• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sugar & Snap Peas
  • Home
  • Course
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Sides
    • Salad Dressing
    • Marinades
  • Dietary
    • Gluten Free
    • Vegetarian
  • Cooking Basics
  • About me
  • Contact me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Snapchat
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About me
  • Recipes
  • Work with Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About me
    • Recipes
    • Work with Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Sides

    Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Carrots

    Published: Aug 9, 2022 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a comment.

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    These sweet and savory Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Carrots are roasted until tender and caramelized. They're the perfect, easy side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, plus every weeknight in between!

    Brown sugar honey glazed carrots in a round, cream colored bowl, on a yellow napkin, with a silver spoon and fresh thyme in the background.

    I'm already thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas side dishes. For me, holiday sides need to be uncomplicated, delicious and have minimal ingredients.

    These Brown Sugar and Honey Glazed Carrots meet all of my requirements! They're roasted in the oven until they're soft and tender, and topped with a sweet and savory glaze.

    I finish them off with fresh seasonal herbs like sage, rosemary and thyme, along with a generous pinch of course kosher salt.

    If you're in need of more tasty holiday side dishes, then I've got you covered! You absolutely need to make my Roasted Carrots and Green Beans, Creamy Redskin Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Asparagus, 3 Ingredient Drop Biscuits and Sweet Potato Casserole with Walnuts.

    Jump to:
    • Why you need to make this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Equipment needed
    • How to make
    • Expert tips
    • Variations and substitutions
    • Storage, freezing and reheating
    • Main dishes to serve with
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Follow me

    Why you need to make this recipe

    Super simple! This recipe is so incredibly easy to make. When you're making a complicated holiday meal, you absolutely must include, easy, no-fail side dishes.

    Cheap! Cheap, budget-friendly... however you want to say it, carrots do not break the bank! At Wal-Mart right now you can buy a 2 pound bag of carrots for under $2... that makes this side dish one of the cheapest sides you'll serve!

    So delicious! This side dish will easily be the star of your holiday dinner table.

    Ingredients

    Ingredients needed to make Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Carrots.

    Carrots: You can use any type of carrots, as long as they are all chopped to about the same size thickness. Baby carrots, orange carrots, yellow carrots or purple carrots would all work!

    Brown sugar: You can use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. Brown sugar will add some of the sweetness and help to caramelize the carrots!

    Honey: Honey is another sweetener in the brown sugar honey glaze.

    Butter: Butter is going to add some savory flavor to our sweet and savory glaze. Since butter is one of the star ingredients in this recipe, I chose to use a high quality butter from grass fed cows.

    Fresh herbs: Since this is a recipe that will most likely be made in the fall and winter months, you can use any of the traditional herbs used during that time of year. These herbs would be fresh rosemary, fresh sage and fresh thyme. You can use them all or just pick one!

    Additional ingredients needed for this recipe include extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic and kosher salt

    *Detailed recipe instructions are found in the recipe card below.

    Equipment needed

    • Rimmed baking sheet - You'll want to line your rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. The brown sugar glaze can be hard to scrub off of the pan once it's cooked on!
    • Medium sized mixing bowl
    • Cutting board, chopping knife, measuring cups and measuring spoons

    How to make

    Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400°F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel, trim and slice your carrots into similar sizes. I used smaller sized, whole carrots with the greens attached. I left the small carrots unsliced, and sliced some of the large carrots in half, length-wise.

    Step 2: Melt the butter in the microwave. Mix the melted butter, honey, brown sugar, minced garlic and olive oil in a small mixing bowl. If the mixture isn't quite warm enough to dissolve the brown sugar, then pop it into the microwave for 30-60 seconds.

    Glaze for carrots in a small, glass mixing bowl with a whisk.

    Step 3: Lay the carrots out onto your rimmed baking sheet or sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spread them out so that they are in an even layer. Pour the warm brown sugar glaze over the carrots.

    Carrots on a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzled with brown sugar glaze

    Step 4: Transfer the honey glazed carrots to the preheated oven. Roast the carrots for 25-35 minutes. When they're finished they will be fork tender with golden brown caramelization.

    Roasted brown sugar glazed carrots on a parchment lined baking sheet.

    That's it! Transfer the Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Carrots to a serving platter and enjoy! If your guests love cooked carrots, then this easy side dish will surely be the star of your holiday table!

    Expert tips

    • Make sure to peel the carrots before roasting them. Carrot skins are pretty rough (and ugly looking) and can trap dirt. They're overall unappealing and you don't want them on your beautiful carrots that you'll be serving as a side dish!
    • The presentation of these carrots will be far better if you slice them length-wise into extra-thick carrot sticks. This means you'll take your whole carrot, peel it, trim the ends and then slice it in half horizontally in the middle. Then slice the carrots length-wise 2-4 times, depending on the size and thickness of the carrots. If you have thin carrots with the green tops still on (like I used), you can leave the carrots whole and trim the greens.
    • The carrots will shrink while they're roasting, so don't cut them too thin!
    • You want to be able to easily pierce your cooked carrots with a fork and be slightly al dente.

    Variations and substitutions

    Carrots: While I prefer to use large, regular sized carrots for this recipe, baby carrots would also work. Whether you have a bag sitting in your fridge, you want the convenience of baby carrots (no peeling!) or they're on sale at the grocery store, you can definitely use baby carrots for this recipe! Since baby carrots are smaller, they may cook faster... just keep that in mind if you're making the substitution!

    Honey: In most recipes, maple syrup can be substituted for honey. This recipe is no exception. If you don't have honey or just prefer the deep, sweet flavor of maple syrup, then you can make the swap!

    Fresh herbs: I prefer to use fresh thyme, but fresh sage, fresh rosemary and fresh parsley are all delicious herbs that pair well with roasted carrots.

    Storage, freezing and reheating

    How to store: Leftover roasted carrots can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

    How to freeze: I don't recommend freezing roasted carrots. While technically you can freeze them, they don't hold up well once they're thawed. They lose a lot of their delicious texture and can end up mushy.

    How to reheat: I prefer to reheat cooked vegetables in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, until I've achieved my desired warmth. You can also reheat cooked carrots in a small frying pan on the stove over low heat.

    How to make ahead: Unfortunately, if you're serving these carrots for a special holiday meal, I would not make them in advance. I would make them fresh and serve them warm from the oven.

    If your goal is just to make a delicious vegetable to be able to add to meals for the week and you don't care about presentation, then go ahead and make them in advance! Roasted vegetables are delicious leftovers!

    Main dishes to serve with

    Since you're definitely making these roasted carrots for a side dish tonight, I'm sure you need some suggestions for your main dish! These uncomplicated and delicious main dishes are all excellent choices!

    • Brown sugar glazed carrots would taste so amazing with my marinated Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloin!
    • If you're in the mood for pasta, then I would definitely serve these honey butter glazed carrots with my creamy, ricotta Pasta with Sausage and Broccolini!
    • If you're serving fish for dinner, then roasted carrots would pair beautifully with my Easy Blackened Cod and my Air Fryer Salmon with Garlic Butter Sauce.
    • If you've got kiddos that you're trying to feed a healthy dinner to tonight, then brown sugar glazed carrots would be so delicious with my Cheeseburger Meatloaf!
    Print

    📖 Recipe

    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Brown sugar honey glazed carrots in a round, cream colored bowl, on a yellow napkin, with a silver spoon and fresh thyme in the background.

    Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Carrots

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    These sweet and savory Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Carrots are roasted until tender and caramelized. They're the perfect, easy side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, plus every weeknight in between!

    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 pounds whole carrots
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • ¼ cup brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons honey
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • Kosher salt
    • Fresh thyme

    Instructions

    1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
    2. Peel, trim and slice your carrots.  You want the carrots to all be about the same thickness so that they cook evenly.  Don't slice them too thin though!  The carrots will shrink while they're roasting.  
    3. Melt the butter in the microwave.  Mix the melted butter, brown sugar, honey, olive oil and minced garlic in a small mixing bowl to make the glaze.  If the glaze is still really thick and not easy to pour, pop it into the microwave for 30-60 seconds.  This will dissolve the brown sugar and make it very easy to drizzle onto the carrots.   
    4. Lay the sliced carrots out on the parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer.  Drizzle the carrots with the brown sugar honey glaze.  
    5. Bake the glazed carrots for 25-35 minutes at 400°F.  Part way through cooking time, give the carrots a good stir.  Start checking them at 25 minutes.  Continue cooking until the carrots are fork tender and caramelized.  
    6. When finished, remove the carrots from the oven, season with salt and fresh thyme to taste, and enjoy!
    • Author: Katie
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 35 minutes
    • Category: side dish
    • Method: roasting
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Gluten Free

    Keywords: Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Carrots

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag @sugar_and_snap_peas on Instagram - we can't wait to see what you've made!

    Follow me

    Follow me on Facebook, on Instagram and on Pinterest!

    Check out my highlights on Instagram for weekly family dinner ideas!

    Did you make this recipe? Tell me all about it in the comments below! I love hearing from my followers and answering any of your questions!

    « 3 Ingredient Drop Biscuits
    Zucchini Pumpkin Muffins »

    Subscribe

    for your weekly recipe fix.

    Reader Interactions

    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.

    Primary Sidebar

    Search my Site

    Katie in front of a tree

    I’m Katie, the food blogger, recipe creator and food photographer at Sugar & Snap Peas. I specialize in easy, budget friendly, family recipes. My goal is to help you take the stress out of cooking and provide you with simple, creative recipes.

    More about me →

    Popular recipes

    • Dutch Oven Mac and Cheese
    • Blackened Corn
    • Crispy Baked Panko Chicken
    • Blackened Pork Chops
    • Salmon Pasta without Cream
    • Dutch Oven Chili
    • Dutch Oven Beef Stew
    • Dutch Oven Pulled Chicken

    Soups and stews

    • Easy Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
    • Cheesy Broccoli Zucchini Soup
    • 15 Bean Soup (Crock Pot)
    • Dutch Oven Chili
    • Dutch Oven Beef Stew
    • Gluten Free Broccoli Cheddar Soup

    Trending Recipes

    • How to make Pinwheel Sandwiches
    • Pink Pasta Sauce - Tomato Cream Sauce with Ground Turkey
    • Baked Ham and Cheese Bagel Sandwiches
    • Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • DMCA
    • CCPA

    Newsletter

    • Newsletter signup coming soon!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About me

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Sugar & Snap Peas