Free up your oven and stove top and make these delicious Maple and Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots in your slow cooker. The perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish, made easily and hands free. Vegetarian, gluten-free, and perfect for the whole family. You will not have to tell them to eat their veggies when you serve up this special side. Great for making ahead, and for potlucks too!
Have you ever had a family style potluck Thanksgiving Dinner? If not, I envy you! Everyone is asked to bring a side or two, and then you get to bicker and bargain about who gets to use the oven to reheat their beloved offering to the family table. No one wants to serve up their dish cold, and thus risk being thought of as a bad cook, and so the competition is real y'all!
Forgo all the drama and instead do as I do: bring a Slow Cooker side dish. All you have to do is plug it in, set it to "low" or "warm" and walk away. Pour yourself a nice glass of Pinot Grigio and go watch Football with the men. 😂 You can thank me later.
An Easy Slow Cooker Side Dish
It isn't just Thanksgiving that benefits from Slow Cooker dishes! A good crock pot can get you through Christmas, New Year's, Easter, potlucks, BBQ's, church fellowship meals, and pretty much any event you can think of. As long as there is an outlet, you can make your meal in advance, strap it into the car, and reheat when you get there. Everyone (especially the host) will appreciate a warm meal that does not compete for the beloved and much coveted oven space.
These Slow Cooker Maple Glazed Carrots are delicious, sweet, warm, and so satisfying for your favorite Fall meals. You're going to love the easy prep, and the comforting flavors that this yummy side dish brings to the table. I hope they will become a new tradition in your home, as they have in mine.
Ingredients
- Baby carrots: You will need a total of 2 pounds of baby carrots. You can use one large bag, or several smaller bags. If you prefer to use fresh whole carrots you can definitely do that! Peel and chop your carrots into sticks or coins for the best results.
- Maple syrup: Because the maple flavor is a focus here, I highly recommend that you use real maple syrup for this recipe. While substitutions can be made (see the "Substitutions" section below), there is nothing like the real thing!
- Brown sugar: You will need about ¼ cup of packed brown sugar. Dark, light, or regular are all perfectly fine options! If you don't have brown sugar, you can make your own with sugar and molasses.
- Butter: You will need ⅓ cup of cubed, salted butter. This adds such a lovely flavor to these carrots! Since we have a good amount of sweetness in this recipe, I love to use salted butter, but you can use unsalted if you prefer.
- Cinnamon: Is it even Fall if you haven't added cinnamon to literally every food?
- Salt: Just a little bit of salt balances the flavors perfectly. If you used unsalted butter, you may want to increase the total salt in the recipe by a little bit.
How to Make Slow Cooker Glazed Carrots
Add the baby carrots to the insert of a 6qt slow cooker.
Sprinkle in the salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Stir well to combine.
Pour in the maple syrup and toss well to distribute the maple syrup.
Spread the coated carrots out evenly in the slow cooker.
Top with the cubes of butter, and add the lid to the slow cooker.
Cook on "high" for 3 hours, or on "low" for 5-6 hours. If possible, stir the carrots 1-2 times during the cook time.
Thicken the Maple and Brown Sugar Glaze
Method 1: remove the lid for the final 30 minutes of cooking, and switch onto "high". Cook until the glaze has thickened.
Method 2: transfer the carrots to a large bowl and cover with a plate to keep warm. Transfer the liquid to a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk, cooking until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Of the two methods to thicken the glaze, the saucepan method works the best.
Substitutions
Maple syrup: If you can't find real maple syrup, you may substitute it for honey, corn syrup, or pancake syrup. You can also opt to increase the brown sugar to ¾ cup and omit the maple syrup.
Baby carrots: If you do not have baby carrots, you can use fresh whole carrots. Peel 2 pounds of carrots, and cut into strips or coins. Cook until a knife can easily pierce through the center of your carrot pieces.
Dairy free: Substitute the butter for ⅓ cup of butter-flavored coconut oil, or dairy free spread.
Refined sugar free: Substitute the brown sugar for ¼ cup of coconut sugar, 3 tablespoons of honey, OR increase the maple syrup to ¾ cup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Carrots will soften and cook thoroughly in a slow cooker, so long as they are cooked for long enough. Carrots need a longer cook time than softer vegetables, so they should only be used in recipes that cook for at least 2 ½ hours on high, or 4 ½ hours on low. If you have difficulty with your carrots cooking all the way through, try cutting them into smaller pieces.
Glazed carrots reheat incredibly well, so you can make them in advance if needed. Just reheat in the microwave, in a slow cooker set to low or warm, or in a foil-covered baking dish in the oven.
The most important thing about cooking vegetables in the slow cooker is making sure you do not overcook them. Some vegetables are firm and require a longer cook time (potatoes, carrots, turnips, etc), and some require very little time to cook thoroughly (peas, corn, beans, etc). For the best results, add any soft vegetables close to the end of the cook time to avoid overcooking.
You can overcook almost anything in a crock pot, but carrots are much more difficult to overcook. You would need to cook them for a very long time in order to do this, so be sure to follow the cook time in the recipe.
More Fall-Inspired Recipes
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Slow Cooker Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby carrots
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup real maple syrup
- ⅓ cup butter cubed
Instructions
- Add the baby carrots to the insert of a 6qt slow cooker.
- Sprinkle in the salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Stir well to combine.
- Pour in the maple syrup and toss well to distribute the maple syrup.
- Spread the coated carrots out evenly in the slow cooker.
- Top with the cubes of butter, and add the lid to the slow cooker.
- Cook on "high" for 3 hours, or on "low" for 5-6 hours. If possible, stir the carrots 1-2 times during the cook time.
- To thicken the glaze, remove the lid for the final 30 minutes of cooking and switch to "high." Cook until the glaze has thickened. Alternatively, transfer the carrots to a large bowl and cover with a plate to keep warm. Transfer the liquid to a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk, cooking until thickened, about 5 minutes. The saucepan works the best for this particular recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Jeanette says
If I half this recipe any idea if the cooking time changes for low cooking?
Dolly {Dash for Dinner} says
You could probably reduce the cooking time by a little bit - maybe an hour or two? You could check them around the halfway point to see if the carrots are cooked through and tender.
Gwen Ninmer says
how long would it take for 4 pounds of baby carrots in a slow cooker?
Dolly {Dash for Dinner} says
Hi Gwen! I haven't tested it for this recipe, but I would say at least 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. I think the most important thing would be to stir it a few times to make sure the carrots have a chance to evenly cook. You could also try using a larger slow cooker with more surface area like an 8qt or a roaster.
Deborah says
is the cinnamon necessary? my oldest is allergic.
Dolly {Dash for Dinner} says
Not at all! It does add a nice flavor, but you could add a pinch of nutmeg, ginger, or cloves (or all three) to still get that seasonal-inspired flavor.
Michelle Marie Barclay says
Thank you for this recipe. Such a time saver and space saver. I want to take the carrots out and serve on a nice platter once cooked. Do you have any suggestions for a nice garnish to put on top? Something green perhaps?
Thank you.
Michelle
Dolly {Dash for Dinner} says
Hi Michelle! You could add something green for some color. Parsley would probably be one of the best choices since it isn't strong in flavor, but I wouldn't add a lot. Just a few sprinkles would do!
Katy Cucuzza says
If you make ahead, do you wait and thicken the glaze when you reheat to serve?
Dolly {Dash for Dinner} says
I would! I think it would work well to add the liquid into a small pot or container and keep in the fridge. Then thicken the glaze while you reheat the carrots.
Trent says
Sounds delicious! Will try it this week. How does it turn out if I don’t have brown sugar on hand?
Dolly {Dash for Dinner} says
Hi Trent! I haven't tried it without, but you could try a little white sugar OR some white sugar with molasses mixed in if you have that on hand.
Christine says
Can you also cut the baby carrots into coins? Does that affect cooking time in the crock pot?
Dolly {Dash for Dinner} says
I would probably avoid cutting the baby carrots into coins because they would be *very* small and I think it would be easy to get mushy. Regular carrots cut into coins would be fine though!
Patti says
When I cooked this on low in the crockpot (so they were in there a while), they turned a darker color. The flavor was great and the texture good, but the carrots no longer had that fresh, orange color.
Rosemary says
Family thought they tasted really good but they were not very eye appealing. The carrots turned a brownish color. Did not remain orange looking. Any idea why? I'm guessing it was due to any or all of the brown sugar, maple syrup or even the cinnamon. How do I keep the carrots from turning color?
Dorothy Bigelow says
I'm not sure! When I make the recipe there is a brown color to the glaze but the carrots are still mostly orange. It might have to do with the original carrots that were grown. As a gardener, sometimes I have carrots that are less pigmented than others, all depending on the growing conditions and quality of the soil.
Fredia says
Ok, but not as good as Cracker Barrel’s. I will try again. Thanks.
Lori Kearney says
Made these for Thanksgiving lunch and they were a huge hit! I did them in the slow cooker for 4 hours on high and then kept warm through the afternoon. Because of some dietary needs in the group, I used plant based butter by Country Crock. Carrots were perfect!