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Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

Slow cooker maple brown sugar glazed carrots with glossy, sticky syrup clinging to every baby carrot. Cook until fork-tender on LOW or HIGH, then stir to fully coat and finish with fresh parsley.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 220

Ingredients
  

Baby carrots
  • 2 lb baby carrots
Glaze
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar Packed
  • 0.25 cup maple syrup
  • 0.25 cup butter Melted
  • 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
Garnish
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley Chopped

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prepare the carrots and glaze
  1. Add the baby carrots to a slow cooker, spreading them in an even layer. Visual cue: carrots should sit mostly flat so the glaze can coat them evenly.
Make and pour the coating
  1. Whisk the brown sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, ground cinnamon, salt, and black pepper until combined, then pour over the carrots and toss. Visual cue: the mixture should look like a thick, glossy syrup coating the carrots.
Cook until fork-tender
  1. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, or on HIGH for 2-3 hours, until the carrots are fork-tender. Visual cue: carrots should be easily pierced and the syrup should be bubbling and reduced slightly at the edges.
Coat and garnish
  1. Stir well to coat the carrots in the glaze. Visual cue: the glaze should cling visibly to each carrot, turning more uniformly glossy.
Serve
  1. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve warm. Visual cue: parsley should look bright green on top of the caramel-colored glaze.

Notes

For best coating, toss the carrots once midway through cooking if your slow cooker runs hot and fast. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; rewarm in the microwave or in the slow cooker on LOW until hot. Freezing is not recommended because the carrots can soften further in texture. Dietary swap: use plant-based butter to keep the same sweet, buttery glaze flavor while making it dairy-free.