Easy Glazed Carrots
Updated Dec 24, 2025
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These easy glazed carrots prove that simple recipes can shine. With just 4 ingredients and about 20 minutes, you’ll have a colorful, healthy side dish that works for any occasion, from a baked chicken breast dinner to your holiday table. Naturally sweet, inexpensive, and endlessly versatile, glazed carrots are a fast favorite you’ll come back to again and again.
Why You’ll Love These Glazed Carrots
- Fast and easy
- 4 ingredients
- Inexpensive
- Colorful and nutritious
- Holiday favorite
If you feel like your menu needs a bit of color and something good for you, you can never go wrong with adding some sliced glazed carrots. So simple to make, so few ingredients, and so darn inexpensive, they round out any meal beautifully. Perfect for holiday meals as well — Easter, Christmas, you name it — glazed carrots fit the bill. And they only take about 20 minutes to make!
Glazed carrots are actually quite healthy. Most of the sweetness comes naturally, and the couple of tablespoons of fat needed to help form a glaze are very minimal, considering the amount of carrots. And carrots themselves are amazingly healthy: high in beta-carotene, vitamins (especially vitamin A), fiber, and antioxidants. Pile those plates high!
Whether you’re serving with a roast turkey on Thanksgiving or a simple piece of baked salmon on a Tuesday, this recipe brings a lot of bang for the buck (quite literally).
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What's In This Post?
Ingredients
- Carrots
- Olive oil or unsalted butter
- Maple syrup
- Fresh dill or parsley – While optional, either of these herbs makes a great finishing touch.
Glazed Carrot Tips
If you have young carrots with thin skin, you can just scrub them and skip the peeling.
Try these with multicolored carrots as well, which are very pretty on a plate!
I think these are ideal hot, warm, or even at room temperature. If you are planning to serve these at room temperature, consider using olive oil instead of butter. Butter might congeal a little at room temp, while oil will not.
How to Make Glazed Carrots
- Combine everything in a pan: Place the carrots, oil or butter (or a combo!), maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a deep saucepan with a lid. Add 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the pot and lower the heat so the liquid stays at a simmer.
- Simmer the carrots: Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until the carrots are glazed and tender. Stir once or twice during this time, checking to make sure the water hasn’t evaporated. When the carrots are cooked, remove the lid, stir, and allow any remaining water to evaporate.
- Serve: Transfer the glazed carrots to a serving bowl and serve hot or warm. Sprinkle with the fresh herbs, if desired.
Variations
- Use oil instead of butter, and you have vegan (or kosher) glazed carrots! You can add some fresh herbs at the end if you like: try chopped fresh dill, thyme, or oregano. A little bit of hot sauce can also be added.
- Leftovers can be pureed and heated to make them into a nice side dish later in the week. Or add some more chicken broth to the pureed carrots, and you have a simple, smooth soup.
Make Ahead
Though I think glazed carrots are best when freshly made, they can be made ahead of time and reheated. They can sit at room temperature for several hours in the pan before being gently rewarmed on the stove. Or you can store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Re-warm them in the microwave in a microwave-safe container just until heated through. Or, heat them in a pan over medium heat with a tablespoon or two more water until heated through, and the coating looks glazey again. You can always add another tablespoon of butter, too, if you’re feeling it!
Also, you can definitely peel or scrub and slice the carrots ahead of time. Keep them in a tightly covered container or a zipper-top bag in the fridge.
What to Serve Glazed Carrots With
Glazed carrots go with almost everything! And they are easy enough to make on a weeknight and pretty and sophisticated enough to be part of any holiday menu. A final sprinkle of fresh dill or parsley makes them even prettier. Try other herbs if you like, and for a fancier presentation, you can tuck a few herb sprigs onto the serving plate.
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Easy Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds carrots (sliced on the bias 1/3-inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- Minced fresh dill or flat leaf parsley (to serve; optional)
Instructions
- Place the carrots, oil or butter (or a combo!), maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a deep saucepan with a lid. Add 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the pot and lower the heat so the liquid stays at a simmer.
- Allow the carrots to simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until they are glazed and tender. Stir once or twice during this time, checking to make sure the water hasn’t evaporated, until the carrots are tender.
- When the carrots are tender, remove the lid, stir well, and allow any remaining water to evaporate, and then turn the glazed carrots into a serving bowl and serve hot or warm. Sprinkle with the fresh herbs, if desired.
Notes
- Use oil instead of butter, and you have vegan glazed carrots! You can add some fresh herbs at the end if you like: try chopped fresh dill, thyme, or oregano. A little bit of hot sauce can also be added.
- Leftovers can be pureed and heated to make them into a nice side dish later in the week. Or add some more chicken broth to the pureed carrots, and you have a simple, smooth soup.
Easy and delicious! It’s a perfect small veggie side for a heftier meal like pork roast and potatoes. Husband even said we need more carrots in the kitchen…that’s a seal of approval!
You forgot to add maple syrup! Add at beginning?
Yes, with the butter!