Super easy honey brown sugar glazed carrots made on the stovetop, in less than 30 minutes. PERFECT holiday side dish!
I love this honey glazed carrots recipe because it doesn't take up valuable oven or slow cooker space, and they're easy to reheat. It's SUPER easy to make ahead and it tastes amazing!
We love to serve these with ham and boursin twice baked potatoes or red skin mashed potatoes on Easter or Thanksgiving, but it's a super easy side dish to make for dinner and goes with just about any protein or other veggies like green beans and potatoes.
I found that keeping the spices simple helped the flavors really shine. Adding more spices was good, but brown sugar glazed carrots don't need the extras to taste delicious!
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What To Expect
- Taste: Sweet, buttery, with a little salt and a hint of honey. The salt and pepper are there but aren't the main flavor at all.
- Ease: Combining all ingredients in one pan and cooking on the stove, couldn't be easier.
- Time: 5 minutes to peel and chop, and 20 minutes to cook!
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Carrots - you can use large or already peeled baby carrots to save time. You COULD use frozen carrots, but the texture would be much different than the fresh.
- Parsley - fresh or dried, is used as a garnish mainly.
- Water - a little water is cooked out of the carrots, but it's helpful to add just a little water so that the glaze ingredients (brown sugar and honey) don't burn as the carrots cook.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Honey can easily be switched with pure maple syrup for delicious maple glazed carrots! We like to alternate depending on our mood or to accommodate young babies under 1 year old.
- To add flavor, switch the parsley out with half the amount of an aromatic herb like rosemary, sage, or thyme.
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. Wash and peel carrots, then slice them at a diagonal angle into about 1 inch pieces.
- Step 2. Place carrots into a large frying pan with the remaining ingredients.
- Step 3. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover with lid, and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the glaze thickens and the carrots soften. Test for doneness with a fork.15 minutes for a more firm carrot, 20 minutes for softer/larger carrots.
📌 Top Tips & Hacks
- Add another Tablespoon of honey at the end of the cooking process to up the honey flavor.
- Add a dash of orange or lemon juice (or zest!) to brighten up the flavors without overpowering the carrot flavor.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Follow the recipe as directed, let cool, and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days ahead of time. Reheat in a frying pan or microwaveable dish and transfer to a serving dish.
Yes! This recipe serves 4-6 people. If doubled I would use a large pot with a lid to cook the carrots in.
Add a dash of orange or lemon juice at the end of the cooking process to brighten up the flavors.
Yes! You can follow the recipe but in a slow cooker instead of a frying pan. Cook on low for 4-5 hours on low and test for doneness with a fork before serving.
🥣 More Easy Side Dish Recipes
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Brown Sugar and Honey Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 lb carrots
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter 56 g
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup honey (or maple syrup)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 2 Tablespoons water
Instructions
- Wash and peel carrots, then slice them at a diagonal angle into about 1 inch pieces.
- Place carrots into a large frying pan with the remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover with lid, and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the glaze thickens and the carrots soften. Test for doneness with a fork. 15 minutes for a more firm carrot, 20 minutes for softer/larger carrots.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Kimberly says
You mean put hard carrots in frying pan with glazed and boil all together? I thought you would have to boil in a saucepan?
Sara says
Nope, it’s easier to cook it all together. The glaze cooks down and thickens with the carrots.
Kyson says
Even our kids liked these. I like that you can taste the salt. Some other recipes don’t have any and they’re too sweet but these are good.