A very easy recipe for tasty honey glazed carrots. Made with just a small amount of honey, they are wonderfully flavorful.
I really like carrots. 🥕 I enjoy their subtly sweet flavor. In fact, I even love simply steamed carrots! But I'm weird. I enjoy many types of simply steamed or even boiled veggies. Perhaps it's growing up with a Dutch dad - the Dutch (at least his generation) seem to be fond of boiling their vegetables.
But as much as I like simple flavors, I have to admit that these honey glazed carrots are especially good. The butter and honey coating is so wonderfully delicate! And it really enhances the natural sweetness of the carrots.
The ingredients needed for this recipe
You'll only need a few ingredients to make this tasty side dish (exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below):
Petite carrots: Not the "baby carrots" sold in bags (although you could use the if you'd like to), but the small carrots that have their green tops still attached.
Butter: I'm partial to creamy European butter. But any butter is delicious!
Honey: Just one tablespoon.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the carrots could end up too salty.
Dried thyme: Make sure it's fresh. Spices are delicious, but a stale spice can easily ruin a dish.
Chopped parsley: I use it mostly for garnish. It's optional.
How to make honey glazed carrots
It's such an easy recipe! The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
Cook the carrots in water briefly, just until tender but not mushy.
Drain, then add them back to the pot with some butter, honey, salt, and thyme. That's it! This dish is ready in about 20 minutes.
Can you make them ahead of time?
Yes, you can. You can make them a couple of hours ahead of time and keep them in a warm (150 degrees F) oven. Or even make them the day before, then reheat in a 200F oven.
What carrots to use?
I like to use petite carrots when making honey glazed carrots. Not the large carrots, but also not the baby carrots sold in bags, which are less flavorful. Petite carrots are the sweetest and the most flavorful, in my opinion:
However, you can also make this recipe with baby carrots, or with regular large carrots. If using the latter, cut them so that they are in fairly equal chunks. So cut them in half crosswise, then cut the thick top in half lengthwise.
What to serve with them?
This is such a versatile side dish. It goes with almost anything. I most often serve it with one of the following main dishes:
Can I keep leftover glazed carrots?
Yes. You can keep them in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat them in the oven, or in the microwave on 50% power.
More carrot recipes that you might like
Roasted carrots are so wonderfully caramelized and flavorful. And as mentioned above, steamed carrots are surprisingly good.
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Glazed Carrots
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt divided
- 1 lb. petite carrots*
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium saucepan, bring water (about 2 inches high) to a boil over medium-high heat. When water boils, add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the carrots.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook the carrots until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Drain the carrots well in a colander.
- Add the drained carrots back to the warm saucepan, set on medium-low heat. Add the butter, honey, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper, and dried thyme.
- Cook the carrots, stirring often, until the honey butter glaze coats them, about 2 minutes. Garnish the glazed carrots with parsley and serve.
NOTES
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living.