These brown sugar glazed carrots are tender, buttery, and coated in a sweet, rich glaze. This easy side dish comes together in about 30 minutes, with an optional sprinkle of toasted almonds for extra crunch.
If you need an easy side dish that everyone will eat, these brown sugar glazed carrots are it! They’re soft, buttery, and coated in a sweet glaze made with brown sugar and butter. Better yet, they have a simple upgrade of toasted almonds and a little lemon zest + juice for a zip of fresh citrus flavor.
I chose to roast the carrots first for the best texture and flavor, but you can also simmer them on the stovetop to keep things easy.
These carrots are the perfect addition to holiday dinner or a spring dinner party. I served them for an Easter dinner along with an Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb and Scalloped Corn with Bacon. The bright colors of the rainbow carrots are a gorgeous addition to the dinner table!
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Classic Version Vs. This Version
Classic brown sugar glazed carrots are typically made with butter, brown sugar, and carrots for a sweet, simple side dish. This version keeps that same rich glaze, but adds toasted almonds for crunch and a touch of lemon juice + zest to balance the sweetness.
Ingredients
- I love the look of rainbow carrots for this recipe. Regular orange carrots work great, too! You can use either whole carrots or baby carrots.
- The carrots are tossed with olive oil and salt, and roasted to perfection in the oven.
- Brown sugar, butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest make an irresistible sweet lemon-y glaze that complements the carrots beautifully.
- Toasted almonds on top are the finishing touch!
How to make Brown Sugar glazed carrots
Start with either whole carrots or baby carrots. I used rainbow carrots, which I can most reliably find at Whole Foods Market in the spring. I occasionally see them at my regular grocery store, too.
Trim the ends of the carrots and then halve any particularly large ones. Toss the carrots with olive oil and sea salt, and put them on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Roast the carrots for approximately 25 minutes at 400°F, or until they’re tender.
While the carrots cook, make the brown sugar glaze by boiling brown sugar and water together until it reduced slightly, then stirring in butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Then, toast the sliced almonds in a sauté pan with butter. Watch these closely and stir often—they can go from barely toasted to burnt really quickly!
Once the carrots are done, drizzle them with the glaze and toss to coat. Transfer the carrots to a serving platter and top with the almonds.
Stovetop Instructions
Want to make the carrots on the stovetop? No problem! Steam or boil the carrots for 8–12 minutes, or until tender. Drain very well. Proceed with the recipe as directed, making the brown sugar glaze and pouring it over the top. You can also just add the cooked carrots straight to the skillet with the glaze in it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, of course! If you can’t find rainbow carrots, you can use orange carrots. You can even use baby carrots if you’d like.
These Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots are best served just after making them. However, you can prepare parts of this recipe ahead, such as toasting the almonds, making the glaze, and washing/trimming the carrots.
Leftover roasted carrots will keep in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. You may notice that the almonds become soggy. You can always remove them and replace them with freshly toasted almonds, if you wish!
More Easter recipes that I love:
- Brown Sugar Glazed Ham (3 Ingredients)
- Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
- Gruyere Scalloped Potatoes
- Scalloped Potatoes & Ham
- Scalloped Pineapple
- Super Flaky Southern Biscuits
📖 Recipe
Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots (With Toasted Almonds)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs rainbow carrots peeled and halved if large
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup water or vegetable stock
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- Pinch of salt
- For garnish: fresh chopped parsley
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss 2 lbs rainbow carrots (peeled and halved if large) with 1 tablespoon olive oil and ½ teaspoon sea salt. Spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
- Meanwhile, combine ⅓ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup water or vegetable stock in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup unsalted butter and stir until melted. Stir in 2 teaspoons lemon juice and zest of one lemon, along with ⅛ teaspoon sea salt.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add ½ cup sliced almonds and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted, about 5–6 minutes. Sprinkle with additional sea salt.
- Transfer the roasted carrots to a serving platter. Pour the brown sugar glaze over the top. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds and parsley. Serve immediately.
It says in the recipe combine vegetable stock? But it doesn’t list that in the ingredients. How much vegetable stock should I be using? Thanks
Hi Tayler, the vegetable stock and water are interchangeable, so you can use either one. I updated the recipe to make it more clear—sorry about that!