Orange Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

Sweet and tender, brown sugar glazed carrots are an excellent side dish for everything from every day dinners to festive feasts.

This is a level-up from the carrots I used to cook our family when I was a teenager. I have always loved glazed carrots but these are SO much better than the overly sweet, mushy carrots from my childhood. These brown sugar carrots are simmered in butter, orange juice and brown sugar with thyme until they are fork tender (no mushy carrots, please!) before being seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas and makes everyday dinners just that little bit more special.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Carrots. I used large carrots but you can use baby carrots too.
• Butter. I used salted butter but unsalted butter can be substituted.
• Brown sugar. Honey, maple syrup or white sugar can all be used instead.
• Fresh orange juice.
• Fresh thyme. Parsley can also be used.
• Salt and black pepper.

How to make glazed carrots

1. Peel large carrots then halve them lengthwise then chop into bite sized chunks.
2. Cook the carrots melted butter in a large skillet or pan set over medium heat until they start to brown. Add the orange juice, brown sugar and thyme and reduce the heat. Allow the carrots to simmer in the brown sugar mixture, stirring regularly, until they are fork tender and glossy. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Can you make glazed carrots ahead?

Although this recipe takes no more than 30 minutes to make from scratch, it can definitely be made the day ahead and reheated in a pan over medium heat. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Carrot recipes