Honey Glazed Carrots with Chili Powder

Cooked Carrots, With A Twist

I love carrots, don’t you? They’re so familiar, probably because carrots are cheap, nutritious, and easily available. I particularly love organic carrots which seem to taste extra sweet, but I’m not fond of so-called “baby carrots.” Don’t get me going on those tasteless things. They’re either dry or slimy. Yuck. 

I have a plethora of recipes for carrots on my site: carrots in the slow cooker, braised and glazed carrots, roasted carrots , carrots in soup, carrots in tacos (yes! tacos!), sheet pan dinners with carrots, carrot vinaigrette, carrot pasta sauce, even carrot souffle. Carrots are obviously one of my favorite foods, and hopefully yours too. 

Make these honey glazed carrots with chili powder soon. They are a perfect side dish for any meal, including holiday dinners. I’m betting you’ll come back to this recipe time and time again. I know I do. 

Braised Honey Glazed Carrots

These honey glazed carrots are prepared in a skillet on the stove, just like my popular brown sugar glazed carrots with bourbon. The carrots are lightly seared and then covered and cooked at lower heat until tender. This cooking technique is called braising, a term you may be more familiar with when cooking meat. Many tougher cuts of meat are cooked using this method, such as pot roast, pork loin roast, and braised beef.

Braising works perfectly for carrots, too. When you boil carrots and discard the cooking water, many of the vitamins and minerals are lost down the drain. Braising the carrots preserves all that good nutrition (just one serving contains 19,101 IU of Vitamin A!).

Ingredient Notes

• Carrots: You’ll need one and a half pounds of carrots. Look for large bright orange carrots that are firm and crisp. I prefer organic carrots because they have a sweeter flavor. Rainbow carrots are a fun choice, too.
• Olive Oil: The carrots are browned in a bit of olive oil before braising. The olive oil has a higher smoke point than butter.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter if you can. The butter is an essential part of the glaze.
• Honey: Glazes almost always have a sweet component. The honey is flavorful and coats the carrots beautifully.
• Chili Powder: This blend of earthy spices gives the carrots a bit of an unexpected punch. I think you’ll find that chili powder pairs beautifully with the sweet carrots. Keep in mind that most chili powder blends also contain salt so you won’t need much additional salt.

How To Make Glazed Carrots

Prep the carrots. Peel and rinse the carrots. I like to slice them at angle, on the bias, for more visual interest.

Brown carrots. Heat a little olive oil in the skillet. Add the carrots, and sear slightly, for about 5 minutes. This step is important because the browning process intensifies the sweet flavor of carrots.

Steam. Carefully add a quarter cup of water to the pan. Expect a lot of steam! Cover the pan. Since carrots are pretty hard and crisp, this step will soften the carrots by steaming them. After about 5 minutes, the carrots should be fork tender, depending on how thick you sliced them. If not, put the cover back on and steam them a minute or two longer.

Add glaze. To glaze the carrots, add the butter, honey, and chili powder and stir well until all the carrots are coated. Stir and cook until all the water is evaporated and the carrots have a nice shiny glaze. This shouldn’t take more than a minute or two. The carrots will look beautiful, a shiny vibrant orange, and will taste even better, sweet and spicy. Enjoy!

Easy Recipe Variations

• Use a different sweetener. Try brown sugar or another sweetener like agave syrup, maple syrup, or coconut sugar instead of honey.
• Make this recipe vegan and dairy-free. Omit the butter, add more olive oil, and use a vegan sweetener.
• Try a different spice. If chili powder isn’t your thing, try paprika, smoked paprika, cumin, or another spice of your choice. Cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg are great, too. I love these crockpot carrots with cinnamon glaze.
• Garnish with herbs. Fresh herbs like thyme, basil, or parsley add a flavorful note, and look pretty, too.

Serving Suggestions

Glazed carrots go well with many main course dishes. Serve them with baked salmon, breaded air fryer pork chops, or homemade classic meatloaf. They are a good accompaniment to Swedish meatballs, herb-roasted turkey breast, or crockpot ham.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Get a head start. Peel and slice the carrots and put them, ready to cook, in a zip top bag for up to 3 days.

Make ahead. Make the glazed carrots and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. Honey glazed carrots are perfect for holiday dinners. The carrots can be reheated in a slow cooker if you want to free up the stove.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftover carrots can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to six months although the texture will be affected. Thaw overnight before reheating.

Reheat: Gently reheat carrots on the stove or in the microwave oven when ready to serve. Honey glazed carrots are perfect for holiday dinners. The carrots can be reheated in a slow cooker if you want to free up the stove.

Post, recipe, and photos updated 2/17/2020.