Here are our best easy carrot recipes for including this healthy vegetable in your meals, from roasted to soup to cookies.
Looking for the best ways to eat carrots? These bright orange, healthy veggies are good for so much more than just your eyesight, like the old mantra. They’re packed full of vitamins and nutrients! Luckily: they’re also delicious. And there are so many more ways to eat them than raw carrots sticks!
Here we’ve compiled all the best carrot recipes in two groups: first, recipes where carrots are the star! Think: carrot soup, roasted carrots, carrot cake cookies. But second, and just as important: recipes where carrots play an important supporting role. What’s a good coleslaw or noodle soup without carrots? Let’s get to the recipes.
And now…our best easy carrot recipes!
These really are the perfect sauteed carrots! Turns out they’re very simple, too! These are the most tender, buttery, savory, coins of carrots, with a hint of herbaceous fresh thyme and chives. They taste like the best carrots you’ve ever had: but they only have 3 ingredients and take 10 minutes.
Looking for an easy side dish? Look no further than these Honey Glazed Carrots! When you’re looking for something special…what’s better than a butter and honey glaze? This recipe comes together in just 15 minutes, and the flavor is out of this world: sweet, savory, and salty, with fruity and floral notes from the honey. It’s perfect for impressing guests, or a special weeknight dinner in.
Good news, fry lovers: there’s a new fry in town. Carrot fries! This healthy fry recipe is full of all the nutrients of this popular vegetable: but tastes like your favorite greasy comfort food. Even better: they’re coated in ranch seasoning! This play on the standard pairing of carrots and ranch gives a savory zing to each bite. Of course, you can dip them in ranch too for double the fun. They’re baked, and there’s a little trick to give them a lightly crispy exterior. Everyone will love them!
Ready for the best carrots EVER? Don’t get us wrong: carrots are perfect raw. Carrots and hummus, carrots and ranch: we’re there for it! But if you want to dress up your carrots as a crazy delicious side dish: make these easy roasted carrots! They come out tender, lightly charred, and sweetly earthy. Roasting them with lemon wedges gives a brightness of flavor. Give that raw carrot a glamorous makeover! You’ll be glad you did.
Carrot salad might sound humble, but it’s anything but. Serve this carrot salad to your friends and family, and they’ll be singing your praises! We know because after we made this at our house, it disappeared within minutes. It’s simple and refreshing, featuring strings of carrots doused in a a tangy Mediterranean-style vinaigrette.
Want to eat more carrots? Here’s a tasty way to get a healthy dose of them: this Perfect Carrot Smoothie! This vibrant puree is full of irresistible fruity flavor: it pairs this orange veggie with orange, apple, and mango. Make your daily dose of fruits and veggies sippable! We especially love how the citrus of the orange accents the sweetness of the carrot.
Here's a carrot recipe that capitalizes on the sweet flavor and vibrant color of this healthy veggie perfectly! The velvety orange puree is flavored with fresh ginger, curry paste and coconut milk.Thai curry paste has beautifully fresh flavors: garlic, lemongrass, and ginger. Grab a jar from the store and it keeps for months in the refrigerator.
The only thing better than roasted carrots? Roasted carrots and onions! Yes, simply adding an onion to your tray of roasted carrots makes them even more fun to eat. Add part of a red and yellow onion, and you get a beautiful variation in color and texture. The onion gets tender with charred tips, with an unbelievably sweet flavor. It’s the perfect accent to carrot coins, seasoned with garlic and thyme.
Looking for pancakes that won’t leave you with a sugar crash? Try these Carrot Cake Pancakes! They're just sweet enough with a healthy spin. Lightly sweetened with maple syrup, they're tender and moist from the carrots, and perfectly spiced with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Even better, top them with maple Greek yogurt and the sweet tang is magic. It’s like eating a piece of carrot cake…that’s suitable for breakfast.
Here’s one of the best juices you can add on the daily: carrot juice! It’s full of nutrients and it tastes fantastic. Instead of drinking soda, why not sip on this glowing orange beauty? This carrot juice recipe results in juice with a beautiful fresh flavor. It’s got natural sweetness from oranges and apples, and a little tang from lemon. Even better, you don’t even need a juicer to make it! Though you can use one if you have it.
When it comes to side dishes, we’re always looking to mix things up. Here's the perfect idea: Roasted Broccoli and Carrots! The bright green florets border on savory-sweet, and mixed with the sweet orange carrot rounds, the contrast is just perfect. The variation of flavor, texture and shape is just enough to make these roasted vegetables seem like a new innovation. Use them as a healthy side dish or part of a grain bowl or main dish salad.
Here’s a tasty and healthy way to eat your veggies: steamed carrots! We know what you’re thinking. Steamed vegetables are mushy and flavorless. But cook them the right way, and they’re full of bright, fresh flavor! These steamed carrots are cooked until crisp tender, then topped with fresh herbs and a spritz of fresh lemon juice. Steaming uses less oil than sauteing, so it’s a great option for healthy eating.
Also try: Perfect Boiled Carrots
If it's grilling season, you must try this grilled carrots recipe! Grilling baby carrots makes them tender and slightly charred. When they're done, toss them with lime juice, cilantro and a hint of cumin for a zesty flavor.
Another great way to start the day with carrots: carrot cake baked oatmeal! It’s cozy and comforting: flecked with orange carrots, topped with pecans, and flavored with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Said one reader: "It’s delicious! My husband, who doesn’t like carrots, saw me eating it and asked what it was. He tried it and liked it!"
This isn't a true carrot recipe, but we had to include it because it's our favorite way to eat carrots! Raw carrots with this ranch dressing is a sure hit for eaters of any age. It’s got a healthy spin with plain yogurt and a little bit of mayo for richness. Then add dill, garlic powder, and onion powder, and you’ve got a creamy dressing that takes just 5 minutes to make! Why buy it again? Another option: Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip.
Want to start your day with carrot recipes? These carrot cake breakfast cookies are perfect for busy mornings. They’re hearty, tasty, and the texture is just right: pleasantly chewy, almost like a Cliff bar–but better! They’re also easily portable for traveling or breakfast on the go. Make a big batch and pull them out of the freezer when you’re running out the door!
Next up: carrot recipes where carrots play an important supporting role! They're essential in this easy homemade vegetable soup: it's like a version of vegetarian chicken noodle! The base recipe is seriously simple, with onion, carrot, celery, and rotini pasta noodles. If you'd like, you can customize it by adding veggies like handfuls of baby spinach or white beans for additional plant based protein.
What's coleslaw without bright orange shredded carrots? Here's the very best recipe for a coleslaw, featuring our Creamy Coleslaw Dressing. This recipe is totally balanced in sweet and savory flavors. It has a healthy spin, too: there’s no refined sugar and less mayo than most coleslaw recipes. When we make this one, we find ourselves going back to the fridge for seconds and thirds!
What's fried rice without carrots? They give the required brightly colored cubes in this vegetable fried rice recipe. It's a fast and easy dinner recipe to use up any vegetables you have on hand in your refrigerator and freezer! With fresh ginger and garlic and the requisite scrambled egg, it's flavorful and satisfying.
What's a pot pie recipe without carrots? This cozy pot pie will literally wow your guests! The interior is full of vegetables: carrots, potatoes, and peas, mixed with a gooey vegetarian gravy flavored with pesto and Parmesan. It's topped with a flaky, golden pastry crust: truly a stunner.
Last up in our best carrot recipes: shredded or shaved carrots are perfect as a garnish for sandwiches! This one is a quick recipe featuring Mediterranean flavors. For the filling: garlic herb white bean dip, sliced red onion, shredded carrots, and feta cheese. It’s fast to put together and full of flavor. See also: Vegetarian Banh Mi and Vegan Banh Mi Sandwich.
Carrots nutrition
Carrot are one of the 20 best vegetables you can eat! What’s so great about carrots? Here are some nutrition benefits (source):
- Vitamin A / Beta Carotene: Carrots have 428% of your daily vitamin A in 1 cup! It’s present as beta-carotene, an antioxidant could help in cancer prevention. Your body converts beta carotene into Vitamin A.
- Vitamins C, K and potassium: Carrots also are high in these vitamins.
Perfect Sauteed Carrots
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Here are the best sauteed carrots you’ll ever have! The perfect easy side dish, they’re made with just 3 ingredients and done in 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 8 medium carrots (1 pound)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon plus 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or other fresh herbs — we used a combination of thyme and chives)
Instructions
- Peel the carrots and slice them diagonally into rounds (on the bias).
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the carrots and cover. Cook for 4 minutes without stirring.
- Remove the lid, stir, and add the 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Continue to saute uncovered 3 to 4 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh herbs and a few more pinches kosher salt to taste. Serve immediately.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Sauteed
- Cuisine: Vegan
Keywords: Carrot Recipes, Sauteed Carrots, Easy Sauteed Carrots
More on eating your veggies!
Need more inspiration outside of these carrot recipes? We’ve got lots of it. Here are a few more resources for eating more vegetables:
- 20 Best Vegetables to Eat Today We’ve all heard, “Eat more vegetables.” But how to do it? Here are the healthiest vegetables to get into your diet, and recipes for how to eat them!
- 28 Day Vegetarian Meal Plan Here’s a month-long vegetarian meal plan with planning ideas and a meal planning calendar with food to cook.
- Plant Based Diet for Beginners Everything you need to know about eating a plant based diet, including plant based protein ideas and recipes for every meal of the day!
Last updated: January 2021
No Comments