Glazed Carrots Recipe

This classic Glazed Carrots Recipe is a sweet and tender vegetable side dish, which uses fresh carrots tossed in a rich brown sugar and butter sauce. It’s an ideal holiday side dish, ready in just 15 minutes.

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Glazed Carrots Ingredients

The Vegetables:

• 2 pounds Carrots: Peeled and cut into uniform sticks. You can use standard carrots cut into batons or coins, or baby carrots for convenience.

The Glaze:

• 1/4 cup Butter: Provides the rich, glossy coating. Salted or unsalted works, but salted helps balance the sugar.
• 1/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar: Melts into the butter to create a caramel-like sweetness that enhances the natural sugars in the carrots.
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt: Essential for seasoning.
• 1/8 teaspoon Ground White Pepper: Adds a mild, earthy heat without adding visible black specks, keeping the orange glaze bright and clean.

How To Make Glazed Carrots

1. Simmer the Carrots: Place the peeled and cut carrots into a large saucepan. Pour in enough water to reach a depth of about 1 inch (you don’t need to submerge them completely). Bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Cook Until Tender: Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and simmer until the carrots are tender-crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes. Test with a fork; it should slide in easily but the carrot shouldn’t be mushy.
3. Drain: Drain the carrots well in a colander and transfer them to a bowl briefly.
4. Make the Glaze: Using the same saucepan (to save on dishes), melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the packed brown sugar, salt, and white pepper. Whisk continuously until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbly and smooth.
5. Toss and Coat: Add the cooked carrots back into the saucepan with the glaze. Toss gently to coat every piece.
6. Finish: Cook and stir for 1 to 3 more minutes over medium heat until the carrots are heated through and the glaze thickens slightly, clinging to the vegetables. Serve hot.

Recipe Tips

• Uniform Cutting: The key to perfectly cooked stove-top carrots is cutting them into equal sizes. If you have some thick chunks and some thin matchsticks, the thin ones will turn to mush before the thick ones are cooked.
• The White Pepper Advantage: This recipe calls for white pepper for a reason. It offers a sharper, cleaner spice that cuts through the sweetness of the brown sugar, and aesthetically, it leaves the glaze looking glossy and orange rather than speckled with black grit.
• Don’t Overcook Early: When simmering in step 2, stop cooking when they are just tender. They will continue to cook for another 3 minutes in the hot sugar glaze. If you overboil them initially, they will snap and crumble when you toss them in the butter.
• Baby Carrot Adjustment: If using bagged baby carrots, they may take slightly longer (10-12 minutes) to simmer as they are often denser than cut fresh carrots.

What To Serve With Glazed Carrots

• Roast Turkey: The sweetness complements savory holiday poultry perfectly.
• Meatloaf: A classic diner-style pairing.
• Pork Chops: Apples and carrots are natural partners for pork.
• Green Beans: Serve alongside for a colorful vegetable spread.

How To Store Glazed Carrots

• Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. The butter glaze will solidify when cold.
• Reheating: Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between to re-melt the butter glaze evenly.

Glazed Carrots Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 124 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 18g
• Fat: 6g
• Protein: 1g
• Sugar: 12g

Nutrition information is estimated per serving.

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