Glazed Carrots Recipe – Sweet, Buttery Perfection in 20 Minutes

Glazed carrots are the easiest, most elegant side dish that turns simple carrots into something truly special! With just butter, brown sugar, and a handful of ingredients, you’ll have tender, glossy carrots with a sweet caramelized coating that everyone loves.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This is the side dish that saves dinner parties! Glazed carrots look fancy and taste indulgent, but they’re secretly one of the easiest things you’ll make all week. They’re naturally sweet, beautifully glossy, and that buttery coating? Pure comfort food magic. Plus, they go with everything from weeknight chicken to holiday roasts. You can prep the carrots ahead, and the actual cooking time is barely 15 minutes.

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Ingredient List

For the Carrots:

• 1½ lbs carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices
• 1½ cups water

For the Glaze:

• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Optional Garnish:

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Why These Ingredients Work

Carrots – I buy the regular bag and peel them myself because you need them thick enough to not turn to mush. Baby carrots are fine but they cook way faster.

Butter – Can’t skip this. That’s what makes everything stick together and taste rich. I tried olive oil once and it was just wrong.

Brown sugar – White sugar doesn’t work here because you need that molasses taste. That’s what makes them taste like actual glazed carrots instead of weird candy vegetables.

Salt – I know it seems backwards with all the sugar but trust me, without it these taste flat. Just weird sweet. The salt fixes that.

Parsley – I throw it on top when I remember because it looks nice. Doesn’t change the taste much but makes them prettier.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large skillet or sauté pan with a lid
• Sharp vegetable peeler
• Chef’s knife and cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Wooden spoon or spatula for stirring
• Colander for draining

How To Make Glazed Carrots

Step 1: Prep and Cook the Carrots

Throw your carrots in a pan with the water and bring it to a simmer. Let them go for 8–10 minutes until they’re soft enough to poke with a fork but not falling apart. They’re gonna cook more in a minute so stop before they get mushy.

Step 2: Drain the Carrots

Dump out most of the water but leave a tiny bit in there. Like maybe a couple tablespoons. Makes the glaze work better than if you drain them completely.

Step 3: Add the Glaze Ingredients

Put the butter, brown sugar, and salt right in the pan with the hot carrots. It’ll start melting right away.

Step 4: Create the Glaze

Stir everything around and keep it on medium heat for 4–5 minutes. Stir it every once in a while but you don’t have to stand there constantly mixing. The butter and sugar melt together and coat all the carrots. Looks watery at first but gets thicker if you give it time.

Step 5: Garnish and Serve

Put the parsley on top if you want. That’s it.

You Must Know

Cut them the same size. This is the only thing that really matters. If they’re all different some will be crunchy and some will be gross and mushy. Just aim for half an inch and you’re good.

Personal Secret: I put in a tiny bit of cinnamon with the sugar. Can’t taste it like cinnamon but something about it just makes them better. Maybe an eighth of a teaspoon. People always ask what I did different.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Don’t cook them all the way in step 1. They keep cooking with the glaze so a little firm is perfect.
• Use real butter. I don’t care what’s in your fridge, this needs actual butter or it tastes off.
• Shake the pan around instead of stirring constantly. Keeps the carrots from breaking.
• If the sugar starts burning turn the heat down. Should be medium, not high.
• Add another spoonful of butter at the end if you want them really shiny.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Honey Glazed: Swap honey for the brown sugar and add lemon juice. Less sweet, more bright.

Maple Glazed: Use maple syrup instead. Tastes fancier somehow.

Spiced Carrots: Put in cinnamon or nutmeg or ginger with the glaze. Good for cold weather dinners.

Citrus Twist: Add orange zest and juice. Makes them taste lighter.

Herb Garden: Use thyme or rosemary instead of parsley if you want something different.

Mixed Root Vegetables: Throw in parsnips or sweet potatoes or whatever. Just cut everything the same size.

Crunchy Topping: Put pecans or almonds on top. Adds texture.

Make-Ahead Options

This is actually easy to prep ahead which saves my life at Thanksgiving.

2-3 days before: Peel and cut the carrots and keep them in water in the fridge. They stay good.

Day of: Cook them through step 2 a couple hours early. Leave them sitting there and just reheat when you need to add the glaze.

Reheating: They keep in the fridge for 3 days. Heat them up slow on the stove for 5–7 minutes. Might need a splash of water or more butter if they look dry.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

• Get carrots that aren’t bendy or spotty. The big thick ones are easier to cut evenly.
• Baby carrots are done faster so check them at 6 minutes.
• The glaze looks thin when you’re cooking but thickens up on the plate. Don’t worry about it.
• You can double or triple this for holidays. Just need a bigger pan.

Serving Suggestions

I’ve put these next to chicken, steak, ham, meatloaf, pork chops, fish – everything. They’re my default Thanksgiving vegetable because they’re easy and people don’t complain.

Put them on a white plate if you have one because the color looks really good. They’re shiny enough that everyone thinks you spent more time than you did.

How to Store Your Glazed Carrots

Refrigerator: Put leftovers in a container with a lid and they’re good for 3 days. Glaze gets thick in the cold but that’s fine.

Reheating: Heat them up slow on the stove for 5–7 minutes and stir sometimes. Add water or butter if they look dry.

Freezing: Don’t freeze them. They get gross and watery when you thaw them out. Just make them fresh.

Room Temperature: Don’t leave them out more than 2 hours because of the butter.

Allergy Information

Common Allergens:

• Contains: Dairy (butter)

Substitution Suggestions:

• Dairy-Free: Get vegan butter or use coconut oil. The coconut flavor is actually pretty good here.
• Refined Sugar-Free: Try coconut sugar or maple syrup or honey instead.
• Gluten-Free: Already is.
• Vegan: Vegan butter works and make sure your sugar is vegan because some isn’t.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

My glaze looks watery – what did I do wrong?

Too much water left in the pan. Drain them better next time and only leave like a tablespoon. Also cook the glaze the whole 4–5 minutes or it won’t thicken.

Can I make these without butter?

I mean you can try olive oil or coconut oil but it’s not gonna taste the same. The butter is kind of the whole point. Vegan butter works fine if that’s what you need.

Why do my carrots taste bland even with the glaze?

Did you put the salt in? Seriously, that quarter teaspoon matters even though it’s tiny. Also your brown sugar might be old and weird – check that.

Can I add other vegetables to this recipe?

Parsnips work great because they cook the same speed and taste good with the glaze. Sweet potatoes are fine if you cut them small. Beets turn everything pink so cook those separate if you care.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! Tell me what you served these with or if you changed anything.