Made on the stovetop, this easy recipe features sliced carrots sweetened with brown sugar, orange juice, and butter for a side dish everyone will love.
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Ginger says: “Super easy and super delicious.”
This Sticky Brown Sugar Glaze Can Get Anyone to Eat Their Veggies
When it comes to veggie dishes for holiday dinners, I always have something orange on the table. Sweet potato soufflé, roasted carrots, and butternut squash cubes tussle for first place, but I can’t pick a favorite so I usually cook all of the above.
I particularly love carrots because they’re inexpensive and always available. In this recipe, carrots are caramelized with butter, orange juice, and a dollop of brown sugar. They’re tender and have the perfect level of sweetness — perfect for holiday dinners or any time.
Cooking the glazed carrots on the stovetop is a time-saving step with fewer dishes left in your wake. This recipe is also easy to scale up for a crowd. Double or triple the amounts listed and use a bigger pot to cook them in, or divide them into batches.
Enjoy!
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Carrots — Whole carrots or baby carrots both work equally fine. You can also use rainbow carrots (they have the same flavor but are much prettier).
- Butter — I generally use unsalted and then salt the carrots to taste.
- Light brown sugar — If you use dark brown sugar, it will have a stronger molasses taste.
- Orange — Use it for the juice and the peel. Freshly squeezed orange juice is a must for this recipe. The fresh flavor it imparts makes a big difference in this dish!
- Parsley — Minced and sprinkled on top for a pretty dish.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap out the sweetener. You can also use honey, maple syrup, molasses, or agave instead of brown sugar if you prefer. An extra drizzle of any of these before serving will add an extra candied bite.
- Add some herbs. Fresh tarragon, rosemary, or thyme would all be delicious.
- Add some warm spices. Ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg would lend some nice toasty flavors (just be sure to season gradually, because a little of these goes a long way).
- Get crunchy. Add sliced almonds, toasted chopped pecans, or candied pecans for some crunch.
How to Make Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots on the Stovetop
- Boil first. Bring the carrots, butter, brown sugar, water, and orange juice, to a boil in a heavy large skillet, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. As the cooking continues, the liquids mingle with the sugar and butter to slowly evaporate, condensing to create a light and sweet syrupy slather over each slice. If the liquid dries before your carrots are tender, add 1-2 tablespoons of water so they don’t burn.
- Uncover, stir in the orange zest, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the carrots are fork-tender and the juices have reduced to a glossy glaze, about 5-7 minutes. Adding a bit of orange zest at the end of cooking gives these carrots a zesty bump.
- Add the finishing touches. Sprinkle with the parsley, taste for seasoning, and serve.
Heidi’s Tip: An extra sprinkling of brown sugar right before serving doesn’t hurt these glazed carrots either.
Mains to Make This a Meal
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups peeled and sliced carrots (or 4 cups baby carrots)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ orange , juiced
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced flat leaf parsley
Instructions
Stovetop Method (Recommended)
- Bring the carrots, butter, brown sugar, water, and orange juice, to a boil in a heavy large skillet. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the carrots are still crisp but becoming tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Uncover, stir in the orange zest, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the carrots are fork-tender and the juices have reduced to a glossy glaze, about 5-7 minutes more.
- Sprinkle with the parsley, taste for seasoning, and serve.
Alternate Cooking Methods
- To cook these carrots in the oven: Place the carrots in a baking dish. Adjust the water to just ⅓ cup then add the remaining ingredients up to the orange zest. Bake at 350°F for 1 to 1 ½ hours. To speed things along, parboil or steam the carrots until crisp tender before putting in the oven and adjust the baking time to 40-60 minutes. Sprinkle with orange zest and parsley and serve.
- To cook these carrots in the microwave: Place the carrots in a 1-½-qt. microwave-safe dish with 2 tablespoons of water and the remaining ingredients up to the parsley. Cover and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Sprinkle with orange zest and parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Stovetop Vegetable Side Dishes
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Lori Ann Hanley
The amount of the orange juice is missing
Hayley
Hi Lori! It’s listed in the recipe (½ orange , juiced), and in the first step of the instructions (Bring the carrots, butter, brown sugar, water, and orange juice, to a boil in a heavy large skillet.) We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Joanne Walden
The liquid didn’t go galaxy!. Still very liquidy…what should I do?
Joanne, add more sugar or continue to cook down so it thickens.
David Christensen
The zest at the end makes the difference. Thanks for the recipe.
Hayley
We’re glad you enjoyed it David!
Lauren Lee
Hi, gonna make these tonite its cold and snowy here today..all I have is simply orange juice so how much of that would I use for fresh squeezed? Thank you
Use just 1-2 tablespoons of juice.
Ginger
Super easy and super delicious
Jeny
OMG l!!! THIS WAS AMAZING THANK YOU!!! YOU HAVE TURNED A CLUELESS DIMWIT IN THE KITCHEN DEPT. INTO A HOPEFUL FOODIE LOVER WHO IS INSPIRED BY YOU
Jeanie
Just like my mom use to make. Thanks for the memory!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
I love how food and memories can be so connected! Thank you Jeanie!