These Cinnamon Brown Sugar Carrots are the perfect kid-friendly side dish that you can easily make all year long! Pan-glazed, buttery cinnamon carrots are perfect for even your pickiest eaters! All you need are 5 simple ingredients to make this sweet carrot side dish.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: This homemade brown sugar cinnamon carrots recipe is a quick, easy side dish. It is picky-eater approved, and it makes any dinner special. Serve it with holiday hams and Thanksgiving turkey.
If you are looking for the perfect kid-friendly side dish, these carrots are the one you should make next! You are going to love how easy this recipe is to make. Carrots are sweet all year round, and when you cook them with brown sugar and cinnamon, they take them to a whole new level!
The hero of this recipe is the carrots. We get a weekly farm box from a fun company called Ugly Produce. They buy the fruits and vegetables that don’t meet the grocery store’s “pretty” standards. This produce tastes the same, so we love getting this weekly box. I often create new recipes around what we receive.
I love serving these carrots for your holiday dinner with my Dry Brined Turkey, Gluten Free Traditional Stuffing, and Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes.
There are lots of ways to cut your carrots for this recipe. I always remove the green top and bottom ends first. Side dishes can make the meal, so check out some of my delicious gluten-free side dish recipes.
How to Make Brown Sugar Carrots:
There are many ways to cook the brown sugar-glazed carrots in this stovetop carrot recipe, but this is how I like it because it makes the carrots sweet.
Step 1: For this recipe, you can use bagged carrots to save time, or slice whole carrots into pieces with a sharp knife. I have made this recipe both with peeled carrots and with the peels on. I feel like peeling is a personal preference.
Step 2: Add butter to a cast-iron skillet and heat over medium heat. (If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, another pan is fine to use.)
Step 3: Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and water. Mix to combine.
Step 4: Add the carrots and bring them to a boil.
Step 5: Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook for 25-30 minutes. Covering the pan keeps the steam in, which helps to soften the carrots.
Poke a fork into a carrot. If it is soft, the carrots are finished cooking. These carrots should be fork-tender with a sweet brown sugar cinnamon syrup coating them.
Store the leftovers in the refrigerator; these brown sugar carrots will keep fresh for up to 3 days. Store them in an airtight container. I am a big advocate of cooking with your kids. Try some of these great gluten free recipes to make with your kids.
Tips for Making Cinnamon Sugar Carrots:
One thing I love about this stovetop cinnamon sugar carrot recipe is how easy it is to make. The bulk of the work is slicing the carrots, and then they cook themselves. I do think stirring the carrots several times during cooking creates the best flavor because the cinnamon and brown sugar cook into all sides of the carrots.
👀 Sandi Says: Stir the carrots a few times during cooking so that one side of the carrots can burn in the syrup. (I have done this before, so plan to stir every 5-8 minutes or so.)
Serve with this Herb Roasted Chicken with Orange and these Gluten Free Biscuits for a delicious family dinner.
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Cinnamon Brown Sugar Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots peeled and sliced thin
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp salted butter (*see note)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup water
Equipment
Method
- In a skillet over medium heat, 1 tbsp salted butter, then whisk in 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1 cup water.
- Add 1 lb carrots (cut any way you like), and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, until carrots are tender and glazed, about 30 minutes
Nutrition
Notes
- You can use peeled bagged mini carrots instead of cutting big carrots up.
- Feel free to use vegan butter if you are dairy-free.
- These brown sugar carrots can be made up to 2 days ahead. They will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
I enhanced the flavor with some orange zest!! It smelled and tastes amazing. 😍
What a delicious idea, Aubree. Thank you so much for writing to let me know. I will have to try that next time.
These carrots were so easy and by far the most delicious our family has ever had! I don’t know why it took me all of my adult life to try such a simple recipe. Carrots are not my husbands favorite so he was reluctant but now he only wants them this way. Thanks for such a simple and delicious recipe!
You made my day, Elaine. I am so glad your family loved the carrots!
If substituting maple syrup for brown sugar, how much do you add. For the carrots
Hi Liss, I would say 1/4 cup? It really is a personal preference for the sweetness level.