These Sweet and Sour Carrots are a simple, restaurant-quality side dish! They’re made with sliced carrots cooked until tender, then tossed in a sweet, tangy, and buttery sauce.

Confession: I was never a big fan of carrots growing up. Mind you, I wasn’t a big fan of any vegetable, so you can’t really blame it on the carrots.

Now, though, I’m all about the delicious sweetness of carrots. I’ll eat them raw, I’ll eat them in other recipes, and I’ll sure as heck eat them in this Sweet and Sour Carrots recipe.

This simple side dish is easy to make, healthy, and full of yumminess. These are always a hit when I make them for my family and they can be served with tons of different entrees!

Why You’ll Love Sweet and Sour Carrots

Simple ingredients. Just 6 total ingredients needed for this recipe, including the water you cook the carrots in!
Quick prep. You can have these carrots ready to go in a total of 25 minutes.
Delicious flavor! These carrots are a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, a little bit tangy, and a whole lot of yum!

Ingredients

The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.

Carrots: You’ll need 8 whole carrots, peeled and cut into even rounds.
Butter: I like to use salted butter for a little extra flavor. If you only have unsalted, then you may need to add a little bit of salt to the mixture yourself.
Sugar: A few tablespoons of sugar brings out the natural sweetness of the carrots.
Carrot Water: You’ll use the water that you boiled the carrots in to make the base for your sauce!
Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps thicken the sauce.
Lemon Juice: The sour to our sweet! I recommend freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor, but the bottled stuff will work too if that’s what you have on hand.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Carrots

Step One: Add carrots to a saucepan filled with water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 9 minutes or until carrots are tender. Reserve ¼ cup carrot water. Drain and set aside.

Step Two: In another saucepan, melt butter. Add cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and carrot water. Cook over medium heat until slightly thickened.
Step Three: Pour sauce over carrots and serve hot.

Equipment Needed

Here are some kitchen tools to help you out.

This post contains affiliate links.

What to Serve with Sweet and Sour Carrots

These sweet and sour carrots are perfect for the holidays, but can really be served with any dinner you want! Here are some entrees that pair deliciously with the sweet and sour flavor of these carrots:

Sweet and sour carrots in a bowl with a spoon.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Peel the carrots before slicing. Peeling the carrots keeps the texture soft and creamy and the flavor nice and sweet.
Cut the carrots evenly. Make sure all of your carrot slices are pretty even in size so that they cook at the same rate.
Check the texture. Before draining the carrots, use a fork to make sure that they’re fork-tender. We want them nice and soft with no crunch!
Reserve the carrot water! Don’t forget to save ¼ cup of the water that you cook the carrots in. That water is used as the base of the sweet and sour sauce.

Variations and Substitutions

Try another shape. Feel free to switch things up cut your carrots into evenly sized chunks or wedges. Keep in mind that carrot pieces of different sizes will cook at different rates. Make sure they are all evenly sized no matter what shape you’re doing.
Make them extra sweet or extra sour. If you like some extra sweetness, try adding in a little bit of extra sugar. If you prefer them a little bit more sour, do a little extra lemon or even a splash of white vinegar.

Sweet and sour carrots on a plate with chicken.

Storage Instructions

Leftover sweet and sour carrots can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

To reheat, simply warm on low on the stove, bake in a covered dish in the oven, or microwave until heated through.

Can these be frozen?

I don’t recommend it. The texture of the glaze doesn’t hold up well when thawed. For the best results, serve your carrots right away or store them in the fridge.

Are Carrots Sweet When Cooked?

Yes! Carrots have a naturally sweet flavor that is only intensified when cooked. Plus, the added bit of sugar in this recipe helps bring out that natural sweetness perfectly.

Carrot Recipes

For more yummy carrot recipes, check out these yummy recipes from my recipe box.

Parmesan Roasted Carrots: Tender and perfectly roasted carrots topped with fresh thyme and melted Parmesan cheese. So tasty!
Cream of Carrot Soup: Smooth, creamy and full of flavor. This delicious soup recipe is great any time of year.
Shipwreck Casserole: The kind of meal grandma used to make! This layered casserole is stick to your bones delicious.
Carrot Loaf: Made with all the spicy flavours of fall! If you like spice cake, you’ll love this easy loaf recipe.

You’ll also like this Carrot and Potato Soup, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Bacon, Christmas Ham, Roasted Root Vegetables, Brussel Sprouts with Lemon and Pancetta, Company Peas and Creamy Carrots.

Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, Facebook at Simply Stacie, TikTok @simplystacierecipes or Pinterest at @simplystacie and let me know how you liked this recipe and my other recipes.

Rate this Recipe

4.74 from 15 votes