How long does it take to cook carrots in a crock pot?

These Slow Cooker Carrots are a seriously easy side dish recipe for tonight with only five ingredients and two easy steps (plus they’re infused with garlic and balsamic…hellllo flavor-town).

I’m the worst at making side dishes because I frequently forget to do so. If I get my act together enough to make us a decent main course, chances are pretty high that I will completely neglect to consider a side dish until we%E2%80%99re sitting down for dinner and I realize our plates are 90% chickpeas The struggle is real.

I’ve therefore been concentrating lately on creating some extremely simple side dish recipes for the forgetful like me. And today, that means these Slow Cooker Carrots!.

You only need a few ingredients to make the most flavorful glazed carrots your tastebuds have ever experienced.

How to Make Slow Cooker Carrots

Making the glaze is as simple as melting butter, and putting everything in a slow cooker is the final step.

Prep. Peel and slice the carrots into 4 to 5 pieces. Cutting them on a slight angle gives them a bit of a rustic feel. Otherwise, cut them how you like! Place them into the slow cooker.

Melt the butter. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. You can brown it if you’d like, which will give the carrots a bit more of an earthy flavor. Follow this by adding in the sugar and salt and cook to combine.

Coat the carrots. Pour the butter over the carrots sitting in the crockpot. Stir well to combine, making sure all carrots are coated evenly. Cover with the lid and cook until tender.

Keep warm. If you aren’t ready to serve them immediately, turn the crockpot onto the warm setting until ready. Salt and pepper to taste and add optional fresh parsley for garnish.

Thicker glaze. For an optional thicker glaze using all the remaining juices in the cooker, continue cooking uncovered until glaze has thickened up.

Make ahead. Make these ahead of time and heat through before serving.

Caramelization. For an added outer crispy exterior and nice caramelization, finish them off in the oven. Be careful not to burn them as the sugars will do that quickly!

Added flavor. Sprinkle some cinnamon for an added layer of flavor.

Variety. For even more added convenience, use baby carrots so that there’s no chopping involved. Or for a pop of color, use rainbow carrots.

Of course, just be aware that because they will be cooked slowly and lowly, the carrots may not turn out to be as glazed. Put the carrots in the glaze you made in step 2 and roast them at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until fork tender.

Yes, just substitute coconut oil or vegan butter for the butter.

For up to two days, glazed carrots can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, and heat through to reheat. You may want to make and add some extra glaze. Sadly, they don’t freeze well because they lose their firmness and texture.

Now, I know you’re going to ask: can I use baby carrots for this recipe?

The flavor was definitely different when I tried this recipe with baby carrots, and I thought the results were a little bland and not nearly as flavorful.

In spite of this, I can totally appreciate the convenience of bagged baby carrots, so if that’s all you have time for, try to find the freshest, sweetest option you can!

They won’t taste good when cooked if they don’t taste good when they’re raw.

HOW TO MAKE CARROTS AS A SIDE DISH

Pour the chicken broth into the insert of the slow cooker

Dump the carrots in and spread them out

Sprinkle salt and brown sugar over top

Lay the butter squares over the sugar mixture

Cover with the lid and cook

I like to spoon these carrots into a serving bowl and top them with some of the slow cooker’s sweet glaze. Then I add a small amount of salt.

Make sure to save some of the sweet glaze from the slow cooker, if desired, for serving because the carrots will dry out as they sit out.

Crock pot, Glazed Carrots