Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots plus Bourbon

At a glance

What stands out: These brown sugar glazed carrots with bourbon could be mistaken as candy, they’re so irresistible! Great for holiday meals but straightforward enough to make any day.

How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: skillet
Servings: 4

“Fancy” Glazed Carrots

Taste like candy. The combination of the butter and brown sugar caramelizes on the carrots (which are already naturally sweet!). You won’t even feel like you’re eating a vegetable. These go down like a treat.

Can be prepped ahead. When we're planning a Thanksgiving menu or any type of entertaining, we try to think about what we can prep ahead. The carrots can be peeled and sliced ahead of time, refrigerated, and then when you’re ready to cook them, they’re done in 20 minutes or less! You can also cook them ahead as directed, refrigerate them, and then reheat them in a skillet or microwave.

Make them alcohol-free, too. Also worthy of note is that the glazed carrots also taste memorable without the bourbon. We love the flavor it adds but butter and brown sugar are pretty great on their own too. If you’re prepping for a crowd that likes to stay away from alcohol, you can still easily make this recipe work for you.

Shortcut

You can use baby carrots if you want to make this recipe even quicker and easier. Personally, we think that baby carrots aren’t quite as tasty as regular carrots but they’d do in a pinch. You could also use frozen or canned carrots, we suppose, but we haven’t tested those (cooking time may be slightly different).

Karen Said:

“Oh our goodness, we made a double batch of these last night, they are soooo good!! … One pan, a handful of ingredients we already had on hand, reliable!! We love all the suggestions and substitutions offered too. Thanks for the great recipe, the kitchen!!

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How it comes together

Brown the carrots in oil. Start by cooking over medium high heat with olive oil. DO NOT STIR more than once. This will give the carrots nice color and help to caramelize them. (You could also roast them first and then toss them in the glaze, but we prefer to get it done all in one pan).

Steam the carrots. Reduce the heat to medium, add a bit of water (watch out for steam!), cover the skillet, and steam the carrots. This will ensure they’re tender, and no longer crunchy.

Add the bourbon. Once the carrots are tender, take the cover off the skillet, keeping it on medium, and add the bourbon (or whiskey!). Let the alcohol cook off for a couple of minutes. Most of the liquid should be gone at this point, but the flavor will still be there!

Glaze the carrots. Reduce the heat to low, and add the butter, brown sugar, and cayenne, and let the magic happen! Once the glaze has caramelized on the carrots, and they are shiny and irresistible, it’s time to eat!

Ways to change it

• Not a fan of spice? Leave out the cayenne. We love the hint of spice contrasting with all the sweetness of the carrots, bourbon and brown sugar, but if that’s not for you, leave it out.
• Make them alcohol-free. For a weeknight dinner, maybe you don’t want to add bourbon, especially if kids are sitting at the table. The carrots are great without the booze, too. Just skip that step. You could substitute orange juice in that step and that would be rich too.
• Use natural sweeteners. If you prefer honey or maple syrup to brown sugar, they are both great options. We love honey on carrots and either honey or maple will pair evenly with both the bourbon and carrots. (Try our honey glazed carrots with chili powder.)
• Take a shortcut. If you need to, you can substitute baby carrots, canned carrots, or frozen carrots. Cooking time may vary slightly.
• Increase the yield. You can easily double the recipe as long as you have a large enough skillet. Try to choose a large enough pan where the majority of the carrots will contact the pan in that first step with the olive oil. This will help them to brown evenly and give you the most possible flavor.
• Add a flourish. Sprinkle toasted chopped walnuts over the glazed carrots, right before serving.

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 14 minutes
• Total: 29 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 medium carrots, cut into ¼ -inch slices (about 3 cups sliced carrots)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar (light brown sugar is okay, too)
• 1 pinch cayenne (or up to ⅛ teaspoon)
• flaky sea salt (optional garnish)

Method

1. Heat oil over medium high heat in a medium-sized skillet. When oil is hot, add carrots and salt, and sautéed for 5 minutes, stirring just once. The carrots should be lightly browned.
2. Reduce heat to medium, carefully add ¼ cup of water (watch out for steam!), cover and cook for 5 more minutes.
3. Remove cover and if water has not evaporated, continue to cook, stirring frequently, until water evaporates. Carrots should be fork tender at this point, but if they are not, continue to cook, stirring frequently, until they are tender.
4. Add bourbon and cook until reduced, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Reduce heat to low and add butter, brown sugar, and cayenne. Stir to combine. Cook until butter is melted and sugar no longer looks grainy, 1 to 2 minutes. Keep on warm until ready to serve.
6. Serve hot, topped with flaky sea salt if desired.

Notes

No alcohol: You can easily make this recipe without bourbon or whiskey. The glazed carrots are rich either way.

Variations: Omit the cayenne if you don’t like spice. You can use a natural sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup instead of brown sugar, if you prefer.

Increase yield: The recipe can be doubled as long as you have a large enough skillet for browning the carrots. If you don’t, consider roasting the carrots first, then finishing them up in a skillet with the bourbon, butter, and brown sugar to glaze them.

Make ahead: To get a head start, peel and slice the carrots a day or two in advance and refrigerate them until you’re ready to cook them. The carrots can also be completely made ahead and refrigerated; reheat in a skillet or the microwave.