Cracker Barrel Carrots make an excellent side dish to many different meals. This copycat recipe is my favorite and loaded with sweet flavor.
We love Cracker Barrel Recipe for Carrots. You only need a few ingredients and the carrots are a perfect blend of sweetness. These baby carrots are budget friendly and make an easy side dish.
We use baby carrots because they’re already peeled and cut, so there’s no prep work before you boil them. Adding the brown sugar and butter at the end gives these carrots so much flavor — it’s what makes them taste just like the restaurant version.
You may also love Crock Pot Glazed Carrots Recipe or Ranch Carrots Recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
- Just 4 ingredients. You probably already have everything on hand.
- Tastes just like Cracker Barrel’s. The same sweet, buttery glaze you’d get at the restaurant, made in your own saucepan.
- Budget-friendly. This entire recipe costs about $2.60, or just $0.43 a serving
- Holiday-ready. It’s easy to double for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, and it reheats beautifully if you want to make it a day ahead.
Ingredients
- Fresh Baby Carrots – This in tradition with Cracker Barrel but you can use regular carrots and cut them into 1-2 inch pieces
- Butter – We used salted butter, but unsalted would work too.
- Brown Sugar – See How to Make Brown Sugar if you run out or check our these Best Brown Sugar Substitutes.
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.
Substitutions and Additions
- Carrots – Feel free to use regular carrots. Cut the carrots in half to fit in the saucepan.
- Seasoning – We use regular butter, but you can also use margarine. Feel free to add in a teaspoon of different spices or fresh herbs. Black Pepper, Parsley and thyme are great additions and we have even add a pinch of nutmeg for warm flavors.
- Add Nuts – These carrots would be delicious with the added chopped nuts. We have used chopped pecans, walnuts and almonds
How to Make Cracker Barrel Carrots
Step 1 – Thoroughly wash the carrots and place them in a saucepan. Pour water on top of the carrots until the carrots are completely covered.
Step 2 – Cover the pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium and cook covered for 20-25 minutes until the carrots are fork tender.
Step 3 – Once the carrots are tender, pour half of the water out of the pan. Stir in the butter, brown sugar and salt. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
Step 4 – Cover and cook for 6–7 more minutes, watching closely so the carrots don’t get mushy. You’ll know the glaze is ready when the liquid has thickened into a light, syrupy coating and the carrots have a slight shine — that’s the same glossy finish you’d see on the carrots at Cracker Barrel.
Step 5 – Taste test and add more salt if needed.
Step 6 – Then serve copycat Cracker Barrel carrots warm and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip draining the water. Pouring off half the cooking water before adding the butter and brown sugar is what turns this into a real glaze instead of a watery sauce — the remaining liquid reduces down and clings to the carrots.
- Salt to taste at the end. Brands of butter and brown sugar vary in saltiness, so hold back a little of the salt until the final taste test in Step 5.
- Make it ahead for the holidays. These carrots reheat well, so you can cook them a day ahead of Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and warm them gently on the stove or in the microwave right before serving — one less thing to cook on the big day.
How to Store Leftover Carrots
Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. These carrots can also be frozen but placing in a freezer safe container. They will last about 3 months.
When ready to serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the microwave or in a sauce pan.
Serving Suggestions
My husband loves these sweet baby carrots. We often serve them with our holiday meals, but I have also made them for and easy side during the week. These are some favorite recipes to serve them with.
Frequently Asked Questions
This usually happens when the carrots cook too long in the first boiling step. Start checking for fork-tenderness at the 20-minute mark, and remember they’ll continue cooking a bit more once the butter and brown sugar are added.
Yes! This recipe doubles easily for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Just use a large pot so the carrots have room to cook evenly, and add a few extra minutes to the initial boiling time.
Yes, just cut them into 1-2 inch pieces so they cook at the same rate as baby carrots.
As written it’s vegetarian and gluten-free; swap the butter for a plant-based butter to make it vegan too. See our Dietary Notes above for details.
Yes. Cook them up to a day ahead, store in the fridge, and reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.
More Copycat Cracker Barrel Recipes
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Cracker Barrel Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Baby Carrots
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash 2 pounds baby carrots and place them in a saucepan. Pour water over the carrots until they are completely covered.
- Cover the pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium and cook covered for 20–25 minutes until the carrots are fork tender.
- Once the carrots are cooked through, pour half of the water out of the pan. Stir in 2 Tablespoons butter, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Cover and cook for 6–7 more minutes, watching closely so the carrots don’t get mushy.
- Taste test and add more salt if needed.
- Then serve warm and enjoy!
Please find out how they cook their broccoli. It is so good. Thanks for these recipes.
Oh – great idea! I’ll look into the broccoli recipe.
I love Cracker Barrel recipes