How To Steam Carrots
Learn all the tips and tricks for how to steam carrots. These turn out crisp-tender and make a great side dish the whole family love!
Suitable for vegan, gluten free, Paleo, and Whole30 diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
Nothing better than a delicious, easy side dish serving of crisp tender steamed carrots packed full of natural sweetness and loaded with any flavors you like. It makes a great dish for kids, and once you learn how to steam carrots quickly and easily, you’ll want to add them to your regular meal rotation.
Steaming vegetables is a great way to preserve their flavor, and when done correctly, they are full of flavor with not a mushy vegetable in sight. It definitely makes for a healthy eating option.
And if you prefer, you can Boil Carrots or you can Microwave Carrots instead.
Why Make This Recipe
- Quick and easy – with minimal cooking time these fork tender veggies are ready in less than 10 minutes.
- Scale up – scale up by doubling or tripling this recipe to feed a crowd.
- Filled with good things – carrots are high in vitamin C, Vitamin K, beta carotene, and potassium, are lower in calories, and high in fiber.
- 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. Slightly large carrots hold their shape, so I use these.
- Water – you need water to steam these veggies.
- Optional flavoring – so many ways to flavor these, just check out some ideas further below.
Ready to learn about steaming carrots? Gather your ingredients and I will show you…
How To Steam Carrots
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Rinse carrots, remove any dirt, and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Peel carrots with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler and slice carrots into about quarter-inch slices on a cutting board.
- Add water into a saucepan and bring water to a boil.
- Add carrots to a steamer basket, add the basket on top of the saucepan, and cover.
- Cook carrots for 4-5 minutes, then test for doneness.
- Cook for a few more minutes if needed.
- When done, let stand for a couple of minutes, then drain, add to a serving dish, and add any flavorings.
How To Steam Carrots In The Microwave
- Pour a quarter cup of water into a microwave-safe bowl and add sliced carrots.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap, making sure to leave a small space on the edge for steam to escape.
- Cook carrots on high for 3 minutes, then test for doneness.
- Continue cooking as needed for 30-45 seconds intervals until cooked through.
- When done, let stand for a couple of minutes, then drain the cooked carrots and flavor as desired.
- Click on this Microwave Carrots post to find out more about all the tips and tricks.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure to cut carrot pieces into even size pieces, so they cook evenly.
- Make sure you start steaming them over boiling water as this makes the vegetable cook quicker.
- To test for doneness stick a fork into them and see how you like them.
- Feel free to add cooked carrots into a frying pan with some melted butter to crisp them up and add extra flavor.
- If mixing in seasonings, do it carefully so you don’t break the pieces.
- Choose a microwave safe container that will hold all of your sliced vegetables without overflowing.
- Make sure to keep an eye on the steaming liquid. If it evaporates, you will need to add in some more.
- Feel free to use the remaining cooking liquid for stock, as this adds a nice flavor.
Flavor ideas
These steamed carrots tend to already have a lot of flavor as is, but if you want extra flavor, then you can add some of the ingredients from the list below.
- melted butter or olive oil
- toss in maple syrup
- salt and pepper
- or just freshly ground black pepper
- fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley, dill, and oregano
- brown sugar, coconut sugar, or cinnamon sugar
- red pepper flakes
- Greek seasoning or ranch seasoning
- garlic salt
- Nutmeg or cinnamon
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 – with a little olive oil in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat.
FAQs
Wondering how long to steam carrots? Well, this depends on the size of the vegetables. Large carrots will take longer to steam than smaller ones.
Mine were cut to about 1/4 inch thickness and took about 4 minutes to cook.
If you want to steam baby carrots, halve them, and cook will take about 4-5 minutes.
For whole carrots, quarter them and cook for about 10 minutes, depending on their size.
Absolutely you can. I have done so using a heat-resistant colander and a metal trivet and these worked perfectly. Just be careful when handling them as these can get rather hot.
More Recipes You May Like
Want more quick and easy recipes for vegetables and steamed vegetable recipes? Then check out these 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.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these with some delicious Instant Pot Chicken Tenders, or Air Fryer Whole Chicken and creamy southern Smothered Pork Chops.
Weight Watchers Points
There are 0 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
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How To Steam Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450g) whole carrots
- optional flavorings salt, butter, thyme, parsley, dill, etc.
Instructions
- Rinse carrots, removing any debris and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Peel carrots with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler and slice carrots to about 1/4 inch slices on a cutting board.
- Add water into a saucepan and bring water to a boil.
- Add carrots to a steamer basket, place on top of the saucepan, and cover.
- Cook carrots for 4-5 minutes, then test for doneness.
- Cook for a few more minutes if need.
- When done, let stand for a couple of minutes then drain, add to a serving dish and add any flavorings.
Notes
- Make sure to cut carrot pieces into even size pieces, so they cook evenly.
- Make sure you start steaming them over boiling water as this makes the vegetable cook quicker.
- To test for doneness stick a fork into them and see how you like them.
- Feel free to add cooked carrots into a frying pan with some melted butter to crisp them up and add extra flavor.
- If mixing in seasonings, do it carefully so you don’t break the pieces.
- Choose a microwave safe container that will hold all of your sliced vegetables without overflowing.
- Make sure to keep an eye on the steaming liquid. If it evaporates, you will need to add in some more.
- Feel free to use the remaining cooking liquid for stock, as this adds a nice flavor.
- Storage – keep leftover steamed carrots in ain airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- There are 0 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.
