We try to eat a lot of vegetables at our house. They are so good for you! Unfortunately, our kids don’t always agree. Every parent has had a fight about vegetables with their kids. We’ve had our fair share of dinner battles. But, these balsamic glazed carrots are a miracle! Every single one of our kids will eat them. From a picky 7-year-old, all the way down to our teething toddler. They are soft and sweet and oh. so. easy.
Not only will our kids eat these carrots, but they request them! One of our sons asks for them on a weekly basis. They are so simple to make that it’s not hard to say yes.
I do have to throw in a disclaimer, these are not crazy healthy. You are essentially drenching them in sugar and butter, but they are vegetables. So, that’s something. 😉
We usually cook these carrots on the grill outside. It just takes a few minutes and that little bit of charring you get from the grill combines beautifully with the glaze. That being said, we do live in Idaho. So it’s nice to have the option to cook them in the oven as well. And they are almost as good in the oven as they are cooked on the grill.
Balsamic Glazed Carrots
Get your ingredients. Let’s do this!
If you keep your carrots in the fridge, pull them out early so they can warm up to room temperature. Otherwise your butter will solidify in the glaze and it’ll be hard to apply to the carrots. Once the carrots are room temperature, peel them and cut them in half. You can skip this step if you are using baby carrots.
Combine 3 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Heat them together in the microwave. Mix well. Apply the glaze generously to the carrots.
Place the carrots flat side down on the grill (or a cookie sheet if you are oven roasting). Keeping the flat side down will help the carrots stay in place until they become soft. It’s not essential, but it can be a pain to deal with the carrots as they roll around. Once they are soft and ready to flip, they won’t roll around as much.
Apply more glaze halfway through roasting the carrots. Flip and continue cooking.
Once the carrots are soft and nicely browned, it’s time to pull them off. Salt to taste. You won’t need a lot, but the salt helps offset the sweetness in the carrots.
Add these carrots to our Honey and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham for an easy holiday dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots, peeled, cut in half (for large carrots), and at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Add butter, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar into a microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave for 30 seconds, or until the butter is melted and the mixture combines easily.
- Coat the carrots with the balsamic vinegar glaze.
- Grill on the barbecue grill or roast the carrots in the oven.
- For grilling on the barbecue, place the carrots cut side (flat side) down first. Grill on high for 6-8 minutes per side. Use any excess mixture to brush on carrots halfway through grilling.
- For roasting in the oven, place the carrots cut side down on a cookie sheet. Roast the carrots at 415° F for 20-25 minutes. Brush excess mixture onto the carrots halfway through cooking.
- Sprinkle with salt to taste.
