Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots
This Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots dish features oven roasted carrots covered in a delicious thyme infused buttery brown sugar sauce that caramelizes in the oven for a sweet and savory side dish!
Do you need to spruce up the side dishes you serve at the dinner table? If so, these brown sugar roasted carrots with thyme would be a great place to start! You’ll also love my Honey Butter Skillet Corn and my Oven Roasted Broccoli!
Why This Recipe Works
- Brings out carrots’ natural sweetness. Did you know that carrots are naturally sweet? That’s right! That’s why pairing carrots with a sweet glaze is a great flavor combination because it complements the natural sugars so well. The roasting process also helps bring out some of the natural sweetness of the carrots, too.
- Great caramelization. When roasting the carrots with the brown sugar and butter, a delicious caramelization develops on the carrots!
- Easy recipe. This is a delicious side dish to make for any meal! Whether it’s a special holiday meal or for those busy weeknights, this carrot recipe is the perfect side dish because it’s super easy and ultra tasty!
Ingredient Notes
- Raw Carrots: You can keep the tops on or cut them off. As you can see in the photo, I kept the small stem stubs on. You can also use regular carrots or baby carrots, but the cooking time will be much less.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use unsalted or salted butter. If you want a healthier option, you can do part butter part olive oil.
- Fresh Thyme: I used a little over 1 tsp, 1 1/2 teaspoon to be exact. However, you could use 2 teaspoons to get a more powerful thyme flavored dish.
- Brown Sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar for these brown sugar baked carrots. You won’t get that much of a difference.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Make the sauce. Combine the melted butter, thyme, garlic powder, brown sugar, and salt and pepper in a small bowl and stir.
- Place the carrots on a baking sheet. Place the peeled carrots in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Drizzle with sauce. Drizzle the buttery sauce on top of the carrots and toss with your hands.
- Bake. Bake at425°F for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender.
Recipe Tips
When tossing the carrots in the brown sugar mixture, make sure to get each carrot fully coated.
Bake time will vary depending on the thickness of your carrots.
I suggest you use fresh thyme in this recipe, however you can substitute the fresh thyme for dried thyme.
If you want a different flavor profile, you can swap out the thyme for a hint of cinnamon.
For a healthier take on these brown sugar carrots, swap out the brown sugar for maple syrup. You can also do part butter part olive oil.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing
You can peel and prepare the carrots ahead of time and make the butter mixture ahead of time. Once ready to use, microwave the butter to return to a melted state.
Store leftover brown sugar roasted carrots in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Recipe FAQs
A few recipes that would make great main dishes alongside this carrots recipe are my Copycat Wingers Sticky Fingers, Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff, Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe, Dijon Mustard Chicken, Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks, and Skillet Lasagna.
Yes you can! The cook time will be much shorter though. I would check the carrots between 10 and 15 minutes.
The carrots are healthy, yes, but these are brown sugar carrots! So there is sugar in it. If you are wanting a healthier option, use maple syrup instead and sweeten to your liking. You can also use olive oil instead of butter.
More Vegetable Sides
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Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots
Ingredients
- 12-15 carrots - peeled
- 3 tablespoons butter - melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt - reduce to 3/4 tsp if using salted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar - packed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Place the carrots on a baking sheet. (Use parchment for easy clean up).
- In a small bowl combine the butter, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper and brown sugar. Stir to combine.
- Pour the buttery mixture over the carrots. Using your hands, toss the carrots in the mixture, making sure to get each carrot coated in the mixture.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender.
- Bake time will vary depending on the thickness of your carts.
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6 Comments on “Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots”
We absolutely love these carrots. They are easy, full of flavor and add a nice elegant touch to any dish. I have served them alongside beef, fish and chicken and they go nicely with all.
So happy to hear you love these Shannon. Thanks for your review! We love a versatile side dish.
Could you add green beans to the carrots?
Sure! That would be really good!
I make these ALL THE TIME. So, I figured I’d leave a rating and comment. My husband loves this carrot recipe, so it’s definitely a go-to when I’m looking for a way to make veggies more fun and yummy for dinner.
After reading your post I tried to make brown sugar carrot at home its was so delicious. Thank you for sharing this with us.