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    Home » Recipes » Dish Type » Side Dishes

    Healthy Roasted Carrots (with Brown Sugar)

    Published: Oct 8, 2021 by Terri Gilson · Modified: Sep 14, 2023 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe
    Pinterest pin with white text on grey background on bottom and photo of brown sugar glazed carrots in a black bowl, with a spoon, on grey linen

    These Healthy Roasted Carrots with Brown Sugar are easy to make, lighter than the regular recipe, WW friendly, and a great addition to your holiday meal (or any meal!) If you love a colorful and healthy side dish on your plate, especially for a festive holiday meal, this side dish is for you!

    healthy roasted carrots with brown sugar in a black bowl, with a spoon and grey oven mitts in the background

    This recipe for healthy glazed carrots with brown sugar is especially popular at holidays dinners such as Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas dinner! The Weight Watchers points have been cut in half from the original recipe, so they are 2 WW points.

    Jump to:
    • 🥘Ingredients
    • 🔪Instructions
    • 📖Variations
    • 🍲What main dishes to serve with glazed carrots
    • 🍽 Equipment
    • 🌡️Storage
    • 🦺Food safety
    • 👪 Serving size
    • 🔢WW Points
    • 📋 Healthy Roasted Carrots (with Brown Sugar) Recipe
    • 🥗 More Healthy & WW Friendly Holiday Side Dishes

    These healthy glazed carrots were inspired by my Green beans and Mushrooms holiday side dish, as I wanted another colorful WW friendly and healthy, yet special vegetable side dish for holiday dinners. And it's the perfect side dish for my WW friendly Thanksgiving turkey ( Slow Cooker Turkey breast with Quinoa Cranberry Dressing! ) This is the perfect Thanksgiving meal if you want a healthy and easy recipe for a smaller group (2-6)!

    slices of slow cooker boneless turkey breast on a white plate with glazed carrots and quinoa dressing

    A typical roasted carrots with brown sugar recipe has a lot more calories and is 4 WW points on my plan. I was able to cut the WW in half (to 2 WW points) without sacrificing taste! Why waste all those calories (or WW points) on a vegetable side dish when it's not necessary?!

    I don't know about you, but I'm saving my calories/WW points for pie. And speaking of pie, I also have a healthier, crustless and WW friendly version of Pumpkin Pie (with no artificial sweeteners) to go with this meal as well! But if you simply want to go all in, then try my Easy Pumpkin Pie. It's worth every point! Whether you are trying to lose weight, maintain your weight or simply eat healthier, you'll love this meal!

    🥘Ingredients

    For this healthier version of roasted carrots with brown sugar, you'll need the following simple ingredients:

    • whole carrots *do NOT use baby carrots
    • brown sugar
    • garlic
    • light butter
    • butter extract (affiliate link) *Using butter extract is a great way to get the flavor of butter without the fat and calories!
    • olive oil (you can use canola oil or vegetable oil)
    • kosher salt
    • black pepper
    • parsley (fresh is best but you can use dried)

     *see recipe card for quantities

    🔪Instructions

    How to make Roasted Carrots with Brown Sugar (the healthy way)

    1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F/220 degrees C and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Peel carrots, then cut off ends. Cut carrots in half, then in half again. Cut thicker ends in half again so they are similar in width.
    2. Toss in bowl with brown sugar, melted butter, butter extract, garlic, oil, salt and pepper.
    3. Spread out onto onto prepared baking sheet.
    4. Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, toss (you can leave them on the pan while you do this) Then roast for an additional 10 minutes until you can easily put a fork through. Toss again, then garnish with parsley and serve.
    collage of 4 photos showing how to make roasted carrots with brown sugar (the healthy way)

    Hint: It's important that you toss the carrots in the pan after 15 minutes of cooking, as this will help evenly distribute the glaze.

    📖Variations

    • Carrots - you could substitute baby carrots, but they aren't as good as regular carrots
    • Salt - you could use regular table salt or sea salt
    • Spicy - you can spice these up a little by adding ¼ teaspoon cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes
    • Vegan/Dairy-free - you can substitute vegan margarine for the butter (the butter extract is vegan as well)
    • Gluten-free - this dish is naturally gluten-free
    • Kid-friendly - my kids love these carrots, but to make them even more kid- kid-friendlier (for younger kids) you could squeeze a little liquid honey on them (directly onto their serving)
    • Fresh herbs - you could use fresh thyme or chives instead of fresh parsley

    🍲What main dishes to serve with glazed carrots

    • 2 air fryer roast chickens on a green plate with lemon wedges
      Air Fryer Roast Chicken (with lemon, rosemary and garlic)
    • sliced slow cooker turkey breast on bed of cranberry quinoa dressing (on black platter) with black bowl of roasted carrots and festive oven mitts in the background
      Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Quinoa Cranberry Stuffing
    • cornish game hens with rosemary wine sauce in a glass dish with blue oven mitts in background
      Baked Cornish Hens (with Rosemary Wine Sauce)
    • Balsamic chicken with tomatoes in a glass dish with aqua blue spatula
      Baked Balsamic Chicken and Tomatoes

    🍽 Equipment

    You don't need any special equipment to make these Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots , aside from a cutting board, a good knife (affiliate link) to cut your carrots and a vegetable peeler. I use a 9X13 baking sheet.

    roasted carrots with brown sugar on a black sheet pan on blue faux wood surface

    🌡️Storage

    Store these easy glazed carrots in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

    * If you want to make this carrots recipe in advance (and have them look nice and not shriveled), it's best that you cook them for only 15 minutes, then store them in a sealed container. Then just prior to serving, put them in the oven for 10 - 15 additional minutes.

    These baked carrots with brown sugar can be frozen for up to 3 months.

    🦺Food safety

    • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
    • Wash hands after touching raw meat
    • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended
    • Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

    👪 Serving size

    This brown sugar glazed carrot recipe serves 5. However, you can half, double or even triple the recipe by clicking on the blue servings number in the recipe card. Then select the number of servings you would like and the ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly.

    brown sugar glazed carrots in a black bowl, with a spoon, on grey linen

    🔢WW Points

    This easy side dish is Weight Watchers friendly @2 ww points.

    So if you're looking for healthy recipes and light and/or WW friendly, healthy side dishes that won't break the points bank this holiday season, then give these oven roasted brown sugar glazed carrots a try!

    And if you're looking for more WW carrot recipes, be sure to check out my WW Carrot Cake!

    whole carrot cake decorated with pineapple and carrots on a aqua cake stand
    brown sugar glazed carrots in a black bowl, with a spoon, on grey linen
    Food Meandering Logo

    📋 Healthy Roasted Carrots (with Brown Sugar) Recipe

    These Healthy Roasted Carrots with Brown Sugar (also known as Glazed Carrots) are lightened up glazed carrots with brown sugar and butter, roasted to perfection! They are easy to make, WW friendly (2 WW points on the blue plan) and a great addition to your holiday meal or any meal!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American
    Keyword: brown sugar, carrots, glazed, roasted
    Special Diet: Vegetarian, Weight Watchers
    Servings: 5 servings
    Calories: 140kcal
    Author: Terri Gilson
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    baking sheet
    sharp knife
    cutting board
    vegetable peeler

    Ingredients

    • 2 lb carrots peeled
    • 4 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • 1 tablespoon light butter, melted
    • ½ teaspoon butter extract
    • ½ tablespoon olive oil
    • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

    Garnish

    • parsley *I use fresh
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 425degrees F/220 degrees C and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
    • Peel carrots, then cut off ends. Cut carrots in half, then in half again. Cut thicker ends in half again so they are similar in width.
    • Toss in bowl with brown sugar, butter, butter extract, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Spread out onto onto baking sheet.
    • Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, toss (you can leave them on the pan while you do this) then roast for an additional 10 minutes until you can easily put a fork through.
      collage of 4 photos showing how to make roasted carrots with brown sugar (the healthy way)
    • Place carrots in serving bowl (or you can leave on the pan) and toss carrots in the glaze, ensuring you scrape all the glaze from the baking sheet (and mix it in).

    Garnish:

    • Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve warm.

    Notes

    *See post contents for important recipe information and tips!
    Nutrition Facts
    📋 Healthy Roasted Carrots (with Brown Sugar) Recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 140 Calories from Fat 27
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 3g5%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 3mg1%
    Sodium 478mg21%
    Potassium 602mg17%
    Carbohydrates 27g9%
    Fiber 5g21%
    Sugar 18g20%
    Protein 2g4%
    Vitamin A 30359IU607%
    Vitamin C 11mg13%
    Calcium 72mg7%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 140kcal (7%) | Carbohydrates: 27g (9%) | Protein: 2g (4%) | Fat: 3g (5%) | Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg (1%) | Sodium: 478mg (21%) | Potassium: 602mg (17%) | Fiber: 5g (21%) | Sugar: 18g (20%) | Vitamin A: 30359IU (607%) | Vitamin C: 11mg (13%) | Calcium: 72mg (7%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!
    Rate this Recipe

    🥗 More Healthy & WW Friendly Holiday Side Dishes

    • turnip and apple casserole (weight watchers friendly in a blue casserole dish, being held up on a wooden spoon with a green apple and blue patterned oven mitt in the background
      Turnip and Apple Casserole
    • green beans and mushrooms in a white casserole dish on brown surface with red oven mitt in background
      Green beans and Mushrooms
    • lazy slow cooker cabbage rolls in bowl
      Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls
    • healthy corn succostash in a white bowl on brown wooden surface
      Corn Succotash

    « Buffalo Chicken Panini
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. nancy

      October 13, 2021 at 3:01 pm

      i love roasted carrots. They are much tastier than raw carrots hahaha thanks for this easy side recipe!

      Reply
    2. Colleen

      October 16, 2021 at 10:17 am

      I agree about saving my calories for pie! I love that these are lightened up but still yummy. Also, I never knew about butter extract, so thank you!!

      Reply
    3. Julia

      October 17, 2021 at 8:46 am

      These were great! I roasted them side by side with brussel sprouts and the glaze gave everything a nice flavour. They were great!

      Reply
      • Terri Gilson

        October 18, 2021 at 8:08 am

        I'm so glad to hear you loved them as much as we do, Julia!

        Reply
        • Sheena

          January 09, 2022 at 9:10 pm

          The whole family loved them! Will be making these again often! Thanks Terri!

          Reply
          • Terri Gilson

            January 11, 2022 at 2:41 am

            So glad you guys loved them, Sheena!

            Reply

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    I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer, and a busy working mom who is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks, and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

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