How To Boil Carrots
Learn how to boil carrots so they come out perfect every time. They are easy to make and full of flavor, and adaptable with various herbs and spices.
Suitable for Gluten Free, Paleo, Low carb, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Whole30 diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
Boiled carrots are extremely easy to make and can be served all year round. They are a delicious and versatile dish that is a great addition to your Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas feasts.
Yeap, you can’t beat a side dish of delicious carrots with their sweet flavor and bright orange color. They are so good that even picky eaters love them.
Plus, they are super versatile and can be paired with other vegetables, added to salads, and served with grilled vegetables, fish, and meats.
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This guide on How To Boil Carrots on the stove top will have you enjoying fork tender, naturally sweet cooked carrots with every meal, all year long.
P.S. if you love carrots or boiled vegetables, then check out this guide on How to Cook Frozen Carrots, as well as this Boiled Broccoli recipe.
Please also do check out this How to Cook Fresh Green Beans post.
Why Make This Recipe
- Quick and easy – with minimal cooking time, these are ready in less than 10 minutes.
- Scale up – easy to double or triple to feed a crowd.
- Filled with good things – like vitamin C, Vitamin K, beta carotene, and potassium. Plus high in fiber, lower in calories, and more.
- Diets – this recipe is gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, plant-based, Paleo, Whole30 and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh carrots – this recipe starts with whole carrots that you slice up. I like to use slightly larger carrots that hold their shape easily. Frozen carrots will need a different cook time.
Ready to learn everything about boiling carrots? Gather your ingredients, and I will show you…
Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
How To Boil Carrots
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Rinse carrots, remove any debris, and pat them dry.
- Peel carrots with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler.
- Slice carrots to a thickness of about a quarter-inch.
- Add sliced carrots into a large pot of boiling water, making sure there is enough water to cover them.
- Cook carrots for 3-5 minutes, less time for crisp tender and more time for softer ones.
- Drain and then add any flavorings before serving.
Recipe Tips And Variations
- Feel free to slice carrots on the diagonal, as these look much prettier.
- Try and cook vegetables of the same size, so the slices cook at the same rate.
- You can salt the water before boiling the carrots.
- Drain the carrots right away. Otherwise, they will continue cooking in the hot water. And be sure to drain them well, so they don’t become soggy.
- Feel free to boil water in the kettle first and add the boiling water to the saucepan to make cooking carrots even quicker.
Flavor ideas
This vegetable tends to already have a lot of flavor as is, but if you want even more flavor, try some of the ingredients from the list below.
- butter
- maple syrup
- salt and black pepper
- fresh herbs, especially parsley and cilantro
- brown sugar or coconut sugar
- olive oil
- red pepper flakes
- Greek seasoning
- Ranch seasoning
- nutmeg or cinnamon
- honey (if not vegan)
Prep Ahead And Storage
- Prep Ahead – Just wash and pat them dry and store them ready for peeling and boiling.
- Store – Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or a dish covered with plastic wrap inside the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze – We don’t recommend refreezing as the texture may become mushy.
- Reheat – Add a little olive oil into a saucepan or skillet and reheat over medium heat.
FAQs
Wondering how long carrots take to boil? Well, this depends on the size of the vegetables. Large carrots will take longer to cook than smaller ones.
– In this recipe, the carrots are cut to about a quarter-inch thickness and take about 4 minutes to cook.
– Whole carrots will take about 9-12 minutes to boil.
– Baby carrots will take about 5-6 minutes to boil.
If you are making them for baby food, then boil them for longer before mashing them.
You can cook them either way. I prefer to peel them when cooking them for the kids as they prefer it that way. Otherwise, I cook them unpeeled too.
More Recipes You May Like
Here are some how to cook recipes that you may find useful. Or you can start with the few below.
- Easy Glazed Instant Pot Carrots.
- Air Fryer Carrot Fries.
- Roasted Frozen Brussel Sprouts.
- Instant Pot Brussel Sprouts.
- Oven Roasted Frozen Brussel Sprouts.
- How To Steam Broccoli in Microwave.
- How to Boil Broccoli.
- How To Steam Broccoli In Microwave.
- Roasted Frozen Broccoli.
- Frozen Corn on the Cob in Air Fryer.
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob.
- Frozen Corn On The Cob Air Fryer.
- How To Cook Canned Corn.
- How To Cook Frozen Corn On The Cob.
- Plus, check out How to Cook Fresh Green Beans.
Recommended Tools
- You want an awesome saucepan or casserole pot for boiling your veggies well.
- Use THE BEST EVER sea salt.
- Store leftover food in these multi-use airtight containers.
- For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
Weight Watchers Points
There are 0 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
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How To Boil Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450g) whole carrots
Instructions
- Rinse carrots, removing any debris and pat them dry.
- Peel carrots with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler.
- Slice carrots to a quarter-inch thickness.
- Add sliced carrots into a large pot of boiling water, making sure there is enough water to cover them.
- Cook carrots for 3-5 minutes, less time for crisp tender and more time for softer ones.
- Drain well, and then add any flavorings you like before serving.
Notes
- Feel free to slice carrots on the diagonal, as these look much prettier.
- Try and cook vegetables of the same size, so the slices cook at the same rate.
- You can salt the water before boiling the carrots.
- Drain the carrots right away otherwise, they will continue cooking in the hot water. And be sure to drain them well, so they don’t become soggy.
- Feel free to boil water in the kettle first and add the boiling water to the saucepan to make cooking carrots even quicker.
- Storage – keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- There are 0 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.
