Simple but delicious Orange Glazed Carrots that will definitely make your Christmas dinner plate more flavoursome and vibrant with colour! Cooked in a pan on the stovetop, this is a great recipe when you’re short on oven space cooking up a storm on Christmas day! Glazed with sweet and sour orange and brown sugar syrup, these Christmas Carrots are a perfect sidekick to turkey or ham!
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A Stovetop Christmas Side Dish
We are giving more traditional roasted maple-glazed carrots and parsnips a miss this year! Instead, we decided to use orange juice and create a lovely sweet and sour glazed carrot dish.
You won’t believe it, but it only takes 25 minutes to make! And it all goes in one pan! And it only requires 4 ingredients (plus seasoning)! No oven space is needed (which is always a welcome feature when cooking Christmas dinner). And most importantly, these orange glazed carrots are delicious!
Ingredients and Substitutes
Only 4 everyday ingredients are needed to make these pan-glazed carrots that will serve four people as a side dish:
- 500 g carrots: topped, tailed, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces.
- 1 tbsp butter: salted or unsalted – both will work.
- 1 orange: zested and juiced.
- 20 g brown sugar: we used light brown sugar to keep the colour vibrancy in this dish, but dark brown sugar will also work.
Garnish with some parsley or coriander if you wish to add to both the flavour and aesthetics.
Method
Start by peeling your carrots. We like to cut them into bite-size chunks so that they are quick to cook and to increase the surface area for glazing 🙂
Zest an orange. You can either squeeze the juice out of it at this stage or later directly into the pan.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan, then add your carrots and cook on high heat for 4 minutes until they are starting to brown. Tip in the brown sugar, and orange zest and squeeze in the orange juice.
Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Turn the heat down and simmer for 8-10 minutes until your carrots are cooked to your liking. We highly recommend not overcooking them so they still have a bit of crunch in them. Stir occasionally as the carrots cook.
Your Pan Glazed Carrots should be beautiful and glossy, inviting you to dig in. Sprinkle with some parsley if you wish and serve!
Tips and Tricks For The Best Glazed Carrots With Orange Juice
- Make sure your carrots are cut into uniform pieces. That way they will cook at the same rate.
- Use freshly squeezed orange juice. Bottled shop-bought juice will make the glaze too sweet.
- Use large juicy oranges. Since we’re using both the juice and the zest, try and look for unwaxed oranges.
- You can substitute brown sugar for maple syrup, agave nectar or honey.
- Prepare your carrots in advance. Peel and chop them up to 48 hours ahead of cooking them and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
Simply substitute the butter with a dairy-free alternative, like margarine or vegan butter.
It is likely that your orange wasn’t juicy enough, so you probably didn’t have enough liquid in your pan to start with. If you only have a small orange, add 1-2 tablespoon of water to the mix. It is also possible that you cooked your stovetop carrots on higher heat. Make sure to place them on a small rink and reduce the heat to a minimum, so that the carrots gently simmer in the glaze.
Other Christmas Side Dishes To Try
If you like this recipe, maybe we can tempt you to cook some of our other delicious Christmas sides, including:
- Balsamic-Glazed Red Cabbage Steaks | A Perfect Christmas Dinner Side
- Honey Mustard Glazed Brussels Sprouts
- Hasselback Potatoes | A Great Alternative To Roast Potatoes
Recipe Card
Pan Glazed Carrots With Orange Juice
Ingredients
- 500 g carrots peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 orange zested and juiced
- 20 g brown sugar
- a small bunch of parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the carrots and fry on high heat for 4-5 minutes until starting to brown.
- Add the brown sugar, orange zest and orange juice. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Reduce the heat and carry on cooking for another 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Your carrots should soften but still have a bit of crunch. If your carrot chunks are very large, you may need to cook for a bit longer.
- Sprinkle some finely chopped parsley on top and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Kathleen
Great flavor and so easy to make. This is one fantastic side dish.
Ieva
So glad you enjoyed it, Kathleen! 🙂
Toni
I love that it’s all done in one pan! So quick and easy! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Ieva
You are most welcome, Toni! 💗
Chenée
We had these as a Thanksgiving side dish, and everyone loved them!
Ieva
Thanks for trying our recipe! So glad you liked it!💗
Suja md
Absolutely delicious; thank you for this fantastic recipe! Very straightforward and easy to make. The dish came out perfectly. I will make it again!!
Ieva
Thanks! This makes me very very happy 🙂