These glazed carrots have the most amazing brown sugar and orange juice glaze, creating gorgeous caramelized edges. Perfect for holiday dinner or Sunday dinner to make it extra special.
I always like to have a bag of carrots in our home. You can use carrots; we like to eat them raw with dip or put them inside baked goods. But for some reason, putting a glaze on them never occurred to me. The moment I tried it; it was a game changer. The orange and brown sugar brings out the sweetness in the nice, tender carrots.
Ingredients for Glazed Carrots
- Carrots my preference is to use whole peeled carrots and cut them into large slices or begged baby carrots.
- Butter salted and unsalted but works for this recipe are you wanting it to be dairy free you can use an alternative butter here as well.
- Sweetener Feel free to use honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, or a combination of the two all turn out delicious.
- Spices A pinch of dried thyme, cinnamon, pepper, ground ginger, and chili powder—all these flavors help the carrots not just have overwhelming sweetness—but the savory flavor from the spices really help.
- Orange juice The acidity that you get from the orange juice brings such a refreshing flavor to the glaze. I also like to use a little bit of orange zest if I have a fresh orange
- Garlic a little bit of fresh garlic will help cut the sweetness if you’re wanting a sweeter version, you can omit the minced garlic.
What type of carrot is best?
In my opinion, the best carrots are whole carrots, which are sometimes smaller but still full of carrot flavor. You can also sometimes find multicolored carrots, which make the dish even better for presentation. I don’t generally use the baby carrots in a bag because I feel they don’t have as much flavor as a full-size carrot, but they do work in this recipe too.
How should I cut the carrots?
When it comes to cutting the carrots, it’s a matter of personal preference. The shape of the cut will work for the glazed ingredients; the only thing you want to try and do is keep the size of the cuts the same so that they cook at the same rate, depending on the size.
You can choose your cuts from 12-inch oval, 1-inch, or 3-inch pieces, cut into carrot sticks, or you can even leave them completely whole. I personally like a carrot stick cut into 1-inch pieces because I find you get a good amount of grazing over the carrot shape.
How to make orange glazed carrots
- Preheat the oven to 400° F and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine in a medium-sized bowl, and add carrots, olive oil, butter, spices, brown sugar, garlic, orange juice, and honey.
- Spread the carrot in an even layer on the baking sheet.
- Roast for 10 minutes then toss the carrots around in the glaze and then roast for another 10 minutes until carrots are tender and caramelized.
Serving Suggestions
Once the carrots are nicely caramelized and taken out of the oven, add a light sprinkling of fresh parsley for a nice addition of color, and serve.
The orange-glazed carrots pair beautifully with baked ham, roast beef in a clay pot, and rosemary roast beef, but they can really be paired with any weeknight family meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you cook glazed carrots in a slow cooker?
Yes, this recipe can definitely be prepared in a slow cooker. Follow the recipe above and place in a slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours, or until the meat is tender.
Can you cut and prepare carrots ahead of time?
Yes, you can cut and prepare your carrots up to 3 days before you plan to make this side dish. I like to make them fresh, but I understand that sometimes we just don’t have the time. If you peel and slice them, store them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag until you are ready to use them.
Simple Orange Glazed Carrots
Equipment
- 1 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ¼ tsp salt
- â…› tsp ground ginger optional
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- pinch fresh parsley
- pinch thyme
- pinch ground pepper to taste
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp liquid honey
- ¼ cup orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Â In a medium-sized bowl, add the carrots, olive oil, butter, brown sugar, garlic, spices and salt, and pepper and combine.
- Spread the carrots in an even layer on the cookie sheet. Â Roast for 10 minutes and toss. Â Then roast for another 10 minutes until the carrots are tender and caramelized. Â Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.Â
I don’t just eat it but I add it to the salad. These are interesting ways to eat it and some of them have never tried before.
I love carrots! These look yummy!
Wonderful idea for carrots. Thank you for sharing 😊
Pastor Natalie (ExamineThisMoment)
Letstakeamoment.com
I LOVE roasted carrots but adding orange juice never crossed my mind. Can’t wait to try this tonight!