Easy and inexpensive side dishes like these Glazed Carrots are my go-to during busy weeknights. They’re super simple to make, they have the perfect amount of sweetness, and they pair well with so many different meals. They’re not only great for weeknight dinners, but they’re also perfect for special occasions and holidays like Easter and Thanksgiving. This recipe is a favorite in my household, and the best part is…five ingredients and 20 minutes is all you need!
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Ingredients For Glazed Carrots
Coming in at under $2 a recipe with only five ingredients, it doesn’t get much easier than these delicious Glazed Carrots! Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Carrots: We used whole carrots for this recipe. Look for carrots that are fairly even in length and girth so they’ll cook more evenly. You can either scrub or peel the carrots, however I prefer to peel them.
- Butter: Butter adds a rich flavor to the carrots and combines with the brown sugar to help make the delicious glaze.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the glaze. We used dark brown sugar for a deeper molasses flavor, but feel free to use light brown sugar if that’s what you have on hand.
- Cinnamon: I love adding a little bit of ground cinnamon to enhance the overall flavor of the dish.
- Salt: Salt to season the carrots and balance the sweetness of the glaze.
To serve, we also added a little bit of fresh cracked black pepper and fresh parsley (optional).
Recipe Variations
We went with the classic brown sugar glazed carrots for this recipe, but you can certainly switch things up and experiment with flavors based on what you have in your pantry or spice drawer. Here are a few suggestions:
- Savory Carrots: If you’re looking for more savory carrots, skip the brown sugar and instead season with just salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Sweet & Tangy: If you really want to switch things up, try our Roasted Carrots with Honey Balsamic Glaze! They’re sweet, tangy, and rich, all at the same time.
- Fresh Herbs: Adding fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, or dill adds a pop of color and more flavor to the dish.
- Honey or Maple Syrup: Brown sugar is inexpensive and a lot more budget-friendly, but feel free to substitute the sugar with honey or maple syrup. Both taste equally delicious!
What to Serve With Glazed Carrots
These glazed carrots are extremely versatile and can be enjoyed with just about any dinner meal. I love serving them with Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts and Baked Chicken Drumsticks. They also taste great with pork chops, Classic Meatloaf, or Glazed Ham Steaks. If you’re serving these during the holidays for Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, they would be perfect along side Baked Ham or Roasted Turkey Breast.
And if you love carrot recipes, then definitely try our classic Roasted Carrots recipe next!
Glazed Carrots
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 lb. whole carrots ($1.50)
- 1/2 cup water ($0.00)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.27)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon ($0.05)
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and slice the carrots diagonally into ½ inch thick slices.
- Add the carrots to a large skillet along with the water. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or just until the carrots start to soften.
- Remove the lid and add the butter, brown sugar, salt and ground cinnamon. Stir until the butter and brown sugar have melted. Leave the lid off and continue cooking the carrots for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and a glaze starts to form.
- Once the carrots are tender to your liking, remove the skillet from the heat and season with freshly ground black pepper and fresh chopped parsley (optional).
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Nutrition
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How to Make Glazed Carrots – Step by Step Photos
Wash, peel, and slice 1 lb. of carrots diagonally into ½ inch thick slices.
Add the carrots to a large skillet along with 1/2 cup of water. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or just until the carrots start to soften.
Remove the lid and add 2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. Stir until the butter and brown sugar have melted.
Leave the lid off and continue cooking the carrots for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and a glaze starts to form.
Once the carrots are tender to your liking, remove the skillet from the heat and season with freshly ground black pepper and fresh chopped parsley (optional). Now all that’s left to do is enjoy these delicious glazed carrots with your favorite dinner meal!
These are so good. Perfectly seasoned. I make them at least twice a month, which is really often for me to repeat any food. We all get excited when these are on the menu. Thank you!
I have made this a few times now and is a winner for my wife and I Delicious side with most anything and am actually making it again today 1/22/25. Both retired and is a simple tasty addition to a meal
I just looked at the sugar carrots, and they look great so why not try something else?
Has anyone tried substituting oil for butter? Hopping to make for Christmas but have a guest with a dairy allergy. Thanks!
You could do that! Or a dairy-free butter.
Used baby carrots and this was delicious. Love that it is simple-because I am no cook!! I will for sure have these again!
want to make these, but I have a question. I have a small place and I am SEATING 10 at the table. SO can this be made the day before and still be very good. YUP my kitchen is small also so I have to really plan how and when to do all of it.
These were delicious! Easy, cheap, and tasty, these kinds of recipe are the reason I love BudgetBytes. I’ve made glazed carrots before, but I don’t think any with cinnamon, so I thought that was a nice touch.
I made these for dinner with meatloaf. There was none left. Yummy! Thank you.
Delicious, thanks.
If I use baby carrots, should I skip steps 1 and 2 since baby carrots are already a bit soft and watery compared to regular carrots?
No, i’d still do both steps! I’ve used baby carrots in this recipe before and I cut them in half at a diagonal and it worked just fine.
if you are making them savory it says to skip the brown sugar but do you still keep the cinnamon?
I’d say omit it as well, especially if you’re adding in a savory seasoning.
How well do these reheat? Want to take them to my sister’s Easter brunch…but her oven and stove will be in full use. Thanks
You can definitely reheat in the microwave! Since you’re making them with the intention of reheating, I would maybe undercook them ever so slightly (definitely make sure not to overcook) as they’ll soften up even more in the microwave. When they’re reheated maybe then top with some fresh herbs so that it looks like you just cooked them and you have a beautiful easter dish!
These sound so good! Do you have any suggestions for reheating them succesfully?
They reheat very well! You can reheat for a few minutes in the skillet or even microwave for a minute or two. The only thing I would note is to make sure you don’t overcook them initially, so that they don’t get mushy when you reheat them.
good.
Could we make this in a slow cooker? Pls advise! :D
I’m not sure, Karli. We only developed this one for the stove top. You’d almost certainly need to change the water amount a bit and I’m not sure how long you’d need to cook them.