These are the carrots that show up glossy and smug in a restaurant: tender all the way through, lacquered with butter + brown sugar, and mysteriously gone before the entrée hits the table.
The trick is two-stage cooking: par-cook the carrots first (fast + controlled), then glaze hard and fast in a skillet so the sugar doesn’t have time to burn while the carrots figure out how to be tender.
Snapshot
- Implements: medium pot; colander; large skillet with lid; tongs or spatula; measuring spoons
- Stove setting: boil for blanching, then medium-high for glazing (about 5–7 minutes)
- Batch size: ~1½ lb (680 g) carrots (4–6 side servings)
Ingredients
Carrots
- 1½ lb (680 g) carrots, peeled
- Cut style: ½-inch (1.25 cm) thick coins or batons/sticks (just keep them even)
- Salt for the blanching water
Cinnamon brown sugar glaze (no honey)
- 3 tbsp (42 g) butter, divided (salted or unsalted both work)
- 2–3 tbsp (25–38 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon, plus a pinch to finish
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use ~¼ tsp if using fine salt), plus more to taste
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water, plus splashes as needed
- Optional: pinch black pepper (quietly excellent here)
Optional finishers (highly recommended if you like balance)
- ½ tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (adds “this tastes like a real dish” energy)
- Optional: a little orange zest (cinnamon + orange = instant holiday brain)
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Method
Par-cook the carrots (the restaurant move)
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until they’re almost tender (still a tiny bit firm in the center):
- Coins: ~3–5 minutes
- Batons: ~5–7 minutes
Drain well. If you have 30 seconds of patience, shake the colander and let steam escape so the carrots dry off a bit (water on the carrots = watery glaze later).
Start the glaze base
Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp of the butter.
When melted (and just starting to foam), add the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and optional pepper. Stir for 20–30 seconds until it looks syrupy and smells like caramel + cinnamon.
Glaze, steam, and reduce
Add the drained carrots and toss until coated.
Add ¼ cup water, cover, and cook 1–2 minutes to heat through and finish tenderizing.
Uncover and let the liquid reduce, tossing frequently, until the glaze is thick, shiny, and clings to the carrots. If it tightens too fast or looks like it’s about to go from “glaze” to “candy shard,” add a splash of water and keep tossing.
Turn off the heat. Add the remaining 1 tbsp butter (cold if possible) and toss until glossy.
Taste. If it’s too sweet, add the lemon juice/vinegar a few drops at a time. Finish with a pinch more cinnamon if you want the aroma to pop.
Serve
Serve immediately while the glaze is at peak shine. These hold OK for a bit, but they’re best right off the pan.
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Notes, swaps, and guardrails
Why blanch first?
If you try to cook raw carrots and reduce sugar in the same skillet, you’re asking the sugar to wait politely while the carrots soften. Sugar does not have that kind of emotional regulation.
Blanching gets the carrots 80–90% done so the skillet stage can be short, hot, and glossy.
If the glaze gets grainy
- Add a splash of water, lower the heat, and stir until smooth again.
- Avoid letting the glaze boil angrily dry while you’re looking away.
One-pan version (skip blanching)
It works, but it’s a little higher-risk:
In the skillet, melt butter + brown sugar + cinnamon + salt, add carrots, add ½ cup (120 ml) water, cover 6–10 minutes (depending on cut), then uncover and reduce to a glaze. Keep the heat moderate so the sugar doesn’t go dark before the carrots soften.
Scaling
Glazing wants surface area. If you double the carrots, use a bigger pan or two pans (crowding turns “glaze” into “sweet carrot soup”).