A gallon of cider goes a long way and we are usually sick of drinking it before it’s all gone, so I came up with these Cider Glazed Carrots to use up some of the cider. The preparation was super simple and the flavor was both tangy and sweet. A wonderful side dish for a fall meal.
Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients
With just 3 ingredients, these cider glazed carrots won’t have you running out to buy that one thing you didn’t have.
- Apple Cider: A fall staple, sweet and tangy. This adds the base of the glaze for this recipe. Apple juice can also be used if you want to make this at other times of the year.
- Carrots: The “meat” of the recipe, otherwise it’s just sauce. Cut the carrots in coins or obliques. See the below video for different ways to cut up a carrot.
- Spices: Cinnamon is a go-to for carrot flavoring, but allspice or a mulled wine mix could also be used for the daring chef.
Equipment needed for Cider Glazed Carrots
Only basic equipment is needed to prepare these cider glazed carrots. Like the ingredients, you should be able to pull off this recipe with the equipment you have on hand.
- Sharp Knife: Essential, but if you’re cooking then you know that. I like a chef’s knife for carrots, but a paring knife will also do.
- Cutting Board: Your knife’s best friend. I use a crappy plastic one and definitely need to upgrade. I would use a nice end grain cutting board if I had my pick.
- Skillet or Wok: This will hold the ingredients while cooking so it’s going to have to be pretty big. I use something like this Wok. Thick material would also be nice to avoid any hot spots which could scorch the cider.
Preparation
Preparing the Cider Glazed Carrots
Standard preparation for carrots is needed for this recipe; peel, lop off the ends, and then cut into your preferred shape. I recommend either obliques or 1/4″ coins as these will cook evenly. I guess you could start this recipe with already peeled baby carrots and skip this whole step. Delicious either way!
After that, dump everything into your skillet or wok. I used a wok and it worked out great. Since the pan circumference gets smaller as it cooks down, the liquid never found a super-thin area on which to stick and scorch. I recommend it if you have one.
Cooking the Food
Now for the cooking. This part’s pretty easy. Over medium heat, simmer your carrots, stirring occasionally. The carrots will cook slowly as the liquid reduces. The carrots will also let off juices which will add a bit of complexity to the syrup in the end. Reduce the temperature if the liquid starts to stick to the sides and burn.
When I make this recipe, the carrots are perfectly tender once the cider has reduced and thickened into a syrup. If they seem to need more time, add 1/2 cup water to extend the cooking time. If you run out of liquid the sugars will start to scorch and become bitter.
Cider Glazed Carrots
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Paring Knife
- Measuring Cup
- Big Skillet or Wok
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Carrots Peeled, Cut into coins or Obliques
- 3 cups Apple Cider or Apple Juice
- 1 tsp. Cinnammon Ground
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and chop the carrots into coins or obliques, however you prefer.
- Add the carrots to your skillet or wok and add the cider and cinnamon.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer carrots until the cider has reduced to a light glaze. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Notes
- Allspice can be subbed in for cinnamon
- Cinnamon stick can be added at the beginning and cooked with the carrots for a very hefty cinnamon kick.
- Mulled wine spices could also make for a tasty treat.
- Add 1/2 cup water to extend the cooking time of the carrots.
Nutrition
Pairings for these carrots
These cider glazed carrots go with anything you would eat in the fall. We had it with a detroit style pizza and it was great. If I had to choose something, I would put it next to a meatloaf served with spinach to round out the meal. How would you serve these?
As always, please let me know if you end up trying out this recipe. I would love to hear about anyone’s experiences with my creations, it fuels this creative fire and gives me a reason to keep publishing our adventures.
Cheers!
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