Bourbon Maple Glazed Carrots
Try these scrumptious, easy and elegant Bourbon Maple Glazed Carrots for dinner guests or holiday entertaining. A few simple ingredients make for a special occasion side dish!
This Glazed Carrots Recipe is easy and elegant and you’ll want seconds and thirds!
Why You Must Make
- Years ago, I was given a bottle of bourbon-spiked maple syrup. Besides being a decadent pancake topper, I whipped up these elegant glazed carrots for an upscale holiday side dish.
- Glazing carrots is such an easy way to turn a normal vegetable side dish into something company-worthy!
- But now there’s no need to hunt down a specialty maple syrup as you can get the same results using both real maple syrup and a splash of bourbon.
- Alcohol is a flavor enhancer and much of it will evaporate as it simmers so that it’s generally safe for all ages to eat unless there are health reasons to avoid it.
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Butter, Salt, Pepper
- Carrots – Peeled and cut into thick diagonal slices
- Chicken Stock – I like Pacific Brand as it’s less salty and has a good flavor.
- Maple syrup – Make sure it’s real maple syrup, not artificially flavored like Log Cabin.
- Bourbon – If you’re not a bourbon drinker, check your grocery store or liquor store to see if they sell those small airplane-sized liquor bottles. Fresh Market locally carries these.
- Cider Vinegar – Less harsh than white vinegar
Maple Glazed Carrots
This fancy cooked carrots recipe can definitely be reserved for dinner guests or family holiday dinners, but they’re so easy to make, you can make them any day of the year. These carrots are a super simple side dish that takes a little extra time to cook.
Reducing the glaze takes about 30 minutes after already having to cook the carrots. But besides the extra step, there’s nothing complicated about these glazed carrots. And if you ask my hubby, he’d tell you they were worth the wait!
My usual method of making glazed carrots is to cook carrot slices or coins in water until tender, drain, then add butter and brown sugar to the carrots and heat until the sugar is melted. This recipe adds another step by using a more flavorful cooking liquid which includes chicken broth, maple syrup, and bourbon.
How to Make Glazed Carrots
- In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients.
- Bring to a boil, then decrease to a simmer until the carrots are tender.
- Remove carrots to a bowl, leaving the liquid in the pan.
- Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, and reduce the mixture to 1-1 1/4 cups, which takes about 30 minutes.
- Return carrots to the pan and add vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve.
Recipe Tips
The addition of maple syrup and bourbon gives some zest to ordinary carrots. If you don’t like cooking with alcohol, feel free to leave it out. If you’re serving children, the long reducing time should boil out almost all the alcohol.
- Make sure the carrots are covered in chicken broth, syrup, bourbon, and butter so they all cook at the same rate.
- Pro-Tip: Alcohol, like salt, is a flavor enhancer. Another reason this recipe is a winner!
- PRO-Tip: For a vegetarian version, feel free to use vegetable stock or salted water instead of chicken broth.
- Reduce the glaze to about 1 cup. The time will vary depending on how vigorously the liquid is boiling.
- If your chicken stock is salty, you may not need to add any extra salt to the carrots. Taste before seasoning. A little black pepper is recommended.
- PRO-Tip: To make orange glazed carrots instead, use ¼ cup each of butter and brown sugar, ⅓ cup of orange juice plus 1 teaspoon of orange zest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make these carrots ahead of time. Just store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Gently rewarm them in the microwave or in a saucepan before serving.
The time for cooking carrots will vary with the age and size of the carrots and the method used. Older carrots take longer and baby carrots will cook faster.
I prefer to boil or roast carrots. When boiling, thinly sliced carrots will take about 5 minutes, baby carrots 6-7 minutes, whole carrots 10-15 minutes, and roasted carrots 15-20 minutes (at 400° F).
There are so many flavors that pair well with carrots. Try apples, butter, caraway, and cheeses like cheddar, feta, and goat. Or add spices like cinnamon, cloves, cumin, dill, garlic, and ginger. Honey, lemon, mustard, oranges, potatoes, and onions are also delicious with carrots.
Leftovers are good for 3-4 days, just make sure to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You May Also Like:
- Melting Sweet Potatoes from Foodie with Family
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon from Barefeet in the Kitchen
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Spinach Souffle
- Praline Topped Sweet Potato Casserole
- Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Carrot Puff
- More of the Best Side Dish Recipes
Bourbon Maple Glazed Carrots Recipe
A simple maple syrup, bourbon glaze to take your carrots to the next level!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into thick diagonal slices
- 4-5 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1-2 tablespoons bourbon
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Salt, to taste (taste before seasoning)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine carrots, chicken stock, maple syrup, bourbon, and butter.
- Bring to a boil, then decrease to a simmer till carrots are tender, 30-40 minutes.
- Remove carrots to a bowl, leaving the liquid in the pan.
- Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, and reduce the mixture to 1-1 ¼ cups, about 30 minutes.
- Return carrots to the pan and add vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve.
Notes
Using baby carrots is not recommended unless you like the softer texture of them after cooking.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 336Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 1032mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 5gSugar: 28gProtein: 16g
16 Comments on “Bourbon Maple Glazed Carrots”
I always thought carrots as a side dish was a little boring for a holiday meal, but this is a WHOLE new take, and I LOVE it! Bourbon and maple make all the difference! Such a yummy combo 🙂
I adore cooked carrots and adding the bourbon gives me more reason to love them!
Thanks so much, Paula! Welcome 🙂
what a delicious blog! here is so many uncanny inspirations!
have a nice time,
Paula
I need to check out Melissa’s recipe, Kate! Thanks!
Thanks, Lizzie…wishing you a marvelous Thanksgiving, too!
Lizzy-Such a nice addition to the holiday table, with a festive bourbon addition. Glazed carrots are one of our favorite too, and this is yummy.
Also love your pumpkin pie, with the cute little pumpkin designs. Superb recipes.
Your such a good wife and mom to prepare ahead of time the Thanksgiving feast for your hubby and daughter.
HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING with your boys, and parents!
Alisa, I’ll be happy to when I get home from my Thanksgiving holiday!
Mary and Bakingserendpity, thanks so much for the nice comments 🙂
Oh, these look so great! What a great twist on a carrot dish! (Your dog is soooo cute too!)Great blog! Happy I found you!Mary xoDelightful Bitefuls
I love glazed carrots, but have never made them like this before! These look fantastic! Wishing you a great Thanksgiving 🙂
Oh your dog is adorable.My dog makes that face too when he knows im doing something on the counter.I’ll make this today.It looks delicious.I came across your site from the foodieblogroll and I’d love to guide Foodista readers to your site. I hope you could add this Carrot widget at the end of this post so we could add you in our list of food bloggers who blogged about carrots, Thanks!
Kelly Marie and katerina, thanks so much for stopping by! I doubt I’ll buy another bottle of the bourbon maple syrup since it should be just as good with the substitution. Hope you enjoy!!!
I don’t know if we have bourbon maple syrup here in Greece, but even we don’t I can use plain maple syrup and add a splash of bourbon. They look delicious.
Yum! Those look delish. I love carrots. I’m going to have to make this.~ Kelly Marie
Lisa, my husband adores carrots glazed with brown sugar and butter, so he really liked these…and you’re right, up a notch from the typical veggies we eat!
I didn’t know there was a bourbon maple syrup. What a neat flavor to add to carrots to really take them up a notch.