The BEST Honey Glazed Carrots

March 19, 2020
Want to enjoy the best Honey Glazed Carrots around?  Give this recipe a try!  We tested different combinations of ingredients in search of the most flavorful honey glazed carrots recipe, and this is our hands-down winner.  They're a perfect easy side for Easter, Thanksgiving, or everyday dinner.
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The BEST Honey Glazed Carrots Image

When it comes to honey glazed carrots, they're a truly simple side dish indeed.  They're both easy to prepare and made with simple ingredients most have on hand as pantry staples.

Yet for such a simple side dish, honey glazed carrots deliver up fabulous flavor. -- Or at least, they can if their combination of simple ingredients melds together well, complimenting rather than detracting from one another.

We tested different combinations of these ingredients in search of the most flavorful honey glazed carrots recipe around.  We were looking specifically for a honey glaze that tasted mostly of just that -- honey.  And one that had rich, sweet, but not overly-sweet flavor.  The recipe we're sharing in this post is our hands-down winner, for sure.


Honey glazed carrots are a truly simple side dish indeed. They're both easy to prepare and made with simple ingredients most have on hand as pantry staples.

So just what are those simple ingredients that make up the glaze for this easy side?  The glaze for most honey glazed carrot recipes includes some combination of 4 basic ingredients:

  • Honey
  • Butter
  • Brown sugar
  • And sometimes lemon juice.

But not all combinations of these ingredients are created equal.  

In our tests we found that some combinations produce rather "weak" flavor results, some have flavors that compete and overshadow one another, and one -- the one we declared the winner -- produces glazed carrots with rich, sweet, honey-in-the-forefront fabulous flavor.

Serving Spoon of The BEST Honey Glazed Carrots Image

One side note before we look at our recipe tests. -- I have seen some glazed carrots recipes that include ground cinnamon in the glaze.  We wanted a honey glazed carrots recipe that tasted mostly of honey.  So we did not include cinnamon in our testing because its strong flavor would overshadow the honey.  We stuck to the "basic four" of honey, butter, brown sugar, and lemon juice.

Here is a look at what we tested and our results:

1. Just honey + butter
As a simple baseline test, we decided to test the most basic combination of just honey and butter first.  I expected this combination to be really good with a strong, uncomplicated honey flavor.

I was wrong.  

While the straightforward combination was good, it wasn't great.  The flavor result was indeed that of honey but it was "weak" honey, for lack of a better word.  Kind of like eating carrots with watered down honey poured on them.

Final verdict = Decent, but not fabulous.  


2. Honey + butter + lemon juice
We thought a touch of fresh lemon juice might round out and enhance the flavor of the honey glaze.  It did not.

Lemon juice just muddied the waters, and completely overshadowed the flavor of the honey.  We didn't like this glaze combination at all.

Final verdict = Didn't like at all, do not recommend  

Brown sugar surprisingly brings out the honey flavor and adds a richness and depth of flavor to the glaze.

3. Honey + butter + brown sugar
I didn't have high hopes at first for the mixed combination of honey and brown sugar glaze, thinking brown sugar would be the only flavor you'd taste.  Remember, we wanted to have a glaze that tasted mostly of honey, after all.

Actually though, brown sugar surprisingly brings out the honey flavor and adds a richness and depth of flavor to the glaze.  While the brown sugar adds tons of value to the glaze, it also still lets honey flavor shine.

Final verdict = Love it, our favorite glaze we tested    


4. Honey + butter + brown sugar + lemon juice 
Knowing that we loved the glaze combination of honey, butter, and brown sugar, we decided to add in a little touch of lemon juice to see what that would do.  Would lemon juice enhance the glazes's flavor, or completely detract from it like it did with the straight-up honey + butter combination?

Well, just as before, lemon juice only detracted from the flavor.  Lemon juice didn't work for us in either preparation.  Rather than rounding out the flavor as expected, it simply overshadowed the honey and the brown sugar. 

Final verdict = Didn't like at all, do not recommend


Our hands-down winner for the best Honey Glazed Carrots recipe was glaze #3 with the mix of honey, butter, and brown sugar together.  It produced glazed carrots with the rich, sweet, honey-in-the-forefront fabulous flavor we were looking for.  

Our second favorite was #1, the just plain honey and butter glaze -- though it had a "weak" honey flavor and lacked the richness and depth of flavor added by the brown sugar.

With the best glaze results in hand, now let's take a look at just how easy this recipe is to prepare.

Sliced Carrot Coins to Make Honey Glazed Carrots Image

To make a batch of Honey Glazed Carrots, peel some carrots and slice them into rounds.

You can use packaged baby carrots instead if you'd like and skip the peeling/slicing step.  We just prefer fresh whole carrots over baby carrots.

Whichever you choose, place the carrots in a saucepan with a little salt and add water to just barely cover them.  Bring the pot to a boil and then simmer the carrots gently for about 10-12 minutes until they're tender.

Honey Glazed Carrots Ingredients Image

In the meantime, melt some butter in a saucepan. Then add equal parts honey and brown sugar with a small pinch of salt.  Stir this together until the brown sugar is dissolved.

How to Make Honey Glazed Carrots Image

Toss the drained cooked carrots in the warm glaze, getting them well-coated.  Then garnish them with a sprinkling of pepper and/or chopped fresh parsley, if you'd like.

Serve the carrots up immediately, nice and hot.

Honey Glazed Carrots in Saucepan Image

And that's all there is too it -- a truly simple side dish indeed.  The best Honey Glazed Carrots are both easy to prepare and made with simple ingredients you probably have on hand.

Yet for such a simple side dish, honey glazed carrots sure deliver up fabulous flavor.  They're a perfect easy side for Easter, Thanksgiving, or everyday dinner.

Honey Glazed Carrots in Serving Dish Image
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honey glazed carrots recipe, easy glazed carrots, glazed carrots with brown sugar
Side Dishes
American
Yield: about 6 to 8 servings

The BEST Honey Glazed Carrots

The BEST Honey Glazed Carrots

Want to enjoy the best Honey Glazed Carrots around? Give this recipe a try! We tested different combinations of ingredients in search of the most flavorful honey glazed carrots recipe, and this is our hands-down winner. They're a perfect easy side for Easter, Thanksgiving, or everyday dinner.
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 15 Mtotal time: 25 M

ingredients:

Carrots:
  • 2 lbs. whole carrots (about 8 large, or use baby carrots if you'd like)
  • 1 tsp. salt
Honey Glaze:
  • 4 T. unsalted butter
  • 4 T. honey
  • 4 T. brown sugar
  • pinch salt

instructions:

How to make The BEST Honey Glazed Carrots

To Cook the Carrots:
  1. Peel carrots.  Slice into about 1/4-inch thick rounds.
  2. Place carrot rounds in a saucepan and add water to just cover.  Add the one teaspoon salt.
  3. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently about 10-12 minutes until tender.
  4. Drain.
To Glaze the Carrots:
  1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add honey, brown sugar, and the pinch salt.  Stir together until sugar is dissolved.
  2. Gently stir in cooked carrots, coating well with glaze.
  3. Serve immediately.  Garnish with a sprinkling of pepper and/or chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
Created using The Recipes Generator

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4 comments

  1. I have been looking for the perfect honey glazed carrot recipe so thank you for this. I will be making these for Easter!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. So simple!! And they look so bright and fresh and flavorful! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party - hope to see you there tomorrow too!

    ReplyDelete

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