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Looking for new ways for how to cook carrots? These recipes will help you make use of your favorite vegetable, from sweet to savory!
Carrots have long been one of my favorite vegetable. I know I’m not alone, considering statistics say we in the United States each eat more than 8 pounds of carrots every year!
While raw carrots are great for snacking, there are so many other ways to enjoy them. Whether you love sweet baked goods or savory soups, carrots can have a role in all of them.
Choosing Carrots for Cooking
We’re all used to seeing rows and rows of packaged carrots at the supermarket, but did you know there are multiple varieties of carrots?
Multicolor carrots are perfect for using in recipes where the carrot is intact, like pickled carrots, carrot fries, or roasted carrots.
When the carrot is shredded, blended, or mashed, I prefer to use regular orange carrots.
Make sure your carrots are firm and crisp for most recipes. You can roast or mash carrots that are slightly past their prime, or use for soup.
Baby carrots can also be swapped in for many recipes. These carrots are just trimmed down from larger ones, and are optimally sweet.
Keep in mind that the cooking time for baby carrots may be less, depending on the dish.
For recipes requiring grated carrots, I recommend using a food processor to make quick work of the job. Packaged shredded carrots can work in a pinch, but make sure they are fresh!
Ready to get cooking with carrots? Check out all my favorite recipes for how to cook carrots below.
Carrot Appetizers
Carrot Fries
Carrot fries are deliciously seasoned roasted fries. These potato fry substitutes are easy to make and even easier to enjoy!
This delicious carrot and lentil soup is the perfect warming dish for winter days. Nutritious, frugal and filling, my easy recipe for spicy carrot lentil soup is also vegan and gluten free. This soup freezes well making it perfect for batch cooking.
Mashed carrots are a simple side dish to round out any meal and a great alternative to potatoes. Add any of your favorite seasonings to these naturally sweet carrots.
Mashed carrots are a simple side dish to round out any meal and a great alternative to potatoes. Add any of your favorite seasonings to these naturally sweet carrots.
This Ethiopian, one pot, cabbage and carrot stew (i.e. Atakilt Wat or Atkilt Wot) is vegan, gluten-free, and comes together in just 30 minutes. Flavored with turmeric, it's a great way to use pantry veggies!
Roasted Harissa Carrots are baked in the oven until they get caramelized and delicious. These carrots are just the right amount of spicy with a tiny touch of sweet.
These Middle Eastern whole roasted carrots are dressed in a mixture of cilantro, harissa and preserved lemons & topped with goat cheese, olives and nuts.
Are you looking for a super easy side dish? It doesn’t get any easier than these Instant Pot Carrots! With just the right amount of sweetness, this recipe works just as well on a busy weeknight as it does on a holiday celebration.
Sumac Roasted Carrots with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce is a simple whip-it-up and walk-away side dish with very little fuss and a whole lot of flavor. Citrusy sumac and herbaceous za’atar pair perfectly with the toasty sweetness of carrots, along with crunchy toasted pecans and a creamy yogurt tahini sauce.
Maple roasted carrots in the air fryer have to be one of our favorite things, but when you add in a little cinnamon and balsamic vinegar, they are totally delicious!
Honey Roasted Carrots In Air Fryer is a delicious way to eat carrots – caramelized with honey and perfectly balanced with simple seasoning. They make a healthy side dish, or a great snack by themselves.
Instant Pot Carrot Cake {with Cream Cheese Frosting}
Instant Pot Carrot Cake is full of shredded carrots, sweet pineapple, crunchy walnuts and topped with a cream cheese frosting! Enjoy without even turning on your oven!
Carrot Cake snuggles up with cream cheese frosting in this simple yet decadent version of a Swiss Roll. Like a Pumpkin Roll with a carrot cake recipe to make a different and fresh dessert to serve to your guests.
I learned how to cook by exploring seasonal ingredients, and you can too! Meal time shouldn’t be stressful or complicated, and with fresh ingredients and easy methods, I’m here to help you enjoy the time spent in the kitchen. Read more…
