Orange Glazed Carrots

Even picky eaters get excited about these glazed carrots! Glazed with maple, orange juice, and garlic that elevates the natural flavors of the carrots, this simple side dish recipe comes together easily.

If you are looking for more easy vegetable side dishes, check out Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Green Beans Almondine, or  Zucchini and Squash Saute.

Why Everyone Loves These

My kids are all about raw carrots.

But when it comes to cooked carrots, that is a whole other story. They always turn their nose up and beg me to swamp out their cooked carrots for raw carrots. There are worse battles to fight in life, am I right parents?!

However, if I prepare glazed carrots, they never complain!

I grew up eating brown sugar-glazed carrots, but now I make my glazed carrots with maple syrup and orange juice for a more sophisticated taste--not to mention a bit healthier.

Carrots are boiled to achieve a tender bite, and then pan-roasted in a glaze made from maple syrup, orange juice, and garlic, which perfectly coats and caramelizes the carrots.

The natural sweetness of carrots is emphasized with a sweet maple orange glaze and the fresh minced garlic cuts through the sweetness to balance this easy side dish recipe.

Trust me if my kids are willing to eat these carrots, they deserve a place on your dinner table.

Notes on Ingredients

• Carrots: Use peeled carrots that have been cut into 1-inch chunks, or baby carrots to cut down on prep time.
• Maple Syrup: I love the earthiness and sweetness of maple syrup, but honey can of course be used in its place.
• Orange Juice: The acidity of the orange juice brings such a bright, refreshing flavor to the glaze on the carrots. It is my secret to really great glazed carrots.
• Minced Garlic: A little bit of fresh garlic helps to cut the sweetness of this dish, but you can certainly leave it out for a sweet version of glazed carrots.
• Butter (optional): If I am feeling really decadent, I add in a tablespoon of butter to round out the flavor of the carrots, but you can easily leave out the butter if you are dairy-free or vegan.

How To Make Glazed Carrots

This easy side dish comes together in about 20 minutes and in just 2 simple steps.

The first step is to parboil the carrots so that they are tender and easy to bite through. Just be sure you only simmer the carrots until they are JUST fork tender, so they hold their shape.

Next comes the magic--the simple orange glaze. Orange juice, maple syrup, and a bit of garlic work together to create a flavorful glaze that rivals the brown sugar glaze many of us grew up with. It is as easy as adding the ingredients of the glaze to the cooked carrots and simmering until the carrots are coated in a rich maple glaze. This only takes a few minutes.

Then your carrots are ready to plate up and serve. I added parsley for color, but my kids prefer the carrots without the green specks! 😉

More Carrot Recipes

• Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
• Carrot and Raisin Salad
• Instant Pot Carrot Cake Cheesecake
• Baked Carrot Cake Oatmeal 

Maple Orange Glazed Carrots

These Glazed Carrots are pan roasted with a sweet and savory glaze made from maple, orange, and garlic. They make a simple, yet impressive side dish that even the picky kids enjoy!

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 41kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• ▢ ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter optional
• ▢ ½ teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

• Peel and chop carrots into 1 inch coins. Place in stock pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until carrots are just fork tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain carrots and return to pan.
• Add in orange juice, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and butter if using, and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, or until the carrots are coated and the glaze begins to caramelize.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the orange zest and serve.

Notes

• Baby carrots will work in place of the diced carrots if desired.
• If you are looking for sweet glazed carrots, just omit the garlic from the glaze. You may want to add in a ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger to help balance the flavor cut through the sweetness of the maple orange glaze, but that is not necessary.
• They can be prepared up to 2 hours before serving and taste delicious room temperature as well as warm.
• Be sure to use pure maple syrup for these glazed carrots. If not, the taste will be artificial and overly sweet.
• Nutrition facts are an estimate and calculated without the butter. 
• Pro-Tip: Zest the orange BEFORE cutting to juice.

Nutrition

Calories: 41kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 97mg | Potassium: 48mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 12.3mg | Calcium: 14mg

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