How To Make Simple Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
Glazed Carrots coated in a delicious mix of brown sugar and butter with a touch of salt and cayenne pepper is the ultimate quick family friendly vegetable side dish.
Carrots are kind of amazing. Just one cup of carrots will give you over 400% of the daily recommended amount of of vitamin A. Their gorgeous orange color comes from a healthy dose of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that might aid in cancer prevention. They are also high in vitamin c, k, and potassium.
In other words, carrots are really super good for you. They are also one of those veggies that nearly everyone likes. I mean, I’m sure they exist, but my experience is that there are very few carrot haters in the world.
While raw carrots will always be one of my favorite snacks, I also adore them cooked, particularly when Roasted with Carrots with Dates or glazed in a skillet with a bit of brown sugar and butter.
You control how sweet, salty, or spicy your glazed carrots are.
Think of this recipe as a suggestion. The amount of brown sugar, salt, and cayenne suits my personal tastes, but you might like a bit less sugar and a bit more salt. Love spicy food? Add more than a dash of cayenne. Or, swap the brown sugar for maple syrup or honey. Hate lemon? Leave it out.
The basic formula is this:
- Let the carrots simmer in broth with a bit of sugar, salt, pepper, and cayenne until they are crisp-tender. This is actually the most important part. If you overcook carrots, they will turn into mush. Carrot mush is not awesome.
- Crank up the heat so that most of the liquid evaporates.
- Glaze them with a bit of brown sugar and butter.
- Squeeze some lemon juice over the top and you’re done.
- YUM.
Glazed Carrots with Brown Sugar and Butter
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
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Glazed Carrots coated in a delicious mix of brown sugar and butter with a touch of salt and cayenne pepper is the ultimate quick family friendly vegetable side dish.
Ingredients
- 6–8 whole carrots, peeled, ends trimmed
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
- a dash of cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp salted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 2–3 tsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Slice the carrots on the bias (with diagonal slices) into 1/4-inch slices
- In a large, non-stick skillet (preferably one with a lid), bring the carrots, broth, granulated sugar, salt, pepper, and cayenne to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 3-4 minutes. You want the carrots to be just barely tender.
- Uncover the pan and turn the heat to high. Cook stirring occasionally, until there is only about 2 tablespoons of liquid left in the pan.
- Sprinkle the carrots with the brown sugar and butter and cook, stirring constantly, until both the butter and sugar have melted and the glaze has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle with 2 tsp of lemon juice, and stir. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice if desired.
Yum! Looks delicious!