Fast and Easy Glazed Carrots
Need a quick dinner side? These maple glazed carrots are bursting with flavor but take just minutes to make. We’ll cook them in a buttery brown sugar and maple glaze that’s perfectly sweet and fresh, thanks to some fresh thyme.
Why you should try them
A simple, easy recipe. This side dish takes literally seconds to prep. While I prefer to peel my carrots, it’s not mandatory, and you can speed things along even further by using baby carrots, which don’t need to be peeled or cut at all (as those steps are already taken care of for you!). Flavorful. For such a simple, straightforward dish, it packs a pretty punch in the flavor department. The glaze is balanced with flavors of brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, and thyme and is mouthwateringly flavorful (and don’t let the ingredients fool you, it’s not at all too rich!). Versatile. You can easily transform them into honey glazed carrots by simply swapping out the maple syrup for honey. They’re quick to prepare! I prefer to make them on the stovetop, but also include instructions for preparing in the microwave if you prefer to make them that way! On the stovetop they’re ready in under half an hour (and most of that is passive cooking time, perfect for prepping while your main dish cooks away!).
This recipe would also make a great holiday side dish! Feel free to double or triple the ingredients to make enough to feed a crowd–and be prepared to have everyone asking for the recipe 😊
What You Need
This recipe is simple to prepare with only eight ingredients (one of which is water!). Let’s go over the ingredient list before we get started.
Carrots. You can use either large carrots or baby carrots. Baby carrots are the best choice if you are in a rush, as they come pre-peeled and bite sized. Butter. Stick with salted butter here since we are adding sweet ingredients like maple syrup and brown sugar. We’ll also add additional salt and pepper to taste too to make sure the flavors balance out nicely. Brown sugar. I like using light brown sugar in this recipe; it’s not too sweet but still adds depth of flavor. Maple syrup. Stick with real maple syrup, not pancake syrup. Or, if you’d prefer, you can use honey instead of maple syrup to make honey glazed carrots. Fresh thyme. This is optional, but it adds a nice herby flavor that reminds me of Thanksgiving (and these carrots make a great Thanksgiving side dish!)
SAM’S TIP: When using large carrots, I usually peel them first. This extra step is optional and purely for aesthetic reasons; it guarantees a beautiful orange color in the final result. I also recommend peeling your carrots when making carrot cake; if you don’t, you could end up with a green colored cake (the stakes aren’t quite as high with today’s recipe!). Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Maple Glazed Carrots
SAM’S TIP: Looking for another one-pan side dish? My creamed spinach takes just 20 minutes to make in one pot on the stove. Want to add even more flavor to these carrots? A splash of orange juice or a sprinkling of chopped pecans will do the trick! Enjoy! I originally shared my recipe for glazed carrots over on Spend with Pennies! Let’s cook together! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on YouTube where I have over 500 free video tutorials! 💜 This post was originally written for Spend with Pennies.
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