Balsamic Carrots Glazed on the Grill (20 Minutes)
Add some drama to your table with these vibrant, sweet, caramelized glazed balsamic carrots on the grill. Ready in about 20 minutes.
A perfect side dish for BBQs, potlucks or a holiday meal.
What to expect
These balsamic glazed carrots are glazed with a sweet-tangy glaze, adapted from the New York Times Cooking blog. I decided to parboil the carrots first to cut grilling time to 5-6 minutes (instead of 25) – and not have to worry about burning them.
The result? A quick, easy side of beautifully caramelized, flavorful carrots – perfect for barbecues, weeknight dinners, or any occasion where you want a colorful and crowd-pleasing vegetable dish.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
- Carrots: We’re using whole carrots. If you can find slim ones the same size, you won’t have to cut the lengthwise to the same width so they cook evenly.
- Balsamic glaze: Balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, ginger, lime juice, fresh thyme and salt.
Substitutions
- For balsamic vinegar: If you don’t have any, replace with 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar) plus ½ teaspoon sugar (for each tablespoon you need)
- For maple syrup: Use honey or brown sugar.
- For lime: Use lemon instead
Variations
- Try rainbow carrots – purple carrots, red carrots, yellow carrots and orange.
- Use whatever fresh herbs you like such as rosemary, marjoram, chives or thyme. If you don’t have fresh, the rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
- Garnish with orange zest for extra zing.
Step-by-step instructions
Tip
The only trick to this recipe is to try to get the carrots approximately the same thickness to ensure even cooking.
Shortcuts
- Buy a good-quality balsamic glaze (also called balsamic reduction) instead of making the one in the recipe.
- Microwaving the carrots with a splash of water, covered, will shave off a couple of minutes.
- Use a grill pan on the stovetop instead of firing up the grill.
What to serve with balsamic glazed carrots
The grilled carrots pair with almost any main course.
Here are a few good options: Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, Grilled Turkey Breast , Juicy Grilled Pork Chops, Lemon Herb Chicken, Chimichurri Steak, or Sous Vide Flank Steak.
This grilled carrots recipe would also be perfect in our Red Quinoa Salad With Roasted Carrots. Just replace the roasted carrots with the grilled carrots.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can glaze the parboiled carrots, then roast them in a 425°F/218C oven for about 8 minutes or until lightly caramelized. To get some char marks on them, broil them for a minute or so, being careful they don’t burn.
Try this balsamic glaze on grilled asparagus (no need to parboil) or Brussels sprouts.
Other easy carrot recipes you might like
- roasted honey glazed carrots
- red quinoa salad with roasted carrots
- roasted glazed carrot tzimmes
- best instant pot potatoes and carrots
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Balsamic Carrots (Grilled & Glazed)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds whole carrots, peeled (about 30 smaller, thin carrots or 10-15 medium carrots)
- Garnish: chopped green onion, thyme or chives
Balsamic Glaze
- 3 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar, Note 1
- 1 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey or brown sugar)
- 1/2 tablespoon lime juice (or lemon juice)
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or pinch ground ginger)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- HEAT GAS GRILL to medium-high heat, 425-450F/218-232C. Spray grates with oil or oil grates with a paper towel dipped in oil.
- PARBOIL CARROTS: If using medium or larger carrots, cut the carrots lengthwise in half or quarters to about 1/2-3/4 inch/1.27-1.9 cm thickness for quicker cooking (try to get carrots to about the same thickness for even cooking). Bring 1-2 inches/3-5 cm of water to boil in large saucepan. Add pinch of salt. Add carrots and boil for 7 minutes or until tender and easily pierced with a knife. Cooking time will depend on thickness of carrots. Drain carrots.
- MAKE GLAZE: While carrots are boiling, combine all glaze ingredients in a small bowl.
- GRILL CARROTS: Place carrots on a large baking sheet and brush with glaze. (I also spray them with some oil to be extra sure of no sticking to grill). Transfer to grill in a single layer. Close lid. Grill over direct heat for 5-6 minutes total, turning and glazing a couple of times.
- SERVE: Transfer to plate, drizzle with leftover glaze. Garnish with fresh thyme, green onions or chives. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt if you like. Serve.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Balsamic vinegar substitute: Use 3 tablespoons cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar) plus 1½ teaspoons sugar. Or buy a balsamic glaze.
- Variations:
- Try rainbow carrots – a mix of purple, red, yellow and orange carrots.
- Use whatever fresh herbs you like such as rosemary, marjoram, chives or thyme. If you don’t have fresh, the rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
- Garnish with orange zest for extra zing.
- Shortcuts:
- Buy a good-quality balsamic glaze (also called balsamic reduction)
- Microwave the carrots with a splash of water, covered
- Use a grill pan on the stovetop instead of firing up the grill.
- Make Ahead: The grilled carrots can be made many hours ahead and left on the counter. They can be served at room temperature or warmed for 40-60 seconds in the microwave (or 10 minutes at 350F/177C in the oven). Alternatively, parboil the carrots and make the glaze, leaving the final grilling to just before serving. Store leftovers in airtight container in fridge for 3-4 days. Do not freeze.
Nutrition
Glazed balsamic carrots on the grill has been updated with new information and edits.
