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:
Life of Dozer
Spot Dozer!
(He’s the gold one on the left 🥰)
This is a SUPER easy recipe and my family loves it! THANK YOU! I am a Weight Watcher Lifetime Member and I lighten it by eliminating the butter (using olive oil spray) and using Swerve Brown Sugar (Erythritol based zero net carbs per serv) and a splash of Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup (Monkfruit based 1 net carb per serv). This takes it from 20g sugar to ZERO. Try it! Your Holiday table won’t even know the difference and it’s a BEAUTIFUL dish!
Where do you find the syrup?? I’m very interested in making it this way
Has anyone made these ahead of time and how would you reheat?
👋 I made these last night for Christmas they are delicious! But best fresh. If reheating I would recommend air fryer/ or oven to keep the crisp.
Hi Cheryl – I don’t make these “ahead of time”, but I always make a large batch so we have leftovers for another day. My family was so disappointed the first two times I made them when we didn’t have any left! I refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container. Then I transfer them into a microwave safe dish and reheat them gently – a minute or two at a time, stirring in between each heating so they don’t get “cooked” again, but get heated through. The glaze is a bit more watery the second time around, but my family doesn’t seem to mind! I’ve also reheated them in the oven on a foil lined tray – again, stirring often so they don’t get cooked again, but heated through. This method dries up the extra liquid from the refrigeration.
Can I make this in the crockpot? If so how long on low would it take? Thank you
These were the perfect compliment to a garlic herb butter slow cooker chicken and cornbread dressing (our Thanksgiving meal.) I added a little orange zest for extra zip and it was a real hit!
I’m going to try to make these tonight! I have a picky husband and when I sweeten up or cheese up vegetables he will eat them so let’s see I’m sure they will be a huge favorite!
This is basic and perfect. anyone looking for some amazing carrots to serve alongside any protein, aside from taking the time to do sousvide, this will be your best bet. AND WOW THOSE PICTURES ARE AMAZING. my mouth is watering looking at them! GREAT WORK
I made this yesterday. It was delicious as a side with steak. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks so much Nagi. Also, congratulations on your cookbook! I look forward to getting my hands on it one day.
So easy – love with everything!!
Delicious! Lovely and crunchy, not too overpoweringly sweet. My grandfather couldn’t get enough of them, and he’s a picky man.
Delicious, I’ve made these a few times.
Love all your recipes. 😄👏👏
How much is one serving worth? Also, how much would one-half servings of carrots be for this recipe?
Hi Lexi – I am not sure what you are asking? Did you want to the cost of making a serve? Or the size of a serving? N x
I cannot stand carrots… except for these ones 😍
I made this for Christmas last year and it was such a hit I got asked to make it again this year! It’s a big winner and so so easy. The perfect side dish!
So good!
Hello! I am making this recipe for Thanksgiving and was curious if light or dark brown sugar should be used?
Thanks!
I use light, Megan, unless it specifies dark in the recipe but either one will work here – the colour will be darker if you choose dark brown. N x
What siz pan should I use and how many servings will you get from this recipe ?
I’ve been wondering all along how can I make delicious carrots.Tomorrow I’ll try it.Thank you
Trying these tonight
Can you make these in advance and how would you reheat
So fing what. How were they? Isn’t that the purpose of commenting?
Hi Nagi! I would love to try this over a BBQ pit. Would it work the same you think?
i added cinnamon and honey… yummy