Elevate your side dish game with this delicious honey and brown sugar glazed carrots recipe. They're oven-roasted to crispy, caramelized perfection, with parsley, thyme and a pinch of cinnamon. Easy to make and full of fall flavor, they are the perfect addition to any meal, especially for the holidays!
With a sweet, sticky glaze that's tamed with fresh herbs, olive oil and a splash of apple cider vinegar, these carrots are a perfectly balanced side dish that will make your holiday table extra gorgeous this year!
Some years for Thanksgiving we get a little fancy and try out more complicated recipes, like parmesan crusted brussels sprouts or potatoes au gratin, but we always include a few classics. These brown sugar honey glazed carrots are just that!
This is an easy recipe that tastes amazing, and you'll come back to it time and time again. They're a hit amongst kids and adults alike, they're super fast to prepare, and they pair perfectly with other classics like cranberry sauce and buttermilk biscuits.
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Step by step instructions
STEP 1: Whisk together the olive oil, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, cinnamon, thyme and parsley. (A pinch of nutmeg is a great addition, too!)
STEP 2: Pour the glaze over the halved carrots and toss well to coat. Transfer the carrots to a large baking sheet and roast at 400หF for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking to prevent burning.
The carrots will definitely start to char around the edges, but that's fine!
STEP 3: After 20 minutes, remove the carrots from the oven and sprinkle with the 3 tablespoon of brown sugar. Stir to coat. Return to oven for an additional 15-20 minutes until carrots are fork tender. Adding the brown sugar at a later stage keeps it from caramelizing too quickly and burning.
Note: you can use light or dark brown sugar in this recipe.
Serve topped with fresh pomegranate seeds, more parsley and/or chopped walnuts or pecans (optional).
How to store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven. We do not recommend freezing these.
Lexi & Beth's Top Recipe Tips
Larger carrots are best for this recipe (and it's important to make sure they are evenly sized!). If your carrots are very large, cut them in half crosswise, which will help them cook more evenly and cut down on cooking time a bit. If they are too small, they will cook significantly faster, so keep an eye on your oven to prevent burning.
If you want to change this recipe up, try subbing half of the carrots with a similar root vegetable, like parsnips or sweet potatoes. Just make sure everything is cut to a similar size.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can prep the carrots (peel, slice and store in an airtight container in the fridge) and make the glaze up to 3 days before making this recipe. When it's time to make the carrots, simply toss in the glaze and roast.
Yes. We recommend using 1 teaspoon of dry herbs for every 1 tablespoon of fresh.
Yes, but they will not take as long to cook. We recommend cutting the cook time in half to prevent burning.
More Carrot Recipes to Try
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Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Carrots
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Elevate your side dish game with this delicious honey and brown sugar glazed carrots recipe. They're oven-roasted to crispy, caramelized perfection, with parsley, thyme and a pinch of cinnamon. Easy to make and full of fall flavor, they are the perfect addition to any meal, especially for the holidays!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (~12 large) carrots
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ยผ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- Garnish: pomegranate seeds, fresh parsley, chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400หF / 205หC. Wash, peel, and trim the carrots and cut in half lengthwise.
- Whisk together the olive oil, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, cinnamon, thyme and parsley in a small bowl.
- Pour the glaze over the carrots and toss well to coat. Transfer the carrots to a large baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, stirring a few times during cooking to prevent burning and help them cook evenly.
- After 20 minutes, remove the carrots from the oven and sprinkle with the 3 tablespoon of brown sugar. Stir to coat. Return to oven for an additional 15-20 minutes until carrots are fork tender.
- Serve topped with fresh pomegranate seeds, more chopped parsley and/or chopped walnuts or pecans.
Notes
Make ahead: You can prep the carrots and make the glaze up to several days before making this recipe. When it's time to make the carrots, simply toss in the glaze and bake.ย
If your honey is too thick to coat the carrots, pop it in the microwave in 10-15 second intervals until it's easier to drizzle.
Select evenly sized carrots to make sure they cook evenly.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat in the microwave or in the oven.
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It may vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3-4 carrots
- Calories: 166
- Sugar: 18.7 g
- Sodium: 376.4 mg
- Fat: 6.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.5 g
- Fiber: 5.3 g
- Protein: 1.8 g
Sandra says
Made this recipe with Christmas dinner and they were amazing! I will definitely make again. FYI that I had to roast at lower temp with my turkey that was cooking - it worked just fine just took longer than recipe called for.
Carmen says
I made this amazing carrot dish for Thanksgiving, it was sooo good! Wished I had doubled the recipe. The pomegranate seeds were a nice crunchy and tasty topping.
Jenn says
Thanks for the recipe these turned out perfect
Lexi says
Aw thank you! Glad to hear it!
Alex says