Honey Maple Carrots

Sweet, savory and crunchy, these honey maple carrots take just 10 minutes to make, and are the easiest side dish to make for the holidays. If you have some extra carrots in the kitchen, this is the easiest way to put them to use. With just a handful of ingredients and no complicated steps, this recipe truly is a keeper. 

I’m always on the hunt for simple side dishes that I can make using fresh veggies, and with fall just around the corner, carrots are my absolute go-to. 

I’ve used carrots for tons of recipes recently. From a comforting carrot ginger soup, to a roasted carrots and potatoes dish, and even some glazed carrots with Ranch. These sweet and savory carrots are my newest creation, and I’m so proud of how they turned out.

Why You’ll Love This Honey Maple Carrots Recipe

• Customizable: These sweet carrots are naturally gluten-free, and you can also make them vegan with just one simple swap.
• Easy to make: This carrot side dish is pretty easy to make, and comes together super quick, making it perfect for busy holiday meals.
• Elegant side: The sweet and buttery carrots look so elegant and fancy. They're perfect for any holiday dinner table.
• No oven: This stovetop glazed carrots recipe is perfect if you don’t want to turn on the oven!

Ingredients

• Carrots: I used about a pound of fresh carrots. Peeled, sliced and cut into 1-inch pieces. You could also use baby carrots if you want to. 
• Butter: Salted butter works best! You can also use unsalted butter if that’s what you have, but you might need a bit of extra salt to season. 
• Brown sugar: I used dark brown sugar for that fantastic deep, caramel-like flavor. Light brown sugar works well too! 
• Maple syrup: Use pure maple syrup for that authentic flavor. Dark maple syrup works best! 
• Honey: For some extra sweetness. 
• Spices: I kept it simple here, and just used a dash of allspice and ground cinnamon. Nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice are some good options too. 
• Parsley: And of course, some fresh parsley to garnish, and for that pop of color. 

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

Variations

• Vegan: Swap the honey in the recipe for agave, and the butter with olive oil or vegan butter to make vegan maple carrots. 
• Garlicky: Make these carrots garlicky by adding some fresh minced garlic or a sprinkle of garlic powder. 
• Spicy: Add a dash of cayenne or some crushed red pepper flakes to spice up these honey maple carrots. 
• Earthy: A pinch or two of roasted cumin powder can lend a nice earthy flavor to these maple honey carrots. 

How to Make Honey Maple Carrots

You’ll be cooking the carrots in a skillet over the stovetop, so no need for any prep or preheating! Simply peel and chop the carrots, and you’re ready to put everything together. 

Step 1: Cook carrots: In a skillet over medium heat, cook the carrots with some water and a bit of salt for just about 5 minutes. 

Step 2: Drain: Drain the excess water and add the butter, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice and a bit of salt to the pan.

Step 3: Reduce: Let the carrots cook for a few more minutes until they turn tender and the sauce starts to thicken up a bit.

Step 4: Finish up and serve: Take the skillet off heat, top the carrots with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and serve.

⭐️ Hint: I used a 12 inch skillet here, but if you have a smaller skillet, you could use that too. Just make sure you don’t overcrowd it, as it can cause the carrots to steam and turn mushy.

Looking for more carrot recipes for your holiday dinner table? I highly recommend these Lyonnaise Carrots or these Roasted Broccoli and Carrots!

Storage Directions

• Storing: To store your leftover maple carrots, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 4 days. If you want the carrots to last longer, move them to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze them. They can be kept frozen for 3 months, and then thawed and reheated whenever you want. 
• Reheating: The best way to reheat these carrots is to microwave individual servings for about 2 minutes. You can also reheat them in the oven, just transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Serving Suggestions

These sweet and crunchy maple carrots are my favorite side dish to make for Thanksgiving dinner. 

They also work wonderfully with my slow cooker turkey legs and air fryer turkey legs that I turn to when I’m not baking the whole bird. Whip up a quick apple cranberry coleslaw for a bit of texture, and you’ve got yourself a hearty and wholesome meal. 

And of course, don’t forget to finish it up with a nice fall dessert like homemade pumpkin praline pie or some pumpkin spice coffee cake. 

Recipe Tips

• Choose fresh: Pick the best fresh carrots you can get your hands on. They should be hard and crunchy, and have a bright orange color, without any blemishes or soft spots on their surface.
• Trim time: If your carrots are uneven in size, you might want to trim them and try to get them to roughly the same size, so that they cook evenly.
• Cook with stock: To add extra flavor to these Thanksgiving carrots, cook them in chicken stock (or vegetable stock) instead of water.
• Finishing touches: Add an extra dimension of flavor and deliciousness to these carrots by topping them with a squeeze of lemon juice or some flaky sea salt before you serve.

Recipe FAQs

How to Make Video

Check out our video to see these carrots being made. I think you will be glad you did!

More Delicious Carrot Recipes

Do you like carrots? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.

Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.

Honey Maple Glazed Carrots

Karin and Ken

Make these honey and maple carrots as a side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner or holiday get-together. They're ridiculously easy to make, and taste incredible too!

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 3

Calories 478 kcal

Equipment

• Measuring cups and spoons
• cutting board
• Sharp knife
• large skillet
• wooden spoon

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 pound carrots peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt divided
• ½ cup salted butter or 1 stick
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley optional garnish

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

• Arrange the carrots. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the carrots with ½ teaspoon salt and water.
• Simmer. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook the carrots until just tender (about 5 minutes)
• Add some flavor. Drain the excess water and add the salted butter, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and allspice and stir to coat the carrots evenly and melt the flavors together.
• Reduce the sauce. Increase the heat to medium high and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced by ⅓ resembling a loose glaze (4-5 minutes).

Video

Notes

• Choose fresh: Pick the best fresh carrots you can get your hands on. They should be hard and crunchy, and have a bright orange color, without any blemishes or soft spots on their surface.

• Trim time: If your carrots are uneven in size, you might want to trim them and try to get them to roughly the same size, so that they cook evenly.

• Cook with stock: To add extra flavor to these Thanksgiving carrots, cook them in chicken stock (or vegetable stock) instead of water.

• Finishing touches: Add an extra dimension of flavor and deliciousness to these carrots by topping them with a squeeze of lemon juice or some flaky sea salt before you serve.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 478kcalCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 2gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 1143mgPotassium: 576mgFiber: 5gSugar: 70gVitamin A: 26207IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 109mgIron: 1mg

Keyword honey maple carrots, maple carrots, sweet carrots

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This post was originally published in May 2017. It has been updated with new content and images.