Cracker Barrel Baby Carrots

Cracker Barrel Baby Carrots – talk about yummy. You can make these sweet-tasting baby carrots at home. They are a favorite of many and the perfect side dish for any meal.

Copycat Cracker Barrel baby carrots in a white bowl.


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Brown Sugar Glazed Baby Carrots

Two of the qualities I love the most about carrots are that they are always in season and they are inexpensive. They are plentiful in grocery stores and markets all throughout the year.

Baby carrots are sweet and perfect for boiling or roasting (and snacking too!). Brown sugar glazed baby carrots are simply heavenly. Brown sugar elevates the flavor of carrots and makes this dish pair perfectly with meat, especially ham.

Recipe Ingredients

Here’s a quick list of what you need for making copycat Cracker Barrel carrots:

  • Fresh baby carrots
  • Margarine
  • Brown sugar
  • Salt
  • Ground nutmeg (optional)
Copycat Cracker Barrel baby carrots ingredients on a marble surface.

Ingredient Substitutions and Variations

If you don’t have baby-cut carrots, you can use regular carrots. Simply cut them into 1-inch lengths.

While Cracker Barrel does not use butter in this carrot recipe, you can substitute butter for margarine.

How to Make Cracker Barrel Carrots

It’s easier than you think to make glazed baby carrots taste just like the Cracker Barrel. Here are the recipe steps:

  1. Rinse carrots and place them in a saucepan.
  2. Pour in enough water to cover the top of the carrots.
  3. Cover the pan with a lid.
  4. Bring the carrots to a boil over medium heat on the stovetop.
  5. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the carrots for 30-45 minutes, until the carrots are fork-tender.
  6. When the carrots are tender pour half of the water out of the pan.
  7. Add margarine, sugar, and salt on top of carrots.
Collage of making copycat Cracker Barrel baby carrots.
  1. Place lid back on the pan and cook until the carrots are completely tender but not mushy.
  2. For a little flair, add a pinch of ground nutmeg. You can also garnish them with chopped fresh parsley or thyme.
Copycat Cracker Barrel baby carrots in a bowl.

How to Store Cooked Baby Carrots

Refrigerate the cooked baby carrots within two hours of cooking. Cool them to room temperate then place them in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag.

You can freeze cooked carrots in a freezer-safe container or plastic freezer bag. Thaw the carrots in the refrigerator overnight before reheating them.

How long do cooked carrots last?

Properly stored, cooked carrots will last from 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator or 10 to 12 months in the freezer.

How to Reheat Glazed Baby Carrots

Place the carrots in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until warm, about 1 to 3 minutes depending on how many carrots you are reheating.

Copycat Cracker Barrel baby carrots on a plate with chopped steak, green beans, and mashed potatoes.

Love Cracker Barrel? Try these Copycat Recipes

More Carrot Recipes

Be sure to check out more of the best vegetable side dish recipes and copycat Cracker Barrel recipes.

Overhead view of copycat Cracker Barrel baby carrots and a small bowl of ground nutmeg.

Cracker Barrel Baby Carrots

Love those buttery sweet glazed carrots at the Cracker Barrel? Make them at home with this easy copycat recipe. 
4.94 from 30 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cracker Barrel Carrots, Cracker Barrel Recipes, Glazed Baby Carrots
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 71kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh baby carrots
  • 2 tablespoons margarine
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch ground nutmeg optional

Instructions

  • Rinse the carrots and place them in a 2-quart saucepan with just enough water to cover the carrots. Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, until the carrots are fork tender.
  • Pour off half the water from the pan and add the margarine, sugar, and salt. Cover the pan and continue cooking until the carrots are completely tender but not mushy.
  • Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or a pinch of ground nutmeg if desired.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 412mg | Potassium: 268mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 15765IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Blitzo

    5 stars
    Fantastic! We loved these they were outstanding! Surprised for the family. Thanks so much for posting this very helpful recipe.

  2. Carasith

    3 stars
    I HAVE BEEN AN ACTUAL CRACKER BARREL COOK FOR 9 YEARS! I have made our carrots countless times, and it is so much simpler than you all seem to think. These copycat recipes always crack us up. LOL We use frozen baby carrots, brown sugar, liquid margarine, and water. That’s it. Add the margarine and brown sugar to the water and bring it to a boil. Add the frozen carrots and cook for 15-20 minutes until soft. There is no corn syrup, salt, bacon grease, parsley, etc in our recipe.

    • Kathleen Maples

      5 stars
      Carasith can you share Cracker Barrel’s B9NE IN SOUTHERN fried chicken? NOT the boneless SUNDAY fried chicken? I have watched Cracker Barrel’s FB ad for this chicken and still cannot figure out ALL thesecret ingredients!

  3. Rose

    5 stars
    Absolutely LOVED these they were outstanding! Surprised family with these ( they are a favorite side when we go out to Cracker Barrel) they asked for seconds !!! Thanks so much for posting this 👍🏼💕

  4. grannybena

    I don’t think they have bacon grease in them, their carrots are not greasy and if any grease is used the food will taste like it no matter how slight

  5. Ginger Shaffer

    Would like to have the recipe of Hurricane Cake. Duff smorgansboard that was in Muncie Indiana and Gatlinburg, TN but closed down 20 years ago but it still operates somewhere, It was a great cake with a lemon sauce. Maybe your able to find the recipe I would greatly appreciate it. Ginger hungry for that hurricane cake.

  6. Nanasplace

    Why didn’t you have printed the rest of the chocolate cobbler recipe? I got half of it and then it said to text for more. I have no one to text so how can I get the rest of this recipe. Shirley y Indiana

  7. Jlzack

    Printed this for my mom, she tried them, excited about them. they were not a hit. tasted like carrots, that’s it. nothing special to them at all. thumbs down, won’t make again

    • Stephanie

      I am sorry this is currently happening, we are in the middle of updating the website, and we didn’t have this featured ironed out completely before the site was made live.

    • ashleezona

      Click and highlight the recipe, then click file, print, and when the print dialog box opens, there’s a button labeled ‘selection’, check that, and click print. It’s not glamorous, or beautifully formatted, but you only print the area that you have highlighted.

  8. Lindsey

    I worked for cracker barrel, the recipe is accurate above. There is no bacon fat in it or honey. Just a bunch of butter/margarine, brown sugar, little bit of salt and some water. Thats it.

  9. connie fortune

    The “original recipe” I have uses 2# baby carrots,1tsp. salt,1tsp. bacon drippings,1/4c. br. sugar,packed,1/4c. melted butter, and 1/4c. HONEY. melt bacon drippings in pot. Add carrots and enough water to cover carrots THEN PROCEED with the rest of the recipe on this site!

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