Carrots are much more versatile than people realize. If you’ve never done much with them aside from coleslaw, carrot cakes, and salads, this article is one you’ll definitely want to read. Not only can you use carrots for plenty of desserts besides carrot cake – think carrot muffins, carrot ice cream, and carrot pudding – but you can also have them for breakfast! There are carrot pancakes, carrot cake waffles, carrot cake French toast, and more! Truthfully, the sheer amount of things you can do with carrots will shock you. Now, let’s check out 20 of my favorite carrot recipes.
20 Easy Carrot Recipes: Sautéed Carrots, Oatmeal, Pancakes, and More!
1. Tropical Carrot Smoothie
Carrots are a great source of potassium, fiber, vitamin K1, and more, but they don’t have the type of flavor that lends itself to delicious smoothies. This smoothie, though, also uses strawberries, mangoes, oranges, pineapples, and more, so you get all the carrot benefits with very little of the taste. If you’re a tropical smoothie for breakfast kind of person, you’ll love this recipe.
2. Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Putting veggies in your oatmeal may not sound too appealing. However, when those veggies are carrots, and you get to enjoy the rich, sweet flavor of carrot cake for breakfast, that’s another story. It’s thick, hearty, and sweetly spiced. Plus, you can make it the night before and simply heat it up the next morning.
3. Carrot Pancakes
If you like the idea of carrot cake for breakfast but aren’t a huge oatmeal fan, try these carrot cake pancakes instead. They’re fluffy, full of wonderful carrot cake spices, and an entirely decadent way to start your day.
4. Carrot Cake Waffles
Carrot cake waffles are equally delicious, but they have that crispy on the edges, fluffy in the center texture that makes waffle people swoon. You’ll also add raisins for a slightly tangy flavor and chopped pecans or walnuts for extra crunch and nuttiness. Plus, it takes only 20 minutes to make half a dozen. So if you’re looking for a delicious breakfast that doesn’t take too long to make, give these a try.
5. Carrot Cake French Toast Sticks
Of all the carrot cake-related breakfast ideas, carrot cake French toast sticks are the ones I like the least. However, my family thinks they’re the best thing since sliced bread, so I had to add them. They actually aren’t bad, but I’ve always been more of a pancakes and waffles person than a French toast one. Still, if you like crunchy, cinnamon-flavored, carrot cake-tasting treats for breakfast, these are your best bet. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce – syrup, yogurt, etc. – and get in a full serving of veggies before lunch.
6. French Grated Carrot Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
This tangy salad is more like a carrot coleslaw. To be fair, “French grated carrot salad with lemon Dijon vinaigrette” is quite the mouthful. And this salad does look a little like an orange coleslaw. It also has that zesty, cool, earthy, and refreshing flavor that coleslaw does so well. Whatever you want to call it, you can’t go wrong with this 15-minute salad.
7. Roasted Carrot Soup
The first thing you’ll notice about roasted carrot soup is its distinctive orange color. After that, the smooth, creamy texture is usually what catches most people’s attention. Don’t get me wrong; this soup also tastes fantastic, but that’s only one of the things that makes it so incredible. It’s a light soup, but it has lots of garlic and herb flavors that’ll linger on your tongue long after you finish the last spoonful. Serve it with a crisp side salad or crusty bread for a hearty, tasty meal.
8. Carrot Muffins
If you like your muffins to have just a hint of crispiness around the edges but plenty of fluffiness and moisture inside, these carrot muffins won’t disappoint. They’re super simple to prepare and shouldn’t require more than 40 minutes to make a dozen. All you’ll need is flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, sugar, oil, eggs, carrots, apples, and raisins. They have a rich, fruity flavor that’s tempered only slightly by the carrots. The raisins add sweet and tangy texture, and the shredded carrots provide bright pops up of color throughout.
9. Carrot Fries
Carrot fries look similar to sweet potato fries, and if you season them just right, they taste a lot like them, too! They’re crispy and have a delightful paprika kick. They’re also relatively healthy, at least compared to regular fries, and you’ll bake them instead of deep-frying them, so they’re much less greasy.
10. Glazed Carrots
All you’ll need to make these copycat Cracker Barrel glazed carrots is a package of baby carrots, butter, brown sugar, and just a dash of salt. They’re tender, beautifully shiny, and taste just sweet enough to be wholly addictive. They’re also insanely easy to make, so if you’re looking for a quick and simple side, give these a try.
11. Coleslaw
I’ve tried dozens of coleslaw recipes over the years, and few of them come close to a side of coleslaw ordered at KFC. That’s why I love this copycat recipe so much. It’s perfectly creamy and zesty, but the ingredients retain just enough crispness to give you a satisfying crunch when you chew it. There’s also an underlying sweetness that you’ll absolutely love.
12. Carrot Tea Sandwiches
Unsurprisingly, these carrot tea sandwiches don’t have any tea in them. Instead, they’re the ideal sandwiches to eat with afternoon tea. Each one is a simple toasted baguette topped with a slice of tomato and carrot salad, and believe me, when I tell you, the carrot salad is the star of the show. It’s creamy, cheesy, and full of garlicky goodness. Once you try them, you’ll want to whip these up at least once or twice a month, if not more often.
13. Stew
This incredibly filling stew is light on the stew broth and heavy on the chunky bits. With thick, tender beef, potatoes, celery, carrots, herbs, and more, it’s something worth coming home to after a long, cold day. It’s ‘stick to your ribs’ food that’ll keep you full all night long and maybe even into the following day, especially if you pair it with a slice or two of warm, homemade bread.
14. Carrot Fritters
You can make these crunchy, garlicky carrot fritters with nothing more than carrots, an egg, flour, garlic, cumin, and fine salt. Coriander leaves and pepper make good additions, too. It takes 30 minutes to make 10 of them, and they’re as healthy as they are tasty. With only 27 calories and 5 carbs per serving, they make an excellent snack. If you’re in the mood for something extra special, whip up the yogurt hummus dip (yogurt, hummus, and lemon juice) for a dipping sauce.
15. Fried Rice
Why waste money on Chinese takeout when you can make fantastic chicken fried rice at home in less than 30 minutes? It’s packed with veggies and is insanely flavorful. The chicken is juicy, succulent, and perfectly seasoned, and each bite is more buttery and tasty than the last. If you’re looking for a quick, 30-minutes-or-less dinner for the family, this is it.
16. Carrot Cake Dessert Pizza
If you grew up in the late-80s or 90s, you’re probably very familiar with dessert pizzas. They were pretty much a staple in most households during that time. This recipe resurrects those sweet treats in the best possible way. You’ll start with a cookie crust and top it with whipped cream, chocolate cream cheese, cinnamon, and more. Once you add the candied carrots, walnuts, raisins, and pineapples, you’ll have so many sweet and tart flavors that you won’t know where to start. Luckily, you don’t have to choose. Just slice a big piece out and enjoy them all. Oh, and the orange glaze you’ll add to the top? It’s wonderful!
17. Carrot Ice Cream
Nope, that orange ball of ice cream in your bowl isn’t orange sherbet, not if you used this recipe, anyway! It’s carrot ice cream, and it’s more appetizing than you’ll ever imagine. You’ll make it with heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, light brown sugar, salt, carrots, and apple cider vinegar. It has a sweet, delicate taste that’s entirely refreshing.
18. Carrot Pudding
This ingredients list looks pretty intense with just one glance, but most of what you’ll need are standard baking ingredients, spices, carrots, potatoes, and nuts. It’s dense, full of spice and flavor, and covered in a rich, sticky vanilla sauce that’s unbelievably delicious.
19. Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies
These carrot cake whoopie pies are like Oatmeal Creme Pies, except for these, you’ll use tiny, individual carrot cakes for the “sandwich” and cream cheese frosting for the cream centers. If you love carrot cake, then you’ll go nuts for these little pies because they’re basically mini versions of carrot cakes turned into sandwich cookies. Every bite is a mouthful of heaven.
20. Carrot Cake
And speaking of carrot cake, you didn’t think I was going to leave it off the list, did you?! Not only is this a recipe for carrot cake, but it’s a recipe for the “Best Ever Carrot Cake.” Having not eaten every carrot cake in the world, I can’t swear this one is the best. I can promise you that it’s exceptionally good. It’s moist, light, and fluffy, and the cream cheese frosting is perfectly balanced between sweet and tangy. It’s supremely wonderful and good till the last bite. Click on a star to rate it!
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