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These best Glazed Carrots are exactly like grandma made: golden, buttery, and tender, with just the right amount of sweetness. This 20-minute side dish of Glazed Carrots is destined to become a mainstay on your family dinner menu.
When it comes to classic comfort food, I’m known to take things very seriously. I tested this recipe until I thought my skin was going to turn orange. I just couldn’t believe that the best recipe for Glazed Carrots, also known as Vichy Carrots, was also the simplest. It is!
“Don’t mess with a good thing,” my grandma always said, and she’s right.
As it happens, carrots don’t need a whole lot of TLC to really shine. This 20-minute recipe calls for just chicken stock, butter, sugar, and lemon juice. And of course, carrots.
Many Glazed Carrots recipes call for orange juice, but I’ve found that lemon juice really makes this dish pop, turning ordinary glazed carrots into extraordinary ones. The acidity in the sauce really accentuates all of the other supporting cast members in this side dish.
But if you want to try making Glazed Carrots with maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar, or even prefer orange Glazed Carrots, I’ll explain how to make this Glazed Carrots recipe your own.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Carrots: If you actually find honest-to-goodness baby carrots, use them. But don’t seek out the little stubs sold in plastic bags. I always prefer to use regular-sized carrots, cut into slices for the recipe. The slices tend to hold the glaze and cook better. Commercially available “baby carrots” are actually just processed huge carrots that are not ideal to sell whole. They’re run through a sort of rock tumbler to break them up and smooth their edges. They’re okay for snacking, but they never cook up as fork tender as a regular carrot.
- Chicken broth: Store-bought or homemade chicken broth. Or vegetable broth to make this a vegetarian side dish recipe.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a large skillet, add carrots, chicken or vegetable broth, 2 tablespoons sugar, a sprinkle of salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt) and toss to combine over medium-high heat.
- Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook covered, stirring occasionally until the carrots are almost tender, about 5 minutes.
- Uncover, return to a boil, and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced to about 4 tablespoons, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the butter and remaining sugar. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are completely tender and the glaze is lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with pepper to taste.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes six 2/3-cup side dish-sized servings of Glazed Carrots.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The carrots can be peeled and cut up to 2 weeks in advance. For best results, store them covered with water in the refrigerator.
- Sweeten the deal: If you prefer alternatives to sugar, replace the 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar with an equal amount of brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
- Or opt for orange: It’s super popular to make orange Glazed Carrots. Instead of the lemon juice, add ¼ cup orange juice and garnish with fresh orange zest.
- Dress them up: If you have fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme or chives handy, they are ideal to add just before serving for a bright pop of color and garden-fresh flavor. I also adore a handful of chopped walnuts, pecans, or pistachios for a lovely crunchy, salty element. Dressed up, they make a beautiful Thanksgiving dish.
Recipe FAQs
Technically, you don’t have to peel carrots, ever. As long as you scrub them well to remove all the dirt, they are perfectly safe and offer a lovely earthy quality when unpeeled. However, some people don’t like the taste of carrot skin and, depending on the carrot, it might taste a hint bitter. So, I recommend peeling the carrots before cooking this recipe.
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Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots peeled and cut on the bias into 2-inch by 1/4-inch pieces, about 12 carrots
- 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter cut into four pieces
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add carrots, chicken or vegetable broth, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon) and toss to combine.
- Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook covered, stirring occasionally until the carrots are almost tender, about 5 minutes.
- Uncover, return to a boil, and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced to about 4 tablespoons, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the butter and remaining sugar. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are completely tender and the glaze is lightly golden, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with pepper to taste.
Notes
- Carrots: If you actually find honest-to-goodness baby carrots, use them. But don’t seek out the little stubs sold in plastic bags. I always prefer to use regular-sized carrots, cut into slices for the recipe. The slices tend to hold the glaze and cook better. Commercially available “baby carrots” are actually just processed huge carrots that are not ideal to sell whole. They’re run through a sort of rock tumbler to break them up and smooth their edges. They’re okay for snacking, but they never cook up as tender as a regular carrot.
- Chicken broth: Store-bought or homemade chicken broth. Or vegetable broth to make this a vegetarian side dish recipe.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Hi, can you make this a day ahead and reheat prior to serving?
Thank you!
Hi Rose, yes! Make sure to cool the carrots completely and store in an airtight container. Reheat to 165 degrees and take care not to over cook them. Enjoy – Meggan
These are delicious. I’ve been following the ATK recipe that is almost exactly this same recipe for years. It’s a family favorite.