Brown Sugar Carrots
7 Comments Nov 17, 2025
Updated Dec 02, 2025
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This easy brown sugar carrot recipe has plenty of butter, brown sugar and holiday spices. Make a cheap vegetable into a fancy side dish.
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Made this tonight. Only thing I did different was put them in a round baking dish after they cooked on high for four hours. I added some of the liquid they cooked in and put them in the oven on 350 for about 30 minutes or so. Oh, and I did add more cinnamon by mistake but it was a good mistake.
-lynn
My brown sugar carrots recipe is one to print and save for the holidays. These carrots have all the flavors of sweet potato casserole, but in carrot form. This dish rounds out the table with very little effort, I know you will love it.
Key Ingredients
Carrots: Grab a small bag of carrots; they’ll need to be peeled and sliced.
Butter: Use salted butter in this recipe, it adds the needed salt and makes a velvety sauce.
Brown Sugar: You may think this is a lot of sugar, this side dish is meant to be sweet – like sweet potato dishes are.
Spices: We go full holiday on this one, you will need cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of cloves.
How to Make Brown Sugar Carrots
- Add the sliced carrots to the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle on the spices and brown sugar, then add the butter.
- Slow cook until the carrots are tender and coated in a sweet, glossy sauce.
Sarah’s Tips & Variations
Baby Carrots: Use two bags of baby carrots instead of slicing and peeling.
Maple Syrup: Instead of brown sugar, use a 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
More Decadent: Add a splash of heavy cream and a little vanilla extract.
More Savory (and less sweet): Cut the sugar in half, and add 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary and two minced garlic cloves.
My Favorite Things to Serve with Brown Sugar Carrots
Main Dish: We love this Holiday Ham, or Slow Cooker Turkey Breast to go along with this sweet carrot recipe.
Other Sides: To round out the meal, try my Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce, and Crockpot Baked Beans.
Can I prep these carrots ahead of time?
Yes! You can get everything ready to go and just dump in the slow cooker when your ready to cook. I actually prep these on the counter a few hours ahead of time, for nothing is perishable in that amount of time.
Brown Sugar Carrots Recipe
How to Video
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. carrots
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp. ground cloves
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup salted butter, (one stick)
Instructions
- Peel the carrots, slice them in 1/4 inch slices, discarding tops. Add to the slow cooker. Add the water.
- Sprinkle over the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Add the brown sugar evenly over the top. Then slice the cold butter and add on top.
- Cover and cook on high 3.5 hours or on low for 5-6. Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your carrots. Stir and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Made this tonight. Only thing I did different was put them in a round baking dish after they cooked on high for four hours. I added some of the liquid they cooked in and put them in the oven on 350 for about 30 minutes or so. Oh, and I did add more cinnamon by mistake but it was a good mistake 🙂
Sounds just like your candied carrots recipe except with the addition of butter, cloves, and extra brown sugar. Gotta say though When I did candied carrots for my veg for last year’s Thanksgiving 1/2 cup of brown sugar was plenty sweet for me so I think I’ll be using the same amount this year if I make this one (gotta watch my sugars anyway….I’m on metformin twice a day now)…I’m betting the butter should make things better….sauce seemed kinda watery for the candied carrots.
sounds great!
How do the carrots glaze? The crock pot is creating more moisture as it cooks.
It’s a sugary syrup, not terribly thick.
can I make them the day before and reheat?
Yes, that would work great!