These Candied Carrots are a simple, sweet and savory brunch or dinner menu addition. Coated in a butter and brown sugar glaze, this Candied Carrots Recipe is the ultimate side dish for Easter and beyond!
Truth: creating a fast, easy and healthy side dish that my whole family will enjoy is not an easy task. While I don’t think my girls are particularly picky eaters, we are just like any other family. It’s not always easy to get them to enjoy their veggies!
With that in mind, I created this Candied Carrots Recipe. There’s just something about the fresh, wholesome goodness of carrots when combined with a sweet, buttery glaze! This is a carrot recipe that we couldn’t get enough of. Easter can’t come soon enough… let’s make them again!
These candied carrots are so simple to make and yet to elegant to serve. The glaze creates a caramelized effect, and coupled with the beauty of these colorful carrot varieties, they are sure to be the star of the show for your Easter brunch.
At once sweet and savory, the amount of brown sugar in this candied carrots recipe is just right. These are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Not too sweet and perfect to serve alongside chicken dishes and of course, your holiday ham!
Candied Carrots Ingredients
- Carrots – I used heirloom carrots. This particular carrot varieties are found at Whole Foods, but you can find them at Trader Joe’s and other local grocers as well, but Whole Foods seems to be a surefire bet! How gorgeous are those carrots? While you can also use colorful baby carrots (or of course, bright orange carrots) I feel that the color in these carrot varieties gives the dish some real pizzazz! Consider the visual appeal when you’re shopping and the reward is a beautiful presentation.
- Brown Sugar – The key ingredient to making this sweet and savory side dish! When it combines with the butter, it caramelizes to candy them!
- Butter – Salted or unsalted, your choice!
- Salt and Pepper – I like using thick flakes of salt and pepper to taste. To achieve thick flakes, simply set your grinder to the largest setting.
How to Make Candied Carrots
- Prep – Rinse and then peel and slice your carrots evenly. In this case, my carrots were slender and I didn’t need to slice, but if yours are thicker you’ll want to slice to allow for even cooking.
- Boil – Gently boil the carrots for 15-20 minutes to soften. (Cook til tender, not mushy)
- Make the Glaze – As the carrots are boiling, create a simple glaze from butter and brown sugar in a large sauté pan.
- Sauté – Add your cooked carrots to the sauté pan, tossing and cooking for two-three more minutes.
- Garnish – Finish the carrots with a few cracks of salt and pepper. Add a little diced parsely for more color if you prefer.
That’s it. So simple and so good! You can see how easy it is to make this Candied Carrots recipe in the video in this post.
Tips
Make Ahead
I have found that carrots hold up beautifully when cooked up to a day ahead. This makes your springtime entertaining so much easier!
To make candied carrots ahead of serving your guests, cook the carrots as directed and then switch them to a storage container. Allow them to cool prior to adding a lid (I find that this prevents trapping too much moisture in your storage container).
To reheat, simply return the carrots to your saute pan and slowly reheat them with a little more butter. Give them a little browned and caramelized edges and you’re good to go! You can also reheat in the microwave, but I find that the extra browning step on the range really works wonders for the flavor.
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More Easy Easter Recipes
You can find a comprehensive list of all my Easter Recipes here – there are over 125 memorable recipes to choose from!
Candied Carrots
Ingredients
- carrots peeled
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Add carrots. Reduce to medium low. Cook for 20 minutes or until tender, but not mushy.
- Drain and add butter, brown sugar and carrots to a large pan.
- Sauté 3 minutes.
- Top with sea salt and pepper.
Video
Notes
Substitutions
Carrots – In lieu of heirloom carrots use traditional carrots or baby carrots.To Store
Allow them to cool and refrigerate in an airtight container. To reheat on the stove top, simply return the carrots to your sauté pan and slowly reheat them with a little more butter. Give them a little browned and caramelized edges.Nutrition
Have some extra baby carrots in your fridge? Try my Roasted Braised Dill Baby Carrots to use them up!
