• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Fantabulosity logo

  • All Recipes
  • Vintage Recipes
  • Holiday
  • Dinner Theme System
  • About
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Theme Night Dinner System
  • Dinner
  • Desserts
  • Holidays
  • Contact
  • About Jessica
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Sides

    Candied Carrots

    By: Jessica · Posted: Aug 19, 2022 · Updated: Sep 8, 2024 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    • Facebook
    Jump to Recipe 5 comments
    5 from 5 votes
    candied carrots images in a collage with text

    Candied Carrots: Tender carrots are simmered in a butter, brown sugar glaze for one of our favorite side dishes for a holiday meal or easy weeknight dinner!

    Whether you call them candied carrots or glazed carrots, this great recipe will turn fresh carrots into a sweet and savory side dish that pairs well with ham, steak, chicken, turkey, and meatloaf.

    Cooked Candied Carrots are shown in a white serving bowl with a spoon in the upper right hand corner and an orange patterned napkin in the bottom left corner

     

    Why You’ll Love These Candied Carrots

    • Simple ingredients: There are just five ingredients needed to make this easy candied carrot recipe
    • Quick side dish: You can have these stovetop candied carrots on the table in just about 20 minutes
    • Veggies: the sweet glaze on our candied carrots make them a delicious way to encourage your picky eaters to eat more veggies
    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love These Candied Carrots
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • FAQs
    • Storage
    • More Simple Side Dishes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Ingredients

    Get the full recipe card with instructions below!

    • 1 ½ lbs whole carrots
    • 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
    • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons salt, divided
    • Parsley (optional for garnish)
    Photo of bowls containing the ingredients for Candied Carrots - carrots, parsley, butter, salt and brown sugar

    Instructions

    1. Place peeled, cut carrots in a medium saucepan with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Cover the carrots completely with cold water at least 1 inch above the carrots.
    2. Bring the carrots to a boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer. Cook for about 10-20 minutes or until carrots are tender.
    3. Drain carrots and return them to the saucepan.
    Cut carrot coins are submerged in water in a medium sized saucepan getting ready to boil
    Cook carrots
    1. Turn the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. Once the butter is almost melted, add the brown sugar to the pan.
    Cooked carrots and several pats of butter are shown in a medium sized saucepan ready to heat to make Candied Carrots
    Add butter
    Cooked carrots and brown sugar are shown in a medium sized saucepan ready to heat to make Candied Carrots
    Add brown sugar
    1. Continue to cook over medium heat until the brown sugar is melted and starts to thicken (about 5 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and stir. Garnish with parsley (optional).
    Close up up cooked candied carrots topped with bright green parsley in a white serving bowl

    With their bright orange color and a simple glaze of just butter and brown sugar, this vegetable side dish is one of those classic recipes that your family will request over and over!

    A spoon filled with cooked carrots is displayed in front of a bowl of cooked Candied Carrots
    Candied Carrots

    Substitutions and Variations

    Easy candied carrots are one of the most simple side dishes to make and I’ve got a few ways to adjust this recipe to your personal preference.

    • Carrots – instead of carrots, you can use this same cooking method for sweet potatoes
    • Sweet Flavors – use an equal amount of maple syrup, honey, dark brown sugar, agave syrup or coconut sugar if you don’t have brown sugar on hand. Carrots have a natural sweetness, so if you want to make this recipe with less sugar, reduce the brown sugar to 2 tablespoons.
    • Orange – add a splash of orange juice before you add the brown sugar or stir in orange peel or zest for a fresh citrus boost
    • Spices – Sprinkle the carrots with black pepper to taste or add ½ to 1 teaspoon of your favorites spices like cinnamon, allspice or pumpkin pie spice

    FAQs

    • What type of carrots can I use? You can use regular carrots, baby carrots or even colorful rainbow carrots. I use fresh carrots for air fryer carrots too.
    • What are glazed carrots made of? Very simply, candied glazed carrots are made of cooked carrots simmered in a butter and brown sugar glaze
    • Are glazed carrots healthy? Carrots are naturally low in calories and packed with vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, iron, potassium and fiber. We’ve used less than 2 tablespoons of butter in this recipe and while there is brown sugar in the glaze, you can reduce the amount you use or use an alternate sweetener to fit the way you eat.
    • Can glazed carrots be made a day ahead? Yes! If you plan to make these candied carrots ahead of time, reduce the cooking time for a few minutes since they will have additional cook time when you reheat them. To reheat leftover glazed carrots, return them to the sauce pan to simmer until warm.

    Storage

    Store any leftover carrots with the brown sugar glaze in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

    More Simple Side Dishes

    If you like this candied carrots recipe, then I bet you’ll love our Carrot Salad. If you haven’t tried it yet, this is the absolute BEST Side Salad Recipe and you can’t go wrong with Garlic Roasted Broccoli!

    Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!

    Recipe

    Close up of cooked carrots covered in a butter brown sugar glaze and garnished with fresh parsley

    Candied Carrots

    Jessica Burgess
    Candied Carrots: Tender carrots are simmered in a butter, brown sugar glaze in the perfect side dish for a holiday meal or weeknight dinner!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6
    Calories 141 kcal

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ lbs carrots peeled, sliced and cut on the bias into ½ inch pieces
    • 2 teaspoon salt divided
    • 1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
    • ½ cup light brown sugar
    • parsley chopped for garnish (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Place the peeled, cut carrots in a medium saucepan with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Cover the carrots completely with cold water at least 1 inch above the carrots.
    • Bring the carrots to a boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer. Cook for about 10-20 minutes or until carrots are tender.
    • Drain the carrots and return them to the saucepan.
    • Turn the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. Once the butter is almost melted, add the brown sugar to the pan.
    • Continue to cook over medium heat until the brown sugar is melted and starts to thicken (about 5 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and stir. Garnish with parsley (optional).

    Notes

    • When cutting carrots on the bias, make diagonal cuts with your knife and cut ½ inch pieces. Another option is to use baby carrots.
    • Cooking times may vary depending on the size of the pieces of carrots and how soft or firm you like them.
    • If you prefer sweeter glazed carrots, omit the last ½ teaspoon of salt.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 881mg | Potassium: 388mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 19032IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 0.5mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

    Keywords candied carrots, carrots, vegetable side dish, vegetables
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Easy Side Dish Recipes

    • Close up of old fashioned sausage gravy poured across biscuits, sitting on a white plate.
      Old Fashioned Sausage Gravy
    • Chicken salad with grapes and apples, sitting on bread.
      Chicken Salad with Grapes and Apples
    • Fiesta Ranch potato wedges on plate next to a small bowl of ranch dressing.
      Fiesta Ranch Baked Potato Wedges
    • Chicken macaroni salad in a bowl.
      The BEST Chicken Macaroni Salad
    Subscription Form

    Get 5 Days of Delicious & Easy Dinner Recipes!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Marilyn says

      December 19, 2022 at 6:24 pm

      5 stars
      We had these carrots for dinner and they were so delicious with that caramelized glaze!!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        December 20, 2022 at 7:30 am

        Oh that’s so great to hear Marilyn! So glad you liked this candied carrots recipe, thank you for letting me know!

        Reply
    2. Allyssa says

      September 15, 2022 at 6:43 am

      5 stars
      Thanks a lot for this amazing and super easy to make candied carrots recipe! It’s really tasty and very flavorful! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!

      Reply
    3. Jen says

      September 15, 2022 at 1:21 am

      5 stars
      Sooo yummy! One of my favorite ways to enjoy carrots!

      Reply
    4. Erin says

      September 15, 2022 at 1:12 am

      5 stars
      These candied carrots were so quick and easy! A new family favorite, thanks so much! Even my kid loved them.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Jessica Burgess of Fantabulosity, slicing an avocado.

    Hi, I'm Jessica! - Owner and Creator of the blog and brand, Fantabulosity.

    I’m here to teach you how to make quick and easy recipes, using simple ingredients, that your family will love.

    More about me →

    Summer Recipes

    • Close-up of pinwheel sandwiches stacked on top of one another.
      Pinwheel Sandwiches
    • Chicken macaroni salad in a bowl.
      The BEST Chicken Macaroni Salad
    • Chicken salad with grapes and apples, sitting on bread.
      Chicken Salad with Grapes and Apples
    • Serving of banana pudding on small plate.
      Quick & Easy Banana Pudding

    Popular Recipes

    • bread pudding in baking dish
      Bread Pudding Recipe: Easy Old Fashioned Recipe (With Video!)
    • Burger baked in the oven, steamed in aluminum foil, and placed on white plate.
      Burgers in the Oven
    • Oven Baked Steak with Butter and a side of potatoes
      How to Cook Steak in the Oven
    • Strawberry brownies on white marble cutting board.
      Strawberry Brownies Recipe
    • Cheeseburger Sliders
      Cheeseburger Sliders with Hawaiian Rolls
    • Baked BBQ Pork Steaks on white plate
      Pork Steaks in the Oven

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Featured In

    About

    • About Jessica
    • Contact
    • Collaborate
    • 5 Days of Delicious Dinners

    Easy Recipes

    • All Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts

    How to Cook

    • Oven-Baked
    • Stove-Top
    • No Bake
    • Slow Cooker

    Privacy Policy |Accessibility Copyright © 2025 Fantabulosity | Terms & Conditions | FTC

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.