marilynpeight
These glazed carrots are a favorite of mine. The buttery brown sugar and cinnamon glaze compliments the carrots perfectly, plus tossing them in the slow cooker saves you countertop space and makes them an easy prep ahead option. These 15 minute carrots are a great option for a holiday side dish because their simplicity saves time for focusing on other dishes, but they are tasty enough to make an elegant side for the main course! If you love slow cooker sides, try my Smoky Crockpot Creamed Corn, Amish Style Mashed Potatoes, Ultimate Mashed Potatoes or Crab Stuffed Mushrooms.
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Easy Slow Cooker Glazed Carrots (with brown sugar)
Equipment
- Slow cooker (linked below)
- Cutting board (linked below)
- Chef's knife (linked below)
- measuring cups (linked below)
- Small mixing bowl (linked below)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds regular sized carrots *see note below on baby carrots
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch optional
Instructions
- Peel and cube the carrots into bite sized chunks, then place into a 3-4 quart crockpot. Melt the butter and place into a small mixing bowl, then whisk in the brown sugar, salt, ginger and ground cinnamon.
- Pour the butter and brown sugar mixture over the carrots (the mixture may be clumpy but will melt over the carrots in the slow cooker). Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. You may need to stir the carrots halfway through the slow cooking process to coat them evenly in sauce.
- Optional step: Once the carrots are soft, remove from the slow cooker and set aside. Pour the sauce from the crockpot into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Create a slurry of cornstarch and water by whisking the cornstarch into a tablespoon or two of water, then pour into the boiling brown sugar mixture while whisking rapidly. Reduce heat and continue to cook and stir for several minutes until thickened and clear. *see note.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked carrots and toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Equipment needed for these Easy Slow Cooker Glazed Carrots (with brown sugar).
- Slow cooker I prefer to use my 4 quart slow cooker for making these glazed carrots in. I have used my 2.5 quart crockpot (as shown in photos), but the 2.5 quart takes a bit longer to cook 2 pounds of carrots than the 4 quart crockpot does.
- Cutting board A cutting board is nice to have for trimming all the ends off of the carrots and for cubing them as well.
- Chef’s Knife I like to use a large chef’s knife for chunking the carrots, using a chef’s knife makes short work of a 2 pound bag of carrots!
- Measuring cups Measuring cups and spoons are needed to measure out the ingredients for the brown sugar and butter glaze.
- Mixing bowl I like to use a small mixing bowl to melt my butter in the microwave and then to mix in the rest of the ingredients needed for the sauce (minus the cornstarch which gets added later).
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Ingredients needed for these Easy Glazed Carrots made in the Crockpot: Carrots, butter, ginger, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar. Cornstarch is optional.
Wait, why is cornstarch an optional ingredient?
Technically you can enjoy these carrots in the sauce without the brown sugar sauce being thickened, but it is my personal preference to use cornstarch to thicken it into more of a glaze consistency. I have seen that some recommend simply removing the crockpot lid and turning the heat on high for 15 minutes to thicken the sauce into a glaze. While this method didn’t make the sauce thick enough for me, it is an option if you don’t mind the glaze being thin. You can also add more cornstarch than suggested in the recipe if you prefer the glaze to be even thicker.
Step 1: Peel and cube the carrots into bite sized chunks, then place into a 3-4 quart mixing bowl. Melt the butter and place into a small mixing bowl, then whisk in the brown sugar, salt, ginger and ground cinnamon.
Can baby carrots be used in this recipe?
Yes, two pounds of baby carrots could also be used in this recipe, but cooking times may need to be adjusted since baby carrots can take longer to cook than regular sized carrots. Baby carrots are often just the centers of older, regular sized carrots that have been trimmed down to baby carrot size. Because baby carrots are not as fresh (or so I’m told), they are woodier than regular carrots and can take longer to soften.
Step 2: Pour the butter and brown sugar mixture over the carrots (the mixture may be clumpy but will melt over the carrots in the slow cooker). Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. You may need to stir the carrots halfway through the slow cooking process to coat them evenly in sauce.
Step 3-4: Optional step: Once the carrots are soft, remove from the slow cooker and set aside. Pour the sauce from the crockpot into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Create a slurry of cornstarch and water by whisking the cornstarch into a tablespoon or two of water, then pour into the boiling brown sugar mixture while whisking rapidly. Reduce heat and continue to cook and stir for several minutes until thickened and clear. Combine the carrots with the glaze, then serve and enjoy!
Prep ahead options for these slow cooker glazed carrots.
Although these carrots are super easy to make, if you wish to cut back on even more prep time, the brown sugar and butter mixture could be made a day or two before and then refrigerated. To use the butter mixture, simply reheat it in the microwave or on the stove top before pouring over the carrots in the crockpot. You can also peel and cube the carrots the day before and then keep them covered and refrigerated until you are ready to cook them.
Storage for leftover glazed carrots:
Leftovers can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for 4-5 days. These carrots taste great reheated! You can also freeze these carrots (if cooked) for several months before thawing and reheating.
Inspiration for today:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him. Male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27. You are created in God’s own image! Embrace yourself and others around you, because God created you (and those around you) to be a special creation that mirrors his goodness and likeness. And trust me, God never makes mistakes!
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