Perfectly spiced, these roasted carrots are glazed in a mouthwatering sweet and savory glaze, and are the perfect no-fuss side dish for any dinner or gathering! The most tender and delicious roasted carrots, made easily in the slow cooker!
Who’s excited for Thanksgiving? Can you believe it’s so close?! I’m ready, but man it’s a crazy time of year.
Side dishes are some of my favorite holiday food, but usually they all need the oven.
With multiple dishes all fighting for oven space, it’s nice to have a recipe that’s cooked in a different way. Like the slow cooker!
These carrots cook in the glaze, getting super tender and soaking up all that amazing flavor. You can serve them as is, or pop them in the broiler (once everything else is out of the oven) for a tiny bit to caramelize them a little.
If you’re looking for other amazing holiday dishes, try my Copycat HoneyBaked Ham, Slow Cooker Turkey Breast, Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, Homemade Mac and Cheese, Broccoli Salad and more!
How to make sweet and savory roasted carrots
- Start by picking the best looking carrots. I love the look of the whole baby carrots, so I found some in my local grocery store that were great looking! If you can’t find the whole young/baby carrots, you can use regular carrots, and halve them lengthwise. Alternately, you can also use bagged baby carrots.
- Pick a slow cooker the carrots fit in. If you’re using the whole carrots, you want an oval slow cooker so they’re not all mushed up.
- The cooking time depends on the thickness of your carrots. On the thinner side, and they’ll be tender in about 6 hours… on the thicker side, and they may take 7.
Making roasted carrots in the oven
I came up with this recipe so you’d free up some oven space, since on most holidays, the oven is usually way too full. BUT, maybe your oven isn’t busy… or you’re making this for a non-holiday dinner, and want it ready quickly.
You’ll have to make a few adjustments:
- Reduce the preserves amount down to 1/4 cup
- Reduce the butter down to 1 Tbsp and add 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- Omit the water and cornstarch completely
How long does it take to roast carrots
You can roast these at several oven temperatures (if you choose to go that route), but 375°F is my favorite. It allows them to get gloriously caramelized, without drying them out, or burning them. Your oven roasted carrots will be ready in 30-40 minutes, depending on how thick the carrots are, stirring about 17-20 minutes into the cooking time.
Making slow cooker roasted carrots using bagged baby carrots
Sometimes it’s challenging to find the whole baby carrots, but those handy bags of roughly 2 inch long baby carrots are always readily available! The good news is, you can absolutely use those to make this recipe, with only one small adjustment. The cooking time. Generally, they’ll be ready sooner… so they only need to cook on LOW for 4-5 hours.
I hope you give these “roasted” carrots a try… for a holiday or even a casual dinner!!
My Favorite Slow Cooker!
I had this crockpot for a while now, and I really love how it cooks. The locking lid feature is amazing for taking foods to potlucks or other gatherings!
Recipe originally published in March 2018 and has been updated with additional information in November 2021.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs whole baby carrots washed, peeled and all but 1 inch of carrot tops removed
- 1/3 cup apricot or peach preserves
- 6 Tbsp butter melted
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1-2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 Tbsp water
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine preserves, butter, honey, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, salt, dried thyme, ground mustard, and black pepper.
- Separately, combine cornstarch and water, then whisk or stir that mixture into the sauce.
- Place carrots in 3 – 6 quart slow cooker, and pour sauce over them. Stir gently to combine. Cover with lid and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, or until tender.
For a sticky caramelized finish:
- Place cooked carrots on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and broil on HIGH for a minute or two, until slightly caramelized. Brush with leftover glaze from the slow cooker and serve.
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Chef Tips
Oven Roasted Method
- Reduce the preserves amount down to 1/4 cup
- Reduce the butter down to 1 Tbsp and add 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- Omit the water and cornstarch completely
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Joanne says
When using 2 lbs of the baby carrots, does one need to double the recipe?
The Chunky Chef says
No, as this recipe calls for 2 baby carrots already 🙂
Kim says
I would love to make this recipe, however my vegan daughter will not eat honey. Do you think I could use real maple syrup, or would it be too sweet?
The Chunky Chef says
Have you considered agave nectar? Maple syrup would work, might be a touch sweet, but not overly so 🙂
Sunflower says
These look fantastic. I don’t have any preserves though. Does it matter?
The Chunky Chef says
Well it’s one of the ingredients, so it matters, but you could try cutting it out and see how they turn out. I’ve only tested the recipe as written.
Brandie says
Can I add broccoli to this
The Chunky Chef says
You can, although I’m not sure of the timing since broccoli may cook faster.
Bee Be says
Hi, I made these for 4 people and it just wasn’t enough as they were so good. This time for Thanksgiving for 10 people. I have an 8qt slow cooker and 5 lbs of medium sized carrots, any idea on changing cooking times or any thing else other than increasing ingredients proportionately? Thank You in advance. Bee Be
The Chunky Chef says
I’m so glad everyone loved these carrots! I would multiply all ingredients by 2.5, and cook 6.5-7 hours then check the carrots for tenderness. Since all slow cookers cook a litter hotter or cooler than others, I can’t give an exact time.
Maureen says
I am hosting a luncheon at my church next weekend for 85 people and was wondering if I could cook these carrots on high, if so, how long? Thanks for your help
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Maureen 🙂 I’ve never tested it, so I can’t say for certain, but I think 3-4 hours should work high.
Eleanor says
How did the carrots turn out on high? How many pounds were in each slow cooker and how long did yours take. Thank you
Bethany says
Have you ever doubled this using baby bagged carrots? Still cooking them in the crock pot?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Bethany 🙂 I’ve made it using 2 lbs of bagged baby carrots before and it works great! Generally they’re ready a little sooner, so cook them on low for 4-5 hours and check to see if they’re tender 🙂
Krista says
This is just the side dish I was looking for!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
Healthy means I can eat more, right?
Katerina @ diethood .com says
These carrots are absolutely gorgeous!!! Can’t wait to try them!
Demeter says
Such a genius way to make these for any holiday to free up oven space! Love it!
Allyson Zea says
Wow these carrots are seriously calling my name!!
Trish Rosenquist says
Those carrots looks seriously yummy! The perfect side dish!
Karlynn says
These sound simply amazing! All the flavors and how quickly a whole carrot comes together… amazing!
Ann says
These look awesome, and thank you for including the oven directions! I am probably the only dinosaur left on earth without a slow cooker or Instant Pot, so I really appreciate that :). I love your menu ideas for Easter too! Sounds perfect!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
These carrots look absolutely heavenly! You’ve used some really interesting seasonings too — dijon and dried mustard — I’ll bet these carrots don’t last when you bring them to the table.
Marialong says
This is the second carrot recipe I’ve seen today’s seen today’s day in a slow cooker wow I am convinced cooked as fun as raw
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
I just LOVE the use of preserve in this!!!
I can just imagine how well it will caramelise on the carrots. AND in a slow cooker! Perfect for keeping space in the oven for other dishes!
Man it is making me drool!!!
Christina says
These are amazing! It’s hard to believe that they come from a slow cooker!
Emma says
I’d never think to cook a side like these carrots in my slow cooker. Great idea. The glaze looks spot on!