, until glaze forms around carrots.

    Glaze will seem too runny at first, but WILL thicken while simmering. Glaze should be visibly bubbling throughout, but never vigorously cooking – burning turns it bitter!

  • Serve: Serve carrots immediately with chopped parsley, if you like.

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Notes

Ingredients notes

  • Sweetener: Feel free to use all honey, or all brown sugar instead of both.
  • Baby carrots: Baby carrots work well with this glaze. Follow instructions on bag for cooking carrots. Once baby carrots are almost tender, transfer to a large skillet with glaze ingredients, then continue recipe as written.
  • Liquids: Instead of orange juice, use vegetable broth or water; or 1 tablespoon lemon juice with 1 tablespoon water.
  • Seasoning:A touch of garlic powder and ground ginger work great for a more savory flavor. Ground ginger and ground cinnamon are tasty and more sweet. A pinch of dried thyme is delicious for a more herby flavor (with or without garlic powder).

Recipe tips

  • Slice carrots as evenly as possible, for even cooking.
  • Do not undercook glaze – very little liquid should gather at bottom of pan when dish is done, most of glaze should stick to carrots.
  • Glaze will be very runny at first, but simmering for 10-15 minutes will reduce it to a sirupy consistency. Do NOT crank up heat to high (glaze WILL burn and turn bitter!), just allow it the time it needs. Process can’t be rushed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 141kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 1gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 196mgPotassium: 269mgFiber: 2gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 12872IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 0.4mg

Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Recipe first shared on 11/18/2019. Updated on 03/21/2023 with new text, new photos and an improved recipe.

More side dishes

  • Roasted Baby Potatoes
  • Easy Sautéed Green Beans
  • Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
  • Maple Pecan Roasted Sweet Potato Slices
Perfect Glazed Carrots Recipe - Savory Nothings (2024)

FAQs

What brings out the Flavour of carrots? ›

Citrus Not only are oranges the perfect colour match for carrots, but the citrus really brings out the sweet flavour of carrots. Simmer carrots until tender then drain and toss in a pan with some butter, sugar to taste and lemon or orange juice for delicious citrus glazed carrots.

What not to mix carrots with? ›

Also, fruits have more sugar content, something that can hinder the digestive process of vegetables. For the same reason, one shouldn't mix orange with carrot as when taken together, they may cause heartburn and excess bile reflux. Only a few fruits are starchy in nature. These include green bananas and plantains.

How can I enhance the flavor of carrots? ›

Here's some of our favorites to sprinkle on carrots:
  1. Garlic (minced, powder or granules)
  2. Onion powder or granules.
  3. Black malabar pepper.
  4. Cinnamon (Cassia for sweeter, Ceylon for sweetness with some more complex savory and vanilla flavors)
  5. Nutmeg powder.
  6. Cayenne pepper powder.
  7. Ginger powder.
  8. Aleppo chili.
Mar 28, 2021

How does Gordon Ramsay cook carrots? ›

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.

Why do restaurant carrots taste better? ›

The simple answer to why roasted vegetables from a restaurant taste so good: lots of fat and salt and high heat.

Why do my carrots taste bland? ›

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.

Why do I feel weird after eating carrots? ›

This is because carrots and birch pollen have similar proteins and can cause your immune system to react in the same way. Your body releases histamine and antibodies to fight off the proteins, causing allergy-related symptoms. You may also be allergic to other vegetables and herbs in the parsley-carrot family.

Is there anything unhealthy about carrots? ›

In extreme cases, overeating beta carotene from carrots can keep vitamin A from doing its job and affect your vision, bones, skin, metabolism, or immune system. Too much beta carotene also may cause problems for people who can't change it to vitamin A, such as people who have hypothyroidism.

What two foods should not be eaten together? ›

Below are some of the top unhealthy food combinations to avoid:
  • Banana and milk. Banana and milk - not a good combo. ...
  • Burger and fries. It's common for people to have fries alongside burger. ...
  • Beans and cheese. ...
  • Pizza and soda. ...
  • Food and water/juice. ...
  • Yoghurt and fruits. ...
  • Eggs and meat. ...
  • Potato and meat.

What makes carrots taste good? ›

Roasting really brings out carrots' best qualities. To make them, just toss carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake until they're golden on the edges and tender throughout. Serve these simple roasted carrots with traditional or heavy main dishes, like standard Thanksgiving fare, lasagna or mac and cheese.

How do you jazz up raw carrots? ›

Carrots pair well with fresh or dried herbs like thyme, rosemary & parsley. Bring out extra flavor in carrots by adding spices like ginger, paprika, cinnamon or curry powder.

What is the carrot trick frying? ›

It works best if you add the carrots along with the food you're frying. Otherwise, the carrots might shrivel up and burn before whatever you're frying is finished. You might have to switch out the carrots in between batches of food—again, to avoid burning the carrots and thus defeating the purpose of the tip.

Why are steamed carrots so good? ›

Although raw carrot slices go well with a dip, cooked carrots are softer and easier to chew. But that's not the only benefit of heating the vegetable. Carrots provide more antioxidants when boiled or steamed than when eaten raw, according to a January 2008 report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Why do chefs peel carrots? ›

Tasters unanimously preferred the peel-free carrots in the glazed and roasted samples. In both cases, the skins on the unpeeled carrots became wrinkled, tough, and gritty. Their flavor was “again earthier, but not in a good way” and they weren't particularly appealing looking.

What gives carrots its taste? ›

The sweetness of carrots comes from the presence of multiple sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose. The harshness on the other hand is caused volatile terpenoids such terpinolene and myrcene which can be found at a concentration level of 5-200pm.

Why are my carrots flavorless? ›

Carrots maturing under warm temperatures or high moisture conditions lack good root color. These carrots also have poor flavor and texture.

What brings out the sweetness in carrots? ›

However, it does matter how you slice it—according to Christopher Kimball. In his newest cookbook, Milk Street: The New Home Cooking, the former America's Test Kitchen host explains that shredding root vegetables like carrots, turnips, or yams makes them taste both sweeter and fresher.

How can I enhance the flavor of my vegetables? ›

Try herbs and spices like paprika, cumin, oregano, chilli powder, curry powder, basil and more. These Spiced Cauliflower Tacos use smoked paprika, mild chilli powder, ground cumin, salt and pepper together to make ultra-flavourful cauliflower bites. A bit of oil or butter adds so much flavour to vegetables.

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