This honey glazed carrots recipe is your next hit side dish! The different colors of the carrots combined with the seasoned flavor of the honey and spices, makes this dish so unique. You will have no problem eating your vegetables with this recipe!

Ok, so I know what you’re thinking…what is so good about a honey glazed carrots recipe? It’s basically just carrots right? Wrong! Combined with the honey and spices, and a sprinkle of toasted pecans, you cannot go wrong with this dish.

For a vegetable side dish, this honey glazed carrots recipe is super flavorful and is the perfect compliment to your main dish. Hold on, it might be on par with the main dish served!

This will totally be your next go-to side dish recipe and will be the perfect dish to be served at a family gathering!

This post will go over everything you need to know to create this spiced honey glazed carrots recipe with pecans.

Recipe difficulty: Beginner (of course!)
With less than 10 ingredients used and only one pan, this recipe is not at all difficult! The hardest component would just be peeling the carrots if selected!

Sam’s Pro Tips for this Spiced Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe with Pecans

What kind of carrots should I use? No joke, the best carrots I have seen success with in this honey glazed carrots recipe is rainbow carrots. It’s not that there is a significant taste difference between regular carrots and rainbow carrots, but this visually makes this dish look so appealing! With the uniqueness of the rainbow carrots in this recipe, people will definitely want to try it!

Have your carrots gone limp or flimsy before you were able to make this recipe? So this is a favorite trick of mine given by a family member. If your carrots have gone limp and lost that crunch, place the carrots in a container with ice water and stick in the refrigerator for a couple hours. These carrots will firm right up and get its crunch back!

Why do I need to toast the pecans? Is this step necessary? Yes! I have made this easy honey glazed carrots recipe before without toasting the pecans and toasting the pecans. There is totally a difference! The nuts taste way nuttier, the flavor is totally improved, and the color changes to a darker warm brown color adding to the appeal of the dish. I think of the nuts they sell at the fair as its usually toasted and taste so good by itself!

How will I know if my carrots are cooked all the way through? In this simple honey glazed carrots recipe, I just slice the carrots after peeled resulting in a circular cut of different sizes depending on the carrots. You may get some slices that are thicker than others. The first step to tell if your carrots is cooked is through the darkened color. The carrots won’t look as bright as when you first sliced it. Next, it should appear tender. Your final check, and I know this sounds really simple but it works, is to taste one of your larger slices to see if it is cooked through. You’ll know immediately if the larger slice of the carrots was cooked through or not.

Key Ingredients – Spiced Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe with Pecans

Below are some key ingredients for this recipe:

Rainbow carrots: Seriously the best carrots to use are the rainbow carrots. I used the Trader Joe’s and the Organic Carrots of Many Colors, which are essentially rainbow carrots. You don’t need to use this brand, but getting this two pound bag makes it so simple! Another question I typically get is if I need to peel my carrots? I think this is a matter of personal preference. Since these carrots I used were organic, there wasn’t really a need to peel the carrots. However, I like the look of the peeled carrots more when I cook, and I don’t like it looking gritty. Either way though, works just fine!

Honey: Ok here’s the magic sauce of this recipe! The honey is what blends all the spiced flavor together and makes these honey carrots so good! The sweetness of the honey makes this more than a simple vegetable dish, and you will actually want to eat your vegetables!

Pecans: Love this dish with the toasted chopped pecans! The nutty flavor paired with the carrots gives a nice rounded bite, and is a great topping enhancer when plating. Totally makes this dish look so unique!

Garlic: The minced garlic in this honey glazed carrots recipe adds a nice herb flavor combined with the spices. Adding this near the end of the cooking time really ensures that hint of garlic flavor is still there.

Spices: I used chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. The spices are not too overpowering combined with the honey and gives just the right kick so this dish is not bland.

ingredients used for honey glazed carrots recipe

More Variations to this Recipe

There are a few ways you can variate this honey glazed carrots recipe. Here’s how:

Add more sweetness: I have seen other carrot recipes with a hint of brown sugar added. Or with either balsamic or ginger added into the dish. I have not personally made this myself, but totally comment below and let me know if you have!

What can I pair with this dish? So when I think of a honey glazed carrots recipe, I think of Thanksgiving or a family feast. This side dish can be paired with almost any type of meat or fish dish. It will also compliment almost any main dish nicely! Try our Best Shrimp Scampi Recipe with Pasta, as the spiciness of the shrimp will go great with the sweetness of the honey in this recipe.

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Ingredients

2 pounds rainbow carrots peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons honey
⅓ cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Toast the chopped pecans at 350°F for about 5-6 minutes. Keep an eye on the nuts so that it doesn't burn! See note below. In a sauté pan over medium low heat, add the unsalted butter and olive oil.
Once the butter melts, place the sliced rainbow carrots in the pan and sauté with the butter and oil. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the minced garlic, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Mix well in the pan. Reduce to low heat and cover the pan for another 5-7 minutes. Stir the rainbow carrots occasionally.
Remove from heat once the rainbow carrots are tender and toss with honey and chopped pecans in the sauté pan. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper depending on preference. Enjoy!

Notes

I used the toaster oven to toast my chopped pecans. I lined a small baking pan with aluminum foil, and toasted for 6 minutes until the nuts were a darker brown. Remember to keep an eye on the nuts as it can burn fast!
These carrots do not need to be peeled. This is a matter of personal preference as I just prefer my carrots peeled so it doesn’t look gritty when cooked. See Key Ingredients – Spiced Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe with Pecans for further details.
Refer to Sam’s Pro Tips for this Spiced Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe with Pecans for discussion on how to ensure the carrots are cooked through.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some tips to make glazed carrots?

Try adding honey as the last step when cooking the carrots in honey. By adding the honey last while the carrots are still hot will allow the honey to form a glaze on the carrots without overcooking it.

What is honey glazed?

A honey glazed coating on your dish forms when its added as the last step while the food is still hot. By cooking the food with the honey at the end, a honey glaze will form.

Do you need to peel carrots?

This is a matter of personal preference. Technically, after washing and scrubbing the skin of the carrot, it’s fine to eat as is. However, this visually will make your dish look different.

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Spiced Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe with Pecans

Sam’s Pro Tips for this Spiced Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe with Pecans

Key Ingredients – Spiced Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe with Pecans

More Variations to this Recipe