Everyone loves glazed carrots, but when you add pumpkin into the mix, this easy side dish becomes something extra special. The veggies are glazed with bourbon, brown sugar and butter, so simple to make and loved by the whole family. The kids will love these with their turkey this Thanksgiving, or serve them up as part of Christmas dinner. Plus they are cooked completely on the stovetop, meaning you can free up oven space!
The glaze on this dish is everything, it is sweet and sticky and so deliciously scrumptious. You’ll find it hard not to use your finger to scrape up every last bit once dinner is done!
I have found that everyone loves glazed carrots! Some like them sweeter, some like them spicy but I am yet to find someone who says no! Which is why I decided to add pumpkin to the mix, because my kids will demolish glazed carrots but if I make glazed pumpkin they pick and push at it and make a big deal out of eating them. BUT mix it all together, they become one, they mix, they meld and the kids don’t notice. Plus it is one less pan I need to wash up. WINNING!!!
How to make glazed carrots
The star of this dish is the glaze. I mean what is not to love:
- bourbon
- brown sugar
- butter
This stuff is drinkable!!!! And it really is as easy as melting butter into warm bourbon and stirring in brown sugar.
You make the glaze and then cook the carrots slowly in the pan so they soak up the flavor, the pumpkin gets added later as that needs less time.
There is plenty of glaze, because a carrot without glaze is well just a boiled carrot and that is not what you want for Thanksgiving!
Look at that delicious glaze…..
Can you cook carrot and pumpkin together?
You sure can.
Pumpkin takes less time to cook than carrots so they can’t all be chucked into the pan at the start. But my method gives the carrots a head start by pre-cooking them for 5 minutes and then finishes everything off together so the flavors really soak into everything.
You can do the pre-cooking of the carrot ahead of time and then just store them in the refrigerator until needed.
Enjoy x
For more amazing Thanksgiving Side dishes check out this list of over 20 delicious ideas
And if you LOVE carrots then a special shout out to my cinnamon and thyme brown sugar glazed carrots!!!!
Why not pin this recipe for Bourbon Glazed Carrots and Pumpkin with Brown Sugar Pin it here.
Bourbon Glazed Carrots and Pumpkin with Brown Sugar
Ingredients
- 2 lb carrots
- 1 lb pumpkin
- 1 stick butter
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 3/4 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- fresh parsley garnish - optional
Instructions
- Start by peeling the carrots and cutting them into thick circles.
- Peel the pumpkin and cut into 1 inch chunks.
- Place a large skillet or dutch over a medium heat and add in the carrots, cover with boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Drain the carrots and return the empty pan to the heat.
- Add the bourbon, butter and brown sugar to the pan and let everything melt together.
- Add the partially cooked carrots and raw pumpkin to the pan and stir gently to coat in the glaze.
- Place a lid on and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and cook at a medium heat for 5-8 minutes until everything is fork tender and the glaze has thickened.
- Season with salt and serve.
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
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Courtney Lopez says
Wow, absolutely delicious and love the gorgeous deep orange. The bourbon really gives it that flavor burst – family loved it!
Claire McEwen says
Yeah 😀
So happy they enjoyed it!
ROBIN says
Such a great side dish for the holidays… yum, bourbon.
Claire McEwen says
Bourbon just makes everything better doesn’t it 😉