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Home » Main meals

How to cook carrots

September 12, 2019 by Mandy Mazliah Leave a Comment

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CARROTS ON WOODEN BACKGROUND

Cheap, readily available and nutritious - carrots have a lot going for them. And there's more that you can do with them than you might think. Here are my top tips for how to cook carrots along with carrot recipe suggestions.

carrots on wooden background

If you're looking for a little inspiration to take your carrot cooking to the next level then look no further. Here I've collated my favourite vegetarian and vegan carrot recipes in one place to share with you. Which will you try first?

 

What are your favourite carrot recipes?

I've posed this question recently in my Facebook group and on instagram with some great results.

Roasted carrots featured a lot. Most people roasted them with honey, others chose maple syrup.

Have you tried roasted carrots before?

Other ideas for how to cook carrots included:

  • Vichy carrots, cooked with sugar, butter and thyme
  • cutting into ribbons for salads or sandwiches
  • adding to smoothies
  • grating into a quesadilla
  • putting into oat bars. 

Simple steamed or boiled carrots featured as well.

And lots of people said that both they and their kids love crunchy raw carrots. 

carrots on wooden background - carrot recipes

How to cook carrots

If you're not following one of the recipes below but just want a simple method for cooking carrots try one of the following ideas.

How to steam carrots

  • Half fill the bottom of your steamer pan with water and bring to the boil.
  • Peel the carrots and cut off the ends. Very young carrots won't need peeling but be sure to wash them before cooking. Cut into thin rounds or half moons. Try to keep them a similar size.
  • Once the water has come to the boil place the carrots in the steamer basket, place on top of the pan and cover with a lid. Turn the heat down so the water doesn't boil over or burn dry.
  • It will take around 10-15 minutes to steam your carrots. Carefully remove the lid (watch out for hot steam) and check that they are tender with a fork. The exact cooking time will depend on the size of your carrots.

How to boil carrots

Steaming vegetables is generally a better option because this method helps to keep the nutrients in. However if you need to boil them instead it's very simple.

  • Bring a pan of water to the boil.
  • Meanwhile prepare the carrots as above (see how to steam carrots).
  • Carefully add the prepared carrots to the boiling water and boil for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Check with a fork. Remember that the cooking time will vary depending on the size of your carrot.

How to roast carrots

maple balsamic roasted carrots and parsnips recipe by Sneaky Veg

 

Roasted carrots is absolutely delicious and many of my readers have told me that this is their favourite way to eat carrots.

I have a recipe here for maple balsamic roasted baby carrots and parsnips (pictured above) if you'd like to check it out.

To roast carrots you'll need to:

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6.
  • Peel the carrots, cut off both ends and slice into rounds, half moons or batons. Very young carrots won't need to be peeled but you should always wash them first.
  • Place in an ovenproof roasting dish and drizzle with olive oil. Mix well. Other delicious additions could include honey, maple syrup, sesame oil (instead of olive oil), turmeric, ginger or balsamic vinegar.
  • Roast for 20 minutes then remove from the oven and stir well. If you're roasting as half moons they may be done now, larger pieces will need to be returned to the oven to cook through.

How else can carrots be cooked?

Carrots can also be:

  • sautéed
  • added to stir fries
  • eaten raw
  • baked into cakes, bars or cookies.

Need more inspiration? Check out my recipes below.

Here are my delicious and healthy vegetarian and vegan carrot recipes

Roasted carrot pasta sauce

fusili pasta with roast carrot sauce on blue plate with bowl of sauce in background

Mini carrot cakesvegan carrot loaf cakes with cream cheese frosting on wooden board

Carrot smoothie

carrot smoothie in two smoothie jars

Quick carrot fritters (vegan)Carrot and herb fritters on plate with tahini and pitta

Maple balsamic roasted carrots and parsnips (vegan)

maple balsamic roasted carrots and parsnips recipe by Sneaky Veg

Healthy carrot cake with dates and banana (vegetarian or vegan)

Healthy carrot and date cake with banana. One slice cut. Recipe by Sneaky Veg

Carrot hummus (vegan)

carrot hummus

Rainbow wraps (vegan or vegetarian)

healthy tortilla wraps with rainbow vegetables on brown board

Carrots and peanut butter (vegan)

Skippy peanut butter with carrot sticks

Carrot tea loaf (vegetarian or vegan)

Carrot christmas loaf cake recipe by Sneaky Veg

Wholemeal carrot soda bread rolls (vegetarian or vegan)

carrot wholemeal soda bread rolls recipe by Sneaky Veg

Carrot cake energy balls (vegan)Carrot cake nut free energy balls

Mixed vegetable curry (vegan)

mixed vegetable curry with rice

Healthy carrot muffins (vegan)

Healthy carrot muffins recipe - vegan

Carrot cake oat bars (vegan)

Carrot cake oaty bars

Easy vegetable samosas (vegan)

Easy vegetable filo samosas recipe on board

Apple and carrot hot cross buns (vegan)

close up of apple and carrot vegan hot cross buns on cooling rack

Carrot cake overnight oats (vegan)

carrot cake over night oats in bowls with strawberries on wooden background

 

Carrot and banana muffins (vegetarian or vegan)

carrot and banana muffins on cooling rack

Pin delicious and healthy carrot recipes for later

CARROTS ON WOODEN BACKGROUND

HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?

If you loved this recipe why not let me know by leaving a comment below? Alternatively you can let me know on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. 

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