Honey Glazed Carrots
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Honey Glazed Carrots are the sweet vegetable side dish that’s easy to make, and pairs well with so many different meals! Glazed with a combination of melted butter, honey and cinnamon, these simple oven roasted carrots are so delicious, and will have everyone coming back for seconds!
Table of contents
Roasting carrots brings out their natural sweetness. Roasting carrots in a delicious honey butter glaze adds even more to the wonderful sweet flavor!
If you think that you don’t like roasted carrots, it’s because you haven’t tried this recipe yet! I know I sound very confident here, but that’s because I am. A cooked carrot convert myself, I am obsessed with this recipe!
One of the things that I never liked about cooked carrots is that a lot of times, they’re cooked to a mushy consistency. Not these carrots! These carrots are cooked until tender, but never mushy. They have a wonderful caramelization on the outside from the honey butter glaze that creates both a wonderful texture and flavor on the outside of the carrots.
These honey glazed carrots are impressive enough to make their way onto your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table, but they’re also easy enough to make for any weeknight meal. It only takes 5 minutes to prep this recipe and 20 minutes to roast the carrots.
You can use whole carrots, cut carrots, rainbow carrots, or baby carrots. I’ve tested this recipe with each variety and it works every time. Just follow this recipe, plus my tips and tricks, for perfect honey glazed carrots every time!
Ingredients
- Carrots – this recipe can be made with orange or rainbow whole carrots, or baby carrots. For whole carrots, you’ll always want to peel the carrots before glazing and roasting them. You can leave the stems on the carrots, or remove them for roasting. This just depends on your preference for the look of the final presentation. If using baby carrots, you can skip the step of peeling the carrots and removing the stems.
- Unsalted butter – if using salted butter, reduce the added salt in this recipe by 1/2 teaspoon.
- Honey – for the sweet caramelization on the outside of the carrots.
- Ground cinnamon – to enhance the natural sweetness of the carrots and add a wonderful flavor to the honey glaze.
- Salt + black pepper – to season the carrots.
Instructions
- Prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
- Glaze the carrots. Arrange the peeled whole carrots, or baby carrots, on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. You can also use aluminum foil, but make sure it’s non-stick. Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze evenly on all sides of the carrots.
- Roast the carrots. Place the honey glazed carrots in a preheated 425°F oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven when the carrots are fork-tender, and serve immediately. Optionally garnish with a little fresh chopped parsley, if you’d like.
Pro tips
- I recommend brushing the glaze over the carrots, instead of simply pouring it over them. This will allow for more even distribution, and the glaze will coat the carrots, instead of pooling up below them, or running to the sides of the baking dish. If you don’t have a pastry brush, I recommend spooning the glaze over the carrots.
- Always roast the carrots on a rimmed baking sheet. As the carrots cook, some of the glaze will naturally drip off of the carrots onto the baking sheet. You want to make sure that the glaze stays on the baking sheet and does not drip down into the bottom of your oven. It will immediately burn and make a huge mess. (Trust me, I give this recommendation from experience!)
- Try to purchase carrots that are similar in size. This means they’ll cook evenly. When purchasing whole carrots, make sure their color is bright and that they are firm with no splits or cracks.
- Cut the stems off, or leave them on, this is up to you. For an easy weeknight meal, you’ll probably want to cut the stems off before roasting the carrots. For a beautifully presented holiday side dish, you might want to leave them stems on the carrots for roasting.
- You can make this recipe with cut carrots, or baby carrots. After peeling the carrots, cut them into 2 inch sections, or use baby carrots. Toss them with the honey glaze, then arrange them in an even layer on a rimmed sheet pan to roast. Cut carrots, or baby carrots will roast in less time than whole carrots. It will only take 15-18 minutes to roast, depending on their thickness.
- This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a holiday meal. As written, this recipe is made with 2 pounds of carrots, which is a perfect side dish for 6 people. Double the recipe for 10-12 people, or triple the recipe for 15-18 people.
Dietary options
This recipe is naturally gluten free and vegetarian. To make it vegan and dairy free, replace the honey with maple syrup, and use melted coconut oil, instead of butter.
How to store and reheat
Store leftover honey glazed carrots in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The leftovers can be eaten cold, or heated up in the microwave, or in the oven.
To reheat them in the oven, I recommend wrapping them in foil and heating them up at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, or until warm.
To reheat them in the microwave, place them on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 60-90 seconds.
What to serve them with
Honey glazed carrots are a great side dish to serve with an easy weeknight meal, Thanksgiving dinner or at Christmas. Try pairing them with any of these delicious main dishes.
More vegetable sides
Try these other delicious veggie side dishes for your next weeknight dinner or holiday meal!
Honey Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots, peeled
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Arrange the peeled carrots in a single layer on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet in a single layer.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the carrots with the honey butter glaze on all sides, or spoon the glaze evenly over the carrots.
- Place the carrots in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Remove the carrots from the oven and serve immediately.
Notes
- I recommend brushing the glaze over the carrots, instead of simply pouring it over them. This will allow for more even distribution, and the glaze will coat the carrots, instead of pooling up below them, or running to the sides of the baking dish. If you don’t have a pastry brush, I recommend spooning the glaze over the carrots.
- Always roast the carrots on a rimmed baking sheet. As the carrots cook, some of the glaze will naturally drip off of the carrots onto the baking sheet. You want to make sure that the glaze stays on the baking sheet and does not drip down into the bottom of your oven. It will immediately burn and make a huge mess.
- Try to purchase carrots that are similar in size. This means they’ll cook evenly. When purchasing whole carrots, make sure their color is bright and that they are firm with no splits or cracks.
- Cut the stems off, or leave them on, this is up to you. For an easy weeknight meal, you’ll probably want to cut the stems off before roasting the carrots. For a beautifully presented holiday side dish, you might want to leave them stems on the carrots for roasting.
- You can make this recipe with cut carrots, or baby carrots. After peeling the carrots, cut them into 2 inch sections, or use baby carrots. Toss them with the honey glaze, then arrange them in an even layer on a rimmed sheet pan to roast. Cut carrots, or baby carrots will roast in less time than whole carrots. It will only take 15-18 minutes to roast, depending on their thickness.
- This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a holiday meal. As written, this recipe is made with 2 pounds of carrots, which is a perfect side dish for 6 people. Double the recipe for 10-12 people, or triple the recipe for 15-18 people.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free and vegetarian. To make it vegan and dairy free, replace the honey with maple syrup, and use melted coconut oil, instead of butter.
Nutrition Facts
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One Comment on “Honey Glazed Carrots”
Thank You for quick and easy recipes