Honey Glazed Carrots with Brown Butter
These honey glazed carrots with brown butter roast until tender and caramelized at the edges, then get tossed in a nutty brown butter and honey glaze with fresh thyme and a squeeze of lemon. Sweet, savory, and glossy — the easy Thanksgiving side dish that tastes like it took all day.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots rainbow or regular, peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans for serving (optional)
- Flaky sea salt for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the carrots: if using large carrots, halve them lengthwise so all pieces are roughly the same thickness; leave small baby carrots whole. Trim the tops to about 1 inch, if you like.
- Roast: toss the carrots with the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between pieces. Roast for 22 to 25 minutes, turning once halfway, until tender and caramelized at the edges.
- Brown the butter: while the carrots roast, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan often, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the butter foams, then turns golden brown and smells nutty, with brown specks at the bottom. Remove from the heat immediately so it does not burn.
- Make the glaze: stir the honey, garlic, thyme, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt into the brown butter. Return the skillet to low heat and cook for 30 seconds, just until the garlic is fragrant.
- Glaze the carrots: add the roasted carrots to the skillet and toss gently until every carrot is coated in the glossy brown butter honey glaze. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Serve: transfer to a serving platter, spoon over any extra glaze from the pan, and sprinkle with toasted pecans, extra thyme, and flaky sea salt, if using. Serve warm.
Notes
Cut carrots evenly. Pieces of the same thickness roast at the same rate — halving thick carrots lengthwise is the difference between tender carrots and a mix of burnt and raw ones.
Do not walk away from the butter. Brown butter goes from nutty and golden to burnt in under a minute — keep swirling and pull it off the heat the moment it smells like toasted hazelnuts.
Add the honey off high heat. Honey scorches fast, so stir it into the brown butter off the heat or over low heat only, just long enough to loosen into a glaze.
Roast, do not steam. A single layer with space between the carrots lets the edges caramelize; a crowded pan steams them soft and pale.
Make-ahead trick: roast the carrots up to a day ahead and refrigerate. Reheat in a 375°F oven for 10 minutes, then toss in a freshly made brown butter honey glaze just before serving.