Grilled Carrots with a Balsamic Glaze
On December 11, 2019 (Updated May 11, 2024)
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These Grilled Carrots with a Balsamic Glaze are a simple, yet fancy way to enjoy cooked carrots. Grilling them locks in oodles of nutrients, and the balsamic glaze gives them a punch of flavor.
Can You Grill Carrots?
You wanna know a little secret? You can pretty much cook anything on the grill or smoker. Grilled carrots are quite possibly my favorite way to enjoy cooked carrots. I was never a fan of steamed or boiled carrots; you lose that quintessential carrot flavor, and they always end up overcooked and soggy.
Vegetables are especially delicious on the grill, and by grilling them, you retain all the nutrients (as opposed to boiling or steaming carrots, in which you lose a lot of good stuff in the water). You also have more control over how crisp or soft you want your carrots when you cook them on the grill.
Grilled Carrots
If I haven’t said it enough already, grilled carrots are oh-so good. They’re beautifully simple, and a well-cooked carrot makes the perfect side (especially for smoked and grilled meat). I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to go crazy with your food to make it delicious. Salt, pepper, and brown sugar make the perfect seasoning for these veggies, and a little balsamic glaze drizzled on top ties it all together.
These whole carrots are cooked until just softened then drizzled with a tangy balsamic vinegar. You get a nice grilled flavor with a punch of tart from the balsamic glaze. Talk about taking something simple and making it amazing!
To prep the carrots: scrub them clean, and lay them out on a baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and brown sugar. What did that take you? All of about 5 minutes? I told you these were going to be easy.
How to Grill Carrots
Once you have your carrots cleaned well and seasoned, they are ready to go on the grill. Here’s the step-by-step process on how to grill carrots:
- Preheat the grill. These carrots are best cooked on a charcoal or gas grill preheated to 450 degrees F with two-zone cooking. Having two-zone cooking set up on your grill is important so you don’t burn the brown sugar on the carrots.
- Grill indirect then finish hot. Place your carrots on the grill grates on the indirect side of the heat. Close the lid on your grill, and cook them for 10 minutes. Next, move them to the direct heat and cook them for an additional 3-5 minutes per side, rotating them 3-4 times so each side is cooked evenly (for a total of about 15-20 minutes) until they reach your desired doneness.
- Remove, drizzle with balsamic glaze, and serve. Stay close and be ready to remove the carrots right when they are done to prevent the brown sugar from catching and to ensure they don’t overcook. I like to remove them to my serving dish so they’re ready to go on the dinner table. Drizzle them with the balsamic glaze, and serve immediately.
How Long to Grill Carrots
It takes approximately 20 minutes to grill carrots when your grill is preheated to 450 degrees F.
Remember how I mentioned you have more control over how firm or soft you cook your carrots when they’re on the grill? I wasn’t lying! Use a meat thermometer so you can get these carrots cooked exactly how you want.
For a nice, firm carrot, cook them until they reach an internal temperature of 195 degrees F. If you like your carrots softer, cook them until they reach 200 degrees F. You can also play around with this temperature to get the carrots to that perfect temperature for you and your family.
More Grilled Vegetables Recipes
I eat quite a lot of meat throughout my week. In fact, I’d say 5/7 meals during the week include meat as a main course. Even though this is just fine (and I’m not complaining), having vegetables, fruits, and a variety of other food groups on my dinner table helps to balance out my heavy meat consumption.
These grilled vegetable recipes are not only delicious, but they’re healthy as well. Best of all? You can cook these at the same time as you cook the main course on your grill, helping you save time and energy.
Bacon Wrapped Maple Glazed Carrots
Grilled Vegetables
Garlic Parmesan Grilled Green Beans
Grilled Carrots Recipe
Follow the recipe, and I’ll teach you the simple steps to making your own grilled carrots at home. Hey Grill Hey is dedicated to help you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a backyard BBQ hero. You can find more of my smoking and grilling recipes and videos on YouTube, Instagram, or our Facebook Page.
Grilled Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh whole carrots carrot tops removed
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Scrub or peel carrots until they are clean and free of dirt. Lay the carrots out on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper then sprinkle with brown sugar. Toss the carrots a few times to ensure they are evenly coated.
- Preheat your grill to 450 degrees F for two-zone cooking (one zone includes direct heat and a second zone is cool where there isn't any direct heat).
- Place the seasoned carrots directly on the grill grates on the indirect side of the grill, close the lid, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Move the carrots over to the direct heat side of the grill and cook for 3-5 minutes per side, rotating them 3-4 times until they are fully cooked. Use a meat thermometer to gauge the carrots doneness, and cook your carrots until they reach either 195 degrees F for tender-crisp carrots or up to 200 degrees F for softer carrots.
- Remove the carrots from the grill and drizzle with the balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
