31 Carrot Recipes From Crunchy Salads to Tender Cakes
One of our all-time favorite veggies, carrots take us in so many directions—and these carrot recipes show it. You can roast carrots until their edges get caramelized, coaxing out the vegetable’s natural sweetness. You can pickle fresh carrots for a crunchy companion to chargrilled meat. You can purée them to make carrot-ginger soup, a classic vegetarian comfort food. And, of course, you can shred and fold them into carrot cake batter.
In the grocery store, we recommend avoiding two types of carrots: first, those uniform little cylinders in a bag labeled “baby carrots.” They’re just whittled down from larger carrots. True baby carrots, prized for their sweetness, are harvested before reaching maturity and have pointed tips and green tops just like fully grown carrots. The other type of carrot to avoid is at the opposite end of the spectrum: giant horse carrots, which are watery, bland, and yes, meant for horses. Instead, look for medium-size carrots, ideally with the green tops still attached; use the greens to make carrot top pesto or as a substitute for parsley in chimichurri.
Now, before we get into our best carrot recipes, here’s a bonus one for carrot fries. (We know you want it.) Peel and quarter your carrots lengthwise (and maybe some parsnips, too, if you’ve got ’em), then toss them in olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Roast them on a sheet pan at 425° for about 20 minutes, until their edges are crispy. Serve with the sauce of your choosing. That’s it.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni1/31The Easiest Glazed Carrots
Glossed with orange juice and honey, these glazed carrots are fit for any holiday table. All the work happens on the stovetop, so you can save that oven space for the pies, casseroles, and turkey or ham.
Photograph by Joe Lingeman, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua5/31Carrot Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Whip
We could go on and on about this streamlined carrot cake recipe. The batter comes together superfast in the blender (no, you don’t have to grate any carrots). It’s loaded with mix-ins, baked in an unfussy 13x9" pan, and topped with tangy, fluffy whipped cream cheese frosting.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by JoJo Li6/31Pickled Vegetables
Make a batch of pickled vegetables on Sunday and your week’s lunchtime salads will become exponentially more exciting. Pair with a tin of fish or hunk of cheese, plus a mountain of crackers.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco, prop styling by Emily Eisen8/31Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman9/31Morning Glory Baked Oatmeal
Don’t have a muffin tin? You should probably get one! In the meantime, bake this Morning Glory muffin–inspired by oatmeal to feed a brunch crowd (or just you, for a full week of breakfasts).
Photography by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jamie10/31Skillet Salmon With Pickle-y Salad
Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Frances Boswell, prop styling by Sophie Strangio11/31Spring Vegetable Bhajia
Use any root vegetables you’ve got on hand in these flexible fritters. Whatever you do, don’t skip the bright scallion chutney served alongside.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua15/31Roasted Roots With Green Salsa
Looks are deceiving when it comes to this dish: It seems impressive, but it is, in fact, a simple recipe—so simple that you could make it on a weeknight.
Alex Lau16/31BA’s Best Carrot Cake
Our favorite carrot cake recipe gets a hint of molasses from dark brown sugar and a boozy punch from (optional) rum-plumped raisins. Candied carrot coins take it over the top.
Photo by Marcus Nilsson, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Angharad Bailey17/31Slow-Roasted Chicken With Honey-Glazed Carrots
Slow-roasting doesn’t mean you need a slow cooker: This main dish and side dish in one is best cooked using a Dutch oven or other heavy pot.
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano. Prop Styling by Maeve Sheridan and Molly Longwell18/31Fully Loaded Carrot Muffins
Inspired by the morning glory muffin, you’ll be thankful to have these around when you need breakfast to go—and with the grated carrots, you’ll still get a good dose of vitamin C.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Summer Moore19/31Shawarma-Spiced Carrots With Date and Herb Salad
Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Maggie Ruggiero, prop styling by Sophia Pappas21/31Stir-Fried Noodles With Chicken
Sometimes, all you can find at the grocery store (or stuck in the back of your crisper drawer) are, shall we say, less than perky carrots. This quick and hearty weeknight dinner is a tasty way to use them.
Photograph by Eva Kolenko. Food styling by Susie Theodorou. Set design by Kira Corbin. On set producer: Jennifer Thomas.22/31Charred Cabbage and Carrots
Yes, this is all about carrots, but cabbage deserves more credit. Char it and braise it (with carrots!) until buttery and you’ve transformed it into the best thing on the table.
Photograph by Jessica Pettway, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio23/31Carrot and Habanero Tamales
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Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Chris Morocco25/31Spiced Coconut Carrot Soup
Topping this curry powder–spiced soup with thinly sliced carrots, toasted sesame seeds, and fresh cilantro brings textural contrast to the otherwise creamy dish.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski26/31Shaved Carrots With Charred Dates
Crunchy carrots tossed in a tangy and sweet vinaigrette. Medjool dates blackened in spots on a hot stove. Literally everything we want in one bite.
Laura Murray27/31Carrot-Ginger Dressing
Obsessed with that carrot-ginger dressing that’s ubiquitous in Japanese restaurants in the States? So are we. Now you can make a big batch of it at home—and use it on much more than salad.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Andy Baraghani, prop styling by Emily Eisen28/31Grilled Carrots With Avocado and Mint
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susan Spungen29/31Cardamom-Pistachio Carrot Cake
In this carrot cake inspired by South Asian carrot halwa, raisins, cinnamon, and cream cheese frosting make way for brown butter pistachios, cardamom, and a sticky carrot glaze.
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li30/31Spicy Carrot Hummus
Serve this with pita chips as an appetizer. Spread it on a serving platter and top it with grilled zucchini. Smush it along the inner wall of a lunch bowl filled with lentils and rice. She’s versatile.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi31/31Classic Coleslaw
This traditional cabbage and carrot coleslaw tastes just as it should: crunchy, a little creamy, and with enough apple cider vinegar to keep it bright.