Ready in under 20 minutes, this super easy no-bake 3 ingredient brown sugar carrot recipe makes the perfect vegetable side dish. Say yes to veggies at the dinner table!
Brown sugar glazed carrots are special enough for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and other holiday meals, but simple enough they can be served year-round with everyday meals.
BROWN SUGAR GLAZED CARROTS INGREDIENTS
Carrots – you can use either large carrots that have been peels and cut into 1-inch or so pieces, or baby carrots. Both work great in this carrot recipe.
Butter – I use salted butter, but unsalted butter can be used. You will need to add a pinch of salt or more to taste.
Brown sugar – I make these with light brown sugar because I don’t use a lot of dark brown sugar. If oyu like the deeper flavor of dark brown sugar, go ahead and use it!
HOW TO MAKE BROWN SUGAR CARROTS
Our recipe for stovetop glazed carrots is pretty simple. No boiling is required, 3 simple ingredients are cooked together in just one pan. OK, it might be 4 ingredients if you want to count the water you need to add to the pan.
It all starts with the carrots. You can use baby carrots or you can use full sized carrots cut into pieces. The size and thickness of the carrots will determine how long the cooking time is.
Thicker carrots will require a few more minutes on the stove. Thinly sliced carrots will be done much faster they are also easier to overcook, so don’t slice them too thin. 1-inch is what I try to use.
Add one pound of carrots, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1/3 cup of water to a saucepan and set over high heat. Once the carrots come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-high and put a lid on the pan. Allow the carrots to simmer for 7 to 10 minutes.
Check if the carrots are done by sticking a fork or the end of a knife into a carrot. Add a couple more minutes of simmering if necessary. Once the carrots are almost cooked all the way through, remove the lid and turn up the heat to high. Continue cooking and stirring until the carrots are glazed and most of the water has evaporated.
These carrots taste the best when they are still hot so serve them as soon as possible.
Honey Glazed Carrots
Brown sugar glazed carrots 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.
Bourbon Glazed Carrots
Add 2 tablespoons of your favorite bourbon during the final step of the recipe. Adding the bourbon too soon in the cooking process will reduce some of the bourbon flavors.
Most of the alcohol will evaporate will it is boiling at the end. All of the alcohol will not be burned off so if you are concerned about alcohol in the finished product I would just skip adding bourbon or find a bourbon flavored extract.
SUCCESS TIPS FOR BROWN SUGAR CARROTS
- 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.
- Use carrots that are uniform in size so that they all cook at the same time.
- Thin slices will require much less time to cook than thick slices or baby carrots.
- Stir the carrots frequently during the last step of cooking to prevent the sugar and carrots from scorching.
MORE VEGETABLE RECIPES YOUR FAMILY WILL LOVE
Old Fashioned Green Beans with Bacon
Broccoli Salad with Cranberries
DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER AND FOLLOW US ON PINTEREST
SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL LIST TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO KNOW WHEN WE POST A NEW RECIPE!
Brown Sugar Carrots Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces carrots cleaned, peeled and cut into 1/2 to 1-inch slices
- 2 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients into a saucepan and set heat to high, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
- When the carrots have come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid.
- Cooked covered for 7 to 10 minutes or until the carrots are crisp-tender.
- Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid is thick enough to glaze the carrots, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
Notes
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a shallow covered dish for up 5 days.
- Recipe can be doubled and tripled.
- Baby carrots can be used in place of sliced carrots.
- Honey may be substituted for half or all of the brown sugar.
- Add more water to the pan if the glaze begins to form before the carrots are cooked.
- Salt, pepper, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or other spices can be added to taste.
- Butter can be substituted with margarine, coconut oil, or other vegan options, salt may be needed for flavor when using coconut oil.
- Glaze can be increased by increasing butter and brown sugar. Do not increase the water.
Leave a Reply