Candied Carrots Recipe – Quick Facts
- Ready in: 30 minutes
- Serves: 12
- Main Ingredients: Carrots, maple syrup, butter, and bourbon
- Dietary Info: Easily made dairy-free, naturally gluten-free
- Origin: My family loves old fashioned candied carrots as part of our holiday spread. I wanted to experiment with some new flavors and infused this holiday classic with some depth and smokiness from bourbon, and it was a hit!
I use my cast iron skillet year round, but especially during the holiday season. It’s great for everything from chicken pot pie with biscuits to maple bacon brussel sprouts.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, & estimated nutritional information.
- Carrots: Full-sized carrots worked best for us in this recipe, but baby carrots could work too. Frozen will work, but the texture will be less firm than fresh carrots.
- Butter: option to swap out for a plant-based butter, if you want.
- Bourbon: we love the hint of caramel and vanilla flavors that comes with a splash of bourbon but it can also be left out.
How To Make Candied Carrots
A Note On Baby Carrots
Slice them in half lengthwise. This will yield a similar thickness as sliced whole carrots.
Step 1: Boil carrots for 8-10 minutes.
Step 2: Adjust cook-time depending on your desired level of firmness.
Step 3: Add butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, cinnamon and kosher salt to skillet.
Step 4: Let butter melt and whisk to combine. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
Step 5: Add cooked carrots into skillet and toss in the brown sugar bourbon glaze.
Step 6: Garnish with parsley and enjoy!
What Do You Serve With Candied Carrots
This is one of our favorite ways to turn a bag of carrots into an inexpensive side dish for family gatherings. Since they are candied, and therefore feel a bit more fancy, we usually save them for a special occasion and serve them alongside our ultimate beef tenderloin, at Christmas dinner alongside our holiday grilled ham, or with our smoked turkey.
Candied Carrots FAQs
No, feel free to omit this ingredient. They will still be delicious!
You can use whole carrots or baby carrots. Just note that cooking time will probably have to be adjusted for baby carrots since they’ll probably be a bit smaller than the whole carrot variety.
If you’re using full-sized, sliced carrots, it takes approx. 8-10 minutes to boil to reach a firm, but tender consistency.
Yes, they can definitely be used but the texture will be a little more soft than when you use fresh carrots.
Absolutely! Simply make the recipe as directed, store in the fridge, and warm in a skillet right before serving.
Store candied carrots in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Other Holiday Side Dishes You Might Like
Made this recipe and loved it?!
We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Follow Us on Social
Candied Carrots Recipe (how to make candied carrots)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
The most delicious Candied Carrots recipe with sweet brown sugar, maple syrup and a touch of bourbon – perfect for any holiday meal!
Ingredients
- 8 medium/large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2–4 tablespoons butter (regular or plant-based)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar (sub coconut sugar)
- 1 tablespoon of bourbon
- 1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Boil Carrots: Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil and add carrots. Reduce to simmer and let cook 8-10 minutes. Drain.
- Butter & Sugar Mixture: Meanwhile, bring a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, cinnamon and kosher salt. Let butter melt and whisk to combine. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens a bit.
- Toss Carrots: Add cooked carrots and toss in the glaze. Taste and add any additional butter, bourbon or salt, as desired.
- Serve: Enjoy right away!
Notes
- Bourbon: feel free to omit the bourbon, if desired.
- Baby Carrots: option to use baby carrots, if you want – I would recommend slicing them in half lengthwise first – you can keep them whole, but then you will need adjust the cook time accordingly.
- Sweetener Options: we used brown sugar but you could also use coconut sugar.
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 oz
- Calories: 50
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 132.3 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.3 g
- Protein: 0.4 g
- Cholesterol: 5.1 mg
Leave a Rating & Comment