Glazed Carrots are usually made on the stove but they are so much more amazing roasted!!! Tossed with brown sugar and butter then roasted so you get gorgeous caramelised edges with a caramel-like sauce, this a super quick and easy carrot side dish that’s so outrageously delicious, you could just have a bowl of this for dinner. (I did!)
If you’re out of oven space, try this stove top version – with the same caramelisation!
Glazed Carrots with caramelisation!
Maybe it’s because I live in Australia and not North America, but it never occurred to me to make glazed carrots without caramelised edges. Yet, when I had a scout around the internet before publishing this recipe, I was somewhat bemused to see that the standard recipe seems to be made on the stove without any caramelisation.
So really, they’re boiled carrots coated in a sugary syrup. (I’m being cheeky. 😂)
But when you roast them so you get caramelised edges? Yes!!
Carrots love to be roasted!
Roasting beats stove top everyday, even if they’re sautéed until golden. Roasting carrots intensifies the flavour and natural sweetness in a way you can’t achieve on the stove!
How to make Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
The key here is to roast in a hot oven so the brown sugar and butter turns into a glaze that coats the carrots beautifully before the carrots become overly soft and wrinkled. Plus, they roast faster – just 25 minutes!
Cut peeled carrots on the diagonal into 4cm / 1.75” lengths.
Same size – Halve thicker end so all the pieces are roughly the same size, to ensure they roast evenly.
Toss the carrots with the glaze ingredients – brown sugar (or honey or maple syrup), melted butter, oil, garlic salt and pepper. I use both oil AND butter here because butter provides better flavour but it burns at high temperatures. So by combining with oil, we get the best of both worlds!
Roast for 15 minutes – Place the carrots in a preheated 220°C/425°F (200°C fan-forced) oven and roast for 15 minutes. Then take it out of the oven and give the carrots a toss to coat in the glaze which will have melted on the tray.
Roast for a further 10 minutes until the edges of the carrots have caramelised.
Final toss – The glaze on the tray will have thickened more and becomes caramel-like so when you toss the carrots one last time, they coat the surface beautifully. Then all that’s left to do is transfer into a serving bowl!
Note on roasting time – 25 minutes total roasting time might sound short, but we’re using a hot oven so they roast faster. A hot oven works best so we can get caramelised edges without the carrot getting too soft and wrinkled.
What to serve with glazed carrots
Glazed carrots will pair beautifully with most non-Asian meals though I wouldn’t use them with mains with a sweet sauce – too much sugar. It would be ideal to pop in the oven at the same time as this Baked Chicken Breast or Roast Chicken, or this Roast Pork with Crispy Crackling.
Have it as your side for a quick one-pan Baked Chicken and Rice, Meatloaf, or make complete a meat-free meal by adding a side of Mushroom Rice.
Some more quick dinner ideas that will pair beautifully with these Glazed Carrots:
Crispy Garlic Chicken Thighs (reader favourite!)
It’s a also a classic for holiday dinner tables, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.
But honestly? These Glazed Carrots are SO GOOD you might do what I did yesterday – just have a big bowl of these as a meal! – Nagi x
Glazed Carrots FAQ
Any! Baby carrots, dutch carrots, standard carrots (pictured), multi coloured carrots. All types of carrots are suitable for this recipe – just cut larger carrots to size (see video or above steps).
Just 25 minutes in a hot oven – 220°C/425°F (200°C fan-forced). A hot oven works best so we can get caramelised edges without the carrot getting too soft and wrinkled.
Roasting honestly brings out the best flavour in carrots, but if you’re out of oven capacity, use this Stove Top Glazed Carrots recipe.
Well, these are Glazed Carrots so they are sweet! 🙂 This recipe calls for 1/4 cup of brown sugar for 1 kg / 2 lb of carrots. But it can be reduced down to 1 tbsp whilst still ending up with a beautiful glaze – I do this depending on what I’m serving as the main.
YES! The best way is to get them out of the oven when they are tender-crisp, not super soft. They will keep in the fridge for 2 to 5 days, then reheat in the microwave and give the carrots a good toss to coat in the glaze before serving. Be sure to use a rubber spatula to get every bit of glaze off the tray!
Watch how to make it
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Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 kg / 2 lb carrots , peeled (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup (40g) brown sugar , loosely packed (Note 2)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tbsp butter (30g) , melted (or olive oil)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Parsley , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan-forced).
- Cut carrot on the diagonal into 4cm / 1.75” lengths. Halve thicker end so they are all roughly the same width.
- Toss in a bowl with sugar, butter, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Pour onto tray, spread out.
- Roast 15 minutes. Toss, then roast a further 10 minutes until soft and caramelised on the edges with plenty of glaze left on the tray.
- Final toss then serve – Give the carrots a final toss in the glaze on the tray then transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley if using. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
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I’ve made these at least five times. My husband and I love them! Tonight I added a little ginger, may have been too timid with it, but it was also a great add-in! Will be serving this when family gathers for the holidays!
I did exactly what recipe said for thanksgiving , it definitely exceeded my expectations. And will cook this again for Christmas dinner party
Want to make these in the charcoal Weber with the roast turkey for Christmas. How long should I put them in for? Same time or a bit longer?
Is it just one tablespoon of maple syrup to substitute for brown sugar?
Could these be served room temperature?
I plan on making these in a few days, I am going to be pressed for time, as I have to work that day. Am I able to prepare these the night before and roast them when I get home?
I was just wanting to know a serving size to go along with the nutrition facts.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made them at Christmas last year. I knew none were left over but didn’t know they were such a hit until people started asking if I was having them this year. One friend wanted the recipe and wasn’t even here last year. The carmelization and not being mushy were the winning parts. Thanks again. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
I made these and they never did soften up or brown. Are you supposed to cook them first? Doesn’t seem like enough time to roast carrots.
How do these travel if taking them as a side dish
These brown sugar glazed carrots were amazing! They turned out so sweet and caramelized perfectly. Will definitely make them again!
The glaze was burnt black before the first 15 min was up
Easy to roast and delicious
Hi Nagi! I made these today and they were delicious. I have used so MANY of your recipes and they never disappoint, I also have your cookbook. 🙂 You are one of my favorite chefs and I appreciate your brilliance, thank you!
omogsh – so easy and oh so very delicious!!
The recipe does not specify what constitutes a “serving” size. I watch my calories and carbs and would appreciate the info 🙂
If you understand calorific values I’m pretty sure you could figure it out and adapt to suit. Seriously, you get free recipes and it’s still not good enough?
The recipe makes 5 servings. One serving would be one fifth of the recipe.
You can put the recipe into the free Lose It! app, list the entire recipe as 1 serving, and it will give you the total calorie and nutrition information. You can use that to divide the total into the number of servings that would provide the calories you want in a veggie serving.
Hmm not sure where I went wrong, I followed directions and don’t have any “glaze” or much caramelization. More like roasted carrots.
These turned out great! I made them in my Breville oven because the big oven was in use and it worked great! Yum!
Next time I may make them in advance.
Thanks for a great recipe!
I did 400° for 20min and the glaze was nearly to caramel state- after a few minutes on our plates, it was a rock hard pile of carrots. I would say do less time and less heat.
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Can this be adapted for a crowd? Can you roast in a foil serving tin or do they have to be a single layer on a cookie sheet?