Made with just a few kitchen staples, this easy skillet recipe for Honey Glazed Carrots is terrific for a weeknight meal and perfect as a holiday side dish. These carrots are so irresistibly good, that you’ll make them all year round!
Classic side dish recipes like this: Scalloped Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli, and Creamed Corn are home-cooked favorites everyone loves.
In This Post
Everyone has their favorite veggie, all for different reasons. I’m a veggie-lover, so picking a favorite is hard for me, but I do have an affinity for carrot recipes. I love carrots served with dips, and as a crispy, crunchy side, I can’t pass up carrot apple salad. And you know, whenever buffalo dip is served, you must have carrot spears and celery on the side!
My sweet and savory carrots are quick, simple to prep, and cooked in only 15 minutes. This is one of my favorite elegant yet easy recipes that take an ordinary veggie and turn it into a side dish masterpiece.
Ingredients For Honey-Glazed Carrots
- Carrots: I use a couple of pounds of washed and peeled carrots for this recipe. It’s best to use whole carrots instead of baby carrots.
- Seasonings: Salt and sugar add the perfect flavor combination that marries perfectly with the other ingredients.
- Vegetable or Chicken Stock: This helps keep the carrots moist during cooking and boosts the flavor.
- Homemade Glaze: Butter, honey, and lemon juice create a natural glaze that highlights this tasty dish.
Substitutions and Additions
- Maple syrup, light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar), agave nectar, and stevia are great substitutions for sugar and honey.
- Consider using water, apple juice, or white wine if you don’t have stock. Be mindful that these may slightly change the overall flavor.
- Short on lemon juice? Opt for lime juice, orange juice, or apple cider vinegar.
How To Make Easy Glazed Carrots With Honey
- Slice carrots on the bias and place them in a deep, large skillet. Add salt, sugar, and stock, then boil.
- Cover with a lid and reduce to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and increase the heat to a low boil. Reduce the liquid by half, then add butter and honey to the pan, stirring to coat the carrots.
- Continue to cook until fork tender and a glaze develops. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Donya’s Serving Tips
- I like to sprinkle fresh herbs, like parsley on top of these delicious carrots. Add a bit of lemon zest or peel for a gourmet home-cooking touch.
- Consider drizzling some honey on top to make these extra (but overbearing) sweet.
- This vegetarian side dish is great for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas buffets. It’s delicious served with brown sugar-baked ham, turkey breast, or glazed pork roast.
Often Asked Questions
Yes! Swap the carrots for sweet potatoes for a delicious new easy side dish recipe.
To prevent mushiness, make sure not to overcook the carrots. They should be cooked until tender but still have a slight crunch.
Yes, you can! Cook the carrots until they are almost tender, then store them in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve, reheat them gently in the glaze on the stovetop. You may need to add a splash of water or stock to prevent them from drying out.
To store leftover honey-glazed carrots, cool them to room temperature and transfer them to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 3-5 days or freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop.
More Family Dinner Ideas
If you tried this Easy Honey Glazed Carrot Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots – washed and peeled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Slice carrots on bias and place in a deep skillet. Add salt, sugar and stock then bring to a boil. Cover with lid and reduce to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove lid and increase heat to low boil. Reduce liquid by half. Add butter and honey, stirring to coat carrots. Continue to cook until glaze develops. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Notes
- To store leftover honey-glazed carrots, cool them to room temperature and transfer them to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 3-5 days or freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop.
Wendy Hampton
This is a wonderful carrot dish and I will be preparing large batches so that I have freeze for future meals. Interesting also that the flavor changes with whatever kind of honey you use. Orange blossom, wildflower, buckwheat honey I didn’t realize honey had such different tastes!
Donya Mullins
Thank you for the outstanding rating!
~Donya
Carol Simmoneau
How long should I cook baby carrots?
Donya
Hey there Carol!
That’s a great question! The cook time will be the same either way, I would cut the baby carrots vertically making two long and thin carrot slices, that will be about the same thickness as the carrots in the recipe so you can just follow the directions from there. I hope this helps, let me know how it turns out, I hope you enjoy!
~Donya
Claudine in Fort Worth, TX
I love carrots and sweet potatoes, so I’m going to make this Thanksgiving for the few “sweet potato” haters in my family. (Go figure, I surely can’t! LOL!.)
I’m also making sweet potatoes for me and the rest of the “normal” people that will be at my Thanksgiving table.
Thanks for sharing.
Donya
That’s awesome Claudine. My oldest son loves the carrots so I always make extra for him.
Happy Thanksgiving!
XO,
~Donya