Gordon Ramsay’s glazed carrots are boiled until just tender, drained, then sautéed in salted butter and runny honey until coated in a sticky glaze. The recipe comes from Sunday Lunch, serves 6-8 and takes about 20 minutes.
He has six different glazed carrot recipes across two cookbooks, each using a different technique and flavouring. The simplest is this honey version, while the most complex poaches carrots in stock with thyme and garlic before a butter glaze.
What connects all six is speed at the end, since the glaze goes from glossy to scorched in seconds. Ramsay’s honey version says “serve at once,” and that urgency applies to every variation.
Gordon Ramsay’s Honey Glazed Carrots
Course: Side DishCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy8
5
minutes15
minutes140
kcal20
minutesFrom the Christmas chapter of Sunday Lunch, Ramsay’s simplest side dish with just three ingredients beyond the carrots. One of six glazed carrot recipes across two of his cookbooks. About 16p per serving.
Ingredients
12-16 medium carrots, peeled
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g salted butter
2 tbsp runny honey
Directions
- Boil the carrots: Cook the carrots in boiling salted water until just tender, about 7-9 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold running water and drain well.
- Glaze: Heat the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the carrots, season with salt and pepper, drizzle over the honey and toss well to coat.
- Finish: Sauté until the carrots are well glazed and the honey and butter have reduced to a sticky coating. Serve at once.
FAQs
How do you glaze carrots and parsnips together?
The Sunday Lunch book has both recipes on the same page, using the same boil-drain-sauté technique for each. Peel and halve 6-8 large parsnips lengthways, boil alongside the carrots for 7-9 minutes, then sauté in 50g butter until caramelised.
The parsnip version skips the honey since parsnips are naturally sweeter than carrots and don’t need the extra sugar. Ramsay lists both on the same page of the Christmas chapter, so they’re designed to be cooked side by side. Pair with his gammon for the full Christmas spread.
What is the thyme and garlic version?
A second Sunday Lunch recipe parboils 600g small carrots in vegetable stock with thyme, half a garlic head and a bay leaf for 8 minutes. The carrots cool in the stock before draining, which lets them absorb even more savoury depth than plain water.
You then sauté them in olive oil with butter and a sprinkling of sugar for 3-4 minutes until beautifully glazed. This is the most flavourful method since the stock does the heavy lifting, and it pairs brilliantly with his roast potatoes for a Sunday roast.
What are the spiced carrots with star anise?
A third Sunday Lunch chapter sautés 1kg quartered carrots in butter for 5 minutes. You then add brown sugar, lemon juice, 4-5 star anise, cinnamon and cayenne. Pour in 120ml water and simmer until the carrots are tender and the liquid reduces to a syrupy glaze.
Ramsay suggests serving these with “Moroccan-style tagines, casseroles or hearty fish dishes” rather than a traditional roast. The star anise gives a subtle aniseed warmth that works better with spiced mains than with a plain roast chicken.
Can you glaze carrots without boiling first?
The Quick and Delicious cookbook skips boiling entirely and cooks everything in one pan from raw. You put 300g Chantenay carrots, 40g butter, 250ml chicken stock and a teaspoon of honey straight into a frying pan.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes until the carrots are tender and the stock reduces to a glaze. Stir through chopped parsley at the end, and the whole thing is done without a colander. His pork belly works well alongside if you want a rich main.
How do you stop the glaze burning?
The critical moment is when the bubbling changes from a rapid boil to a sizzle, which means the water has evaporated. You have seconds to toss the carrots in the sticky glaze before it burns, so stay close to the pan.
Remove from heat immediately after tossing and serve straight away. The honey version is the most forgiving since honey burns at a higher temperature than pure sugar, which is why it’s the easiest starting point. His beef Wellington uses glazed carrots as the classic side dish.
