These brown sugar-glazed carrots are an easy, quick, and family-approved vegetable side dish that's ready to serve in just 15 minutes. The carrots are caramelized in a brown sugar and butter glaze with the added hint of garlic from the whole cloves for a tasty, sweet, and savory flavor. They're perfect for holiday gatherings or any time you have carrots to use up in your refrigerator.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Dinner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Side Dish, vegetable side dish
Bring your cast iron skillet to medium-high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil and whole or minced garlic. Once heated, add cut carrots and turn to coat all sides.
Allow carrots to cook for about 5 - 7 minutes without stirring, allowing sides to brown.
Add the butter and brown sugar, stir to combine the brown sugar throughout the melted butter.
Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally while your glaze sauce forms.
Remove from heat, transfer to your serving dish and sprinkle with parsley (optional garnish).
Notes
If you choose to decrease or increase the serving size, the carrots should have approximately the same cooking time so long as they are not piled in many layers in your skillet.
Feel free to use any type of carrot for this recipe, although I enjoy the taste of whole carrots. Baby carrots or multi-colored carrots would be delicious as well.
If you'd prefer a sweet and spicy version, you can add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
To prevent the glaze from becoming too thick or burning, make sure to keep the heat at a medium to medium-low level.
Although it's completely optional, you can add chopped fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, or chives for a burst of color and freshness. You can also consider adding toasted nuts, like almonds or pecans, for extra crunch and flavor.