Brown Sugar Carrots

Carrots are a great sweet vegetable packed with nutrients, and these Brown Sugar Carrots are a staple in my meal rotation! These carrots are special enough for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter but also simple enough they can be served year-round with weeknight meals!

I love adding these alongside a fatty steak or lean chicken because the sweet flavor of the carrots combined with the brown sugar and butter is a great complement to any main dish.

What’s the best brown sugar to use?

You can use either light or dark brown sugar to make brown sugar-glazed carrots. I always find that dark brown sugar has a stronger flavor because it contains more molasses. But it is a personal preference so try both and see what you like!

Ingredients

• Carrots
• Salted butter
• Brown sugar
• Water

Carrots: You can use baby carrots in place of full-size sliced carrots if you prefer the taste. Use carrots that are uniform in size so that they all cook at the same time. If you have a mix of sizes, the smaller ones will be mushy before the larger carrots are cooked through.

On a time crunch? Thin slices will require much less cooking time than thick slices or baby carrots. I would recommend cutting the carrots no less than 1/2 an inch wide because they will cook faster than the glaze

Butter: You can use margarine, coconut oil, or other similar ingredients in place of the butter but you may need to add a little salt if you do this to compensate for what’s in the butter.

Honey glazed carrots

This can be made with honey instead of brown sugar. Use the same amount of honey as you would brown sugar. Alternatively, you could use half brown sugar and half honey.

On a low carb or watching your calorie diet? Carrots are acceptable in moderation (about 6g of carbs per carrot), and you can swap the brown sugar for brown sugar Swerve! (Affiliate Link)

Bourbon-glazed carrots

Bourbon and carrots belong together. It’s just a Southern fact. It also brings a nice, smokey flavor to the Brown Sugar Carrots.

For this variation, add 2 tablespoons of your favorite bourbon after removing the lid. Adding the bourbon too soon in the cooking process will reduce some of the bourbon flavors.

Most of the alcohol will evaporate when it is boiling at the end, so this is still family-friendly. All of the alcohol will not be burned off, however, so if you are concerned about alcohol in the finished product, I would look for a bourbon-flavored extract.

How to make brown sugar carrots

1. Add everything to a saucepan and heat over high, stirring so all of the sugar dissolves.
2. Once the mix is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cover.
3. Cook until the carrots are crisp-tender, usually 7-10 minutes. If needed, add a little more water if the glaze starts to form before the carrots are cooked.
4. Remove the lid and turn up to medium-high then cook long enough for the liquid to become a glaze on the carrots, usually 3-5 minutes. 
5. Remove from the heat and serve straight away.

Do not overcook the carrots. You want your carrots to be tender, not mush. Remove the lid as soon as the carrots are crisp-tender but not too tender.

Stir the carrots frequently during the last step of cooking to prevent the sugar and carrots from scorching. While you can be pretty hands-off during the first part of the recipe, you wanna keep your eyes on the pot after removing the lid.

If you want more glaze on the carrots, increase the butter and sugar but don’t add more water.

Can I add spices?

The great thing about this caramelized carrots recipe is that there are lots of ways you can change it a little to make different flavored carrots. One of the easiest things to do is to add some spices or even something like pumpkin pie spice mix to them. Cinnamon is also delicious when added to carrots.

Can you make them ahead of time?

It is best to serve the glazed carrot side dish fresh but you can prepare everything and keep it in the fridge for a day before putting it together.

Once the carrots are cooked, you can store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days and slowly reheat them in the oven to serve.

MORE THANKSGIVING SIDE DISH RECIPES YOUR FAMILY WILL LOVE

• Simple Thanksgiving Dressing
• Corn Casserole
• Old Fashioned Green Beans with Bacon
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Broccoli Salad with Cranberries
• Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
• Fondant Potatoes
• Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

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