Everyone loves Glazed Carrots, especially during the Holidays! This easy side dish made with honey and orange juice makes a delicious buttery and sweet addition to your dinner and only takes 30 min from start to finish!
Honey Glazed Carrots taste sweet, buttery, and make a great side dish for Thanksgiving and Easter but are easy enough to make every day! This recipe is made in one skillet from start to finish and takes only 30 minutes including peeling and slicing the carrots.
I love this stovetop version because you don’t need to make space in the oven and it’s super simple to make. Cooking them in a skillet makes it really easy to get them cooked perfectly so they have just the right amount of crunchiness.
Our whole family loves this easy veggie side dish, it’s a Holiday staple together with our Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon!
Why make this recipe
- Saves space in the oven for the main dishes
- Done in less than 30 minutes
- Carrots can be prepped ahead of time
- Family-favorite – kids and adults love this simple side dish
- Simple, easy to make with inexpensive ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Carrots – You can use orange or rainbow carrots for this recipe. I prefer to use whole carrots but you can also use baby carrots. Just make sure to cut the carrots the same size to ensure they cook evenly.
- Butter – Using butter instead of oil adds so much flavor. I recommend using unsalted butter especially if you are sensitive to salt. Salted butter works too, but you have to adjust the amount of salt at the end.
- Honey – Any honey works, but I prefer to use regular honey because it doesn’t overpower the dish.
- Orange juice – Fresh or store-bought orange juice work. The juice adds some sourness to balance out the sweetness of the honey.
How to make this recipe
- Prep the carrots: Peel carrots with a vegetable peeler and remove the top part. Cut them into 2.5-inch long pieces, then half or quarter the pieces lengthwise depending on thickness. All pieces should be similarly sized.
- Saute carrots: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat, add carrots, and saute for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Then add water and cook for about 5 more minutes until water has reduced to about 1/3 and carrots are nearly tender.
- Glaze carrots: Add honey and orange juice. Cook for 2 more minutes while stirring until everything is evenly glazed and the sauce has thickened.
- Finish the dish: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve hot!
Expert Tips
- You can make this recipe with baby carrots or regular carrots
- Dress this simple dish up by using rainbow carrots
- Make sure the carrots are sliced evenly so they cook at the same rate
- Cooking carrots on the stovetop makes it easy to cook them just the way you like them. Cook them for a few more minutes if you prefer them softer
- Add more honey if you prefer your carrots sweeter
- You can use fresh orange juice or storebought orange juice
- You can substitute the honey for maple syrup for maple glazed carrots
- The parsley is mainly for decoration and can be left out
- Spray your measuring cup with oil spray before measuring the honey, this way it will slide out easier
- The carrots can be peeled and cut 1-2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container
Recipe FAQs
The cooking time depends on the size of the carrots and how crunchy you like them. This recipe has a relatively short boiling time because the carrots are small. It only takes 12 minutes to cook the perfect carrots.
No, you don’t necessarily have to peel carrots but for the best flavor and texture, it is recommended to peel them. Eating the peel is perfectly safe after you washed and scrubbed the carrots but the peel might have a slightly bitter or soapy taste so it is better to peel the carrots.
You can cut the carrots into sticks like shown or cut them into slices so they look like coins. Slicing them at an angle makes for a great presentation, too. To save time you can also use peeled baby carrots.
Leftovers
Store any leftover glazed carrots in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days.
Reheat
Reheat them in a skillet or in the microwave.
More Vegetable side dishes
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Honey Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds carrots
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 Tbsp orange juice, or more
- ½ tsp salt, to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Peel carrots and cut into 2.5-inch long pieces and half or quarter lengthwise.
- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat, add carrots and saute for 5 minutes. Then add water and cook for about 5 more minutes until water has boiled down.
- Add honey and orange juice, stir. Cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the carrots are completely coated, hot, and the sauce has thickened.
- Season with salt, pepper, and parsley.
Notes
- You can make this recipe with baby carrots or regular carrots
- Dress this simple dish up by using rainbow carrots
- Make sure the carrots are sliced evenly so they cook at the same rate
- Cooking carrots on the stovetop makes it easy to cook them just the way you like them. Cook them for a few more minutes if you prefer them softer
- Add more honey if you prefer your carrots sweeter
- You can use fresh orange juice or storebought orange juice
- You can substitute the honey for maple syrup for maple glazed carrots
- The parsley is mainly for decoration and can be left out
- Spray your measuring cup with oil spray before measuring the honey, this way it will slide out easier
- The carrots can be peeled and cut 1-2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container
Nutrition Information
If you’ve tried this or any other of my recipes, please leave me a star rating and a comment. I love hearing from you!
Jenny says
What’s the orange juice for? No mention in the directions as to when to use it?
Julia Foerster says
Oh, I’m so sorry, looks like I forgot to add it to the instructions. It gets added with the honey. I will correct this asap. Thank you for catching my mistake!