These delicious Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots work equally as well for a holiday side dish or an everyday weeknight dinner.
Roasting carrots is the best way to bring out their natural sweetness. In fact, another name for these baked carrots is candied carrots. While they roast, the carrots become glazed and browned.
We also love roasting carrots in the air fryer, (check out Air Fryer Carrots) but I find that the oven is the best way to cook this particular recipe for brown sugar carrots.
What's So Good About This?
- Brown sugar glazed carrots are a perfect side dish for holiday dinners like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter.
- These baked carrots work just as well to compliment an everyday family dinner.
- Caramelizing carrots in brown sugar and butter makes them buttery, sweet and tender.
- The recipe is super simple to make. Peeling and slicing carrots is the longest step.
- This delicious side dish takes only 30 minutes from start to finish, and 20 of those minutes are oven time.
- Carrots are budget friendly and keep for a while in the fridge, so you can throw this glazed carrot recipe together any time you need a quick vegetable to go with your main.
Ingredient Notes
- Carrots Any carrots will work, as long as they're fresh. To cut down even more on prep time, use baby carrots.
- Brown Sugar Light or dark brown sugar has a caramel, molasses flavour that is the star of this brown sugar roasted carrot recipe.
- Butter Use real butter, of course.
- Garlic You can use fresh or jarred minced garlic, or you can use garlic powder.
- Salt & Pepper
- Parsley For garnish
How To Make It
It couldn't be any easier to make these caramelized carrots.
- Toss all the ingredients, except the parsley, in a bowl.
- Pour everything onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread into a single layer
- Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through.
- Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with parsley, and serve!
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Slice the carrots any way you like, keeping two things in mind: Smaller cuts mean less roasting time, and also more surface area to caramelize. Learn how to cut carrots: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cut-carrots.
- Try to slice carrots in a uniform size so that they cook evenly.
- To save time, you can use pre-peeled baby carrots for this recipe.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
- Parsley is a good garnish pairing for baked carrots, but other good options are cilantro, thyme, sage, or chives.
- If you want more seasoning, try cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, paprika, or cayenne pepper.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these baked glazed carrots with your holiday turkey (try this Cranberry Glazed BBQ Turkey Breast) or ham, and also with everyday dinners. These delicious caramelized carrots go with anything from Pork Chops, Roast Chicken, Baked Salmon, Steaks, or Meatloaf.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important!
Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots peeled and sliced
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil
- In a bowl, toss all ingredients except parsley together
- Spread the carrots over the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the carrots are fork tender and beginning to brown.
Bernice
Roasting carrots really is the best way to cook them. I especially love the crispy bits and contrasting tender bits. This was delicious with our meatloaf the other day.
Colleen
Hi Bernice. Yum, we love these carrots with meatloaf, too.
Jessica
Brown sugar and carrots are a match made in heaven. This dish is so simple and delicious.
Colleen
Hi Jessica! I'm happy to hear that you loved this simple and delicious side dish!
Veronika Sykorova
I'm not the biggest fan of cooked carrots but roasted carrots, especially with brown sugar are so delicious! Definitely making these as an extra side for thanksgiving!
Colleen
You'll love these carrots, Veronika! Happy Thanksgiving!
Vanessa
Yum! Paired these with a simple weeknight dinner of baked chicken breasts. It was delicious!
Colleen
This is so great to hear, Vanessa!
Gwynn
Always looking for new and delicious ways to serve carrots and this recipe is a keeper!
Colleen
It is for sure, Gwynn! Enjoy!
Shelby Stover
Love how simple this is! Candied carrots are one of my daughters favorites!
Colleen
Hi Shelby. I'm glad your daughter loves these!
Amanda Dixon
These carrots are such a wonderful side dish! I just loved the sweet and savory combination with the brown sugar and garlic. It was wonderfully flavored.
Colleen
Hi Amanda, so happy to hear that you loved these roasted carrots! They're so simple but delicious. Cheers!
Marta
I made these brown sugar roasted carrots as a test-run for out Thanksgiving dinner and couldn't have been more pleased. The recipe was easy and so full of flavor.
Colleen
Hi Marta. What a great idea to test run recipes before the big day. I'm so happy that you loved these! Happy Thanksgiving!
nancy
delicious side for thanksgiving!
Colleen
These are indeed a perfect Thanksgiving side dish, Nancy. Enjoy!
Katherine
These are incredible! Perfect balance of sweetness. Yum!
Colleen
So happy you loved them, Katherine!
Sara Welch
Adding these to my Thanksgiving menu for dinner this year! Will pair perfectly with my dinner spread; looks delicious!
Colleen
Enjoy Sara! Happy Thanksgiving!
Mahy
I love how yum these carrots look. Exactly how I like to make mine!
veenaazmanov
Delicious and healthy way of enjoying some side dishes like these. Love the Glaze and presentation too.
Colleen
Thanks, Veena!
Jess
My favorite way to eat carrots...just like my grandma used to make them!
Colleen
Hi Jess! Those dishes that grandma use to make are some of the best, aren't they?
Jeannie
Love the addition of brown sugar, so yummy!
Colleen
It really is, Jeannie! So happy you loved it!