• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Therapist Cooks
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Easy Springy Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Easy Springy Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
×
Home » Recipes » Vegetable Side Dishes

Easy Japanese Sweet Carrots

Published: Jan 28, 2021 Last Updated: Aug 2024 by Lindsay This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and enjoy. 15 Comments

Jump to Recipe
4.92 from 45 ratings
image of japanese sweet carrots

Just like the kind you find on hibachi plates, Japanese sweet carrots to level up your homemade Japanese fusion food! Make these super easy sweet glazed carrots a meal with my favorite hibachi steak, hibachi shrimp, and hibachi vegetables!

Close up japanese sweet carrots sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Want to Read Later?

You can email this post to yourself (or anyone else!), so you can come back to it later!

More hibachi! This time my favorite little nibbly side dish, the sweet carrots that come on the side of hibachi meals, mainly of the takeout variety.

And, listen, when I talk about hibachi I know that some people think of American-style Japanese steakhouse types of places (I see you, Benihana fried rice), and those are great. And also expensive.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How To Make Sweet Carrots with White Sugar
  • More Favorite Asian Fusion Recipes:
  • Recipe
image of japanese sweet carrots

For me, I find the best hibachi at cheap places. We have one locally that's straight up in a gas station, and it is OMGSOGOOD. I love it.

These glazed carrots for sure aren't authentic Japanese (at least, not that I ever had while there), but the sweet carrots go really nicely with the super umami that comes from soy sauce + buttery cooked shrimp or chicken. Sweet carrots, plain rice, salty crispy meat, spicy yum yum sauce? YES.

Ingredients

OK, carrots! Four ingredients, done and done: carrots, salt, sugar, and butter. I've done this with large pieces and baby carrots and any size of carrots works great, you may just have to boil them for a bit longer to cook all the way through.

Pro Tip: Baby carrots work perfectly here, just throw them in the pot and boil them! Zero prep, hello best baby carrot recipe ever!

sweet carrots ingredients on black board.

How To Make Sweet Carrots with White Sugar

Start with the carrots, salt, and sugar in a small pot covered with water. This recipe is for 4 small side dishes - more of an accompaniment where I'd have hibachi vegetables as the "main" side dish. Feel free to double the recipe if you'd like more carrots!

carrots with salt and sugar in a small pot.

Keep the pot uncovered while you cook the sweet carrots. Bring the mixture to a boil and let boil uncovered over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, just enough for the carrots to get tender but not mushy.

After 5 minutes, poke the carrots with a fork to see if they're done. If the carrots aren't tender yet, keep boiling and testing ever 2 minutes or so until the carrots are soft. Total boiling time will be in the 5-10 minute range depending on how large your carrot pieces are.

When the carrots are cooked through, drain any liquid remaining and put the carrots back in the hot pot. Add the butter and swirl it around to coat the carrots.

Make Hibachi At Home

  • homemade hibachi shrimp bowl in white serving bowl with asparagus and white rice.
    3-ingredient Hibachi Shrimp
  • hibachi
    15 Minute Hibachi Steak
  • sauteed zucchini and onions
    Hibachi Vegetables

YUM. These aren't cloyingly sweet but they definitely have the sweet + creamy flavor from the butter that is so delicious. I use salted butter for extra flavor - add a pinch of salt right at the end if you are using unsalted butter.

image of japanese sweet carrots with sesame seeds topping.

And that's it! Hibachi sweet carrots, the perfect side dish for hibachi steak and vegetables. Try these soon, or some other favorite weeknight Asian style dinners.

More Favorite Asian Fusion Recipes:

  • Gluten Free Orange Ginger Chicken
  • Summery Thai Curry
  • Spicy Sambal Pork Noodles
  • Korean Broiled Salmon

Enjoy!

Recipe

image of japanese sweet carrots

Hibachi Sweet Carrots

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings
Super easy sweet carrots that go perfectly as a side dish to your favorite homemade hibachi dinner!
4.92 from 45 ratings
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Servings 4 small servings

Equipment

  • Chef Knife
  • Cutting Board

Ingredients
  

  • ½ pounds carrots cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions
 

  • Place the carrots in a small pot with 1 cup of water (approximately), enough water to cover the carrots by about half. Add the sugar and salt to the water.
  • Bring the carrots to a boil and let boil uncovered for 5-7 minutes, testing after 5 minutes, until tender.
  • Drain any remaining water and return the carrots to the hot pot. Add the butter and swirl to coat and melt.
  • Serve as a small side dish to your favorite dinner. enjoy!

Notes

Use any kind of carrots you like! Whole baby carrots work great, or larger chunks of big carrots. If you use larger carrots than bite-sized, you may have to boil them for a few minutes longer to cook them all the way through.
I use salted butter for this dish. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt when you swirl the butter into the carrots.
This makes 4 small servings as these sweet carrots are commonly found as a second side dish with hibachi vegetables. Feel free to double or triple the recipe if this is your primary side dish! Or, like, if you just love carrots.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

More Easy Vegetable Side Dishes

  • Cast iron skillet of vegetarian oysters rockefeller.
    Oyster Mushrooms Rockefeller
  • Side angle view of squash casserole with a wooden spoon scooping into the baking dish.
    Favorite Squash Casserole
  • Serving dish of strawberry cucumber salad with pickled white onions.
    Strawberry Cucumber Salad
  • white baking dish of broccoli cheddar casserole with wooden spoon.
    Broccoli Casserole with Ritz Crackers

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Barbara

    May 04, 2024 at 5:52 pm

    Also, good using canned carrots.

    Reply
    • Lindsay

      May 05, 2024 at 12:03 pm

      Absolutely!

      Reply
  2. Millie

    November 29, 2023 at 1:05 pm

    Has anyone tried this recipe using frozen sliced carrots?

    Reply
    • Lindsay

      December 01, 2023 at 12:00 pm

      It works great with frozen sliced carrots!

      Reply
  3. Ria

    February 26, 2023 at 12:09 pm

    4 stars
    I added turmeric, a bunch of salt, half a cup of green onions and a lot of ginger and paprika. Came out super good, oh and I used 6 large eggs. My whole fam loved it.
    By itself the recipe seemed a tad plain

    Reply
    • K

      March 18, 2023 at 5:12 am

      Why are you rating this recipe if you didn’t make it? Not sure what you made with your 6 eggs and tumeric but it wasn’t a simple side of sweet carrots. I don’t understand people who bother to rate recipes and then say “but I changed everything and then I actually didn’t like my own cooking so I’ll only give you 4 stars.” Use less tumeric next time I guess.

      Reply
    • L

      February 08, 2024 at 4:53 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect!

      Reply
      • Lindsay

        February 09, 2024 at 8:13 am

        Thanks!

    • TDM

      April 06, 2025 at 10:26 am

      5 stars
      You are why people need to be able to rate reviewers. You made an omelet? scrambled eggs? and decided to rate a recipe of glazed carrots. Zero stars.

      Reply
    • G

      April 06, 2025 at 11:25 am

      girl what

      Reply
  4. Jere Cassidy

    March 18, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    5 stars
    I am a big fan of carrots and this recipe is amazing. Love how simple it is to make.

    Reply
  5. Audrey

    March 18, 2021 at 1:50 pm

    5 stars
    Hibachi carrots are one of our favs!! Can’t wait to make these at home- the recipe looks spot on

    Reply
    • Lindsay

      March 19, 2021 at 2:21 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  6. Marcellina

    March 18, 2021 at 8:13 am

    5 stars
    These carrots are a perfect side for any meal!! Mix butter into my veggies and I'm happy!!

    Reply
    • Lindsay

      March 19, 2021 at 2:21 pm

      Riiiiiiight?! Same.

      Reply
4.92 from 45 votes (39 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Image of Lindsay Howerton-Hastings smiling sitting on dark gray couch wearing chambray blue shirt.

Hi! I'm Lindsay. I'm a maternal mental health therapist, a recipe developer, food writer, and taker of all kinds of pictures. Thank you so much for being here! This blog is about how to take care of yourself and your people without taking anything too seriously.

More about me →

Easy Weeknight Dinners

  • Weeknight Korean Chicken Rice Bowls

  • White ceramic skillet with lemon garlic butter pasta topped with fresh parsley.
    Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta

  • tofu rice bowls
    Pan Fried Tofu with Thai Peanut Sauce

  • Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Most Popular Recipes

  • Black skillet with sliced steak and shallot sauce.
    Cast Iron New York Strip

  • indian butter chicken served with rice in a white bowl.
    Easy Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

  • homemade hibachi shrimp bowl in white serving bowl with asparagus and white rice.
    3-ingredient Hibachi Shrimp

  • white plate of asparagus casserole with a silver fork.
    BEST Easy Asparagus Casserole

  • Braised Chicken Thighs with Leeks and Lemon
    One-Skillet Chicken and Leeks

  • Brown Butter Blondies

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About
  • Privacy Policy

Emails

  • Sign Up! to get new recipes in your inbox

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

image of japanese sweet carrots
 

Loading Comments...
 

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.