Recipes and Cooking How to Cook Cooking With Fruits And Vegetables How to Cook Carrots to Tender, Non-Mushy Perfection Need to how to cook carrots on the stove, in the microwave, or in the slow cooker? Check out our Test Kitchen's expert tips on how to cook carrots. By Wini Moranville Wini Moranville Facebook Instagram Website Food, wine, and travel writer Wini Moranville is the author of "Everyday French Cooking: Modern French Cuisine Made Simple." Over the past 25 years, she has written hundreds of articles, covering everything from Christmas Cookies to Cognac for Better Homes and Gardens, Bonjour Paris, Relish Magazine, and other national publications. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on October 14, 2022 Fact checked by Marcus Reeves Fact checked by Marcus Reeves Marcus Reeves is an experienced writer, publisher, and fact-checker. He began his writing career reporting for The Source magazine. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Playboy, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, among other publications. His book Somebody Scream: Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power was nominated for a Zora Neale Hurston Award. He is an adjunct instructor at New York University, where he teaches writing and communications. Marcus received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Learn about BHG's Fact Checking Process Share Tweet Pin Email Carrots are inexpensive, colorful, and delicious. What more could you want? How about a windfall of nutrients? They're a great source of fiber and vitamin A in particular. In fact, carrots are an amazing source of beta-carotene (a compound form of vitamin A that's full of antioxidant properties). Bonus: Carrots are also low in calories, with a ½ cup of steamed carrots only banking 27 calories. And of course, carrots are extremely easy to cook and very versatile (meaning they go with pretty much everything). Read on for our favorite ways to cook carrots. BHG / Crystal Hughes How to Prepare Carrots for Cooking The first step in learning how to cook carrots in the oven, stove top, or slow cooker is knowing how to prep them. For four servings of carrots, start with 1 pound of fresh carrots. Wash carrots thoroughly under cool running water. Scrub or peel the carrots using a vegetable peeler ($12, Bed Bath & Beyond). Trim the stem and root ends. Test Kitchen Tip: If your recipe calls for cooking carrots whole, you can leave some of the stems intact for a pretty presentation. Trim stems to 1 inch and scrub stems thoroughly. Cut standard-size carrots into ¼-inch-thick slices or into strips that are about 2 inches long and ¼-inch thick. (Note that 1 pound makes about 2½ cups slices or strips.) Time-Saving Tip: If you're wondering how to cook carrots fast, start with packaged peeled baby-cut carrots. There's no prep needed. Simply measure 3½ cups packaged peeled baby carrots for four servings. Each method below shows you how to cook baby carrots, including the correct timings for these little gems. BHG / Crystal Hughes How to Cook Carrots on the Stove Top: Boiling and Steaming Boiling carrots and steaming carrots are likely the cooking methods that first come to mind when you think of cooking carrots. Here's how to successfully do both. How to Boil Carrots Cook 1 pound carrots, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water until crisp-tender. Here's how long to cook carrots on the stove top depending on how they're cut: 7 to 9 minutes for ¼-inch slices4 to 6 minutes for strips8 to 10 minutes for baby carrots Drain carrots and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you wish, add some butter and honey to the cooked carrots; stir until the butter is melted and carrots are glazed. Try boiling carrots in this glazed carrots with pistachios recipe. How to Steam Carrots Steaming carrots on the stove top using a steamer basket is just as speedy as boiling carrots. Place a steamer basket ($23, Target) in a saucepan. Add water to just below the bottom of the basket. Bring water to boiling. Add 1 pound of prepped carrots to steamer basket. Cover and reduce heat. Cook the carrots until crisp-tender. Here's how long to cook the carrots depending on how they're cut: 8 to 10 minutes for ¼-inch slices 5 to 7 minutes for ¼-inch strips 8 to 10 minutes for baby carrots Try Our Orange- and Balsamic-Glazed Tricolor Carrots BHG / Crystal Hughes How to Cook Carrots in the Microwave Wanting to cook carrots fast? The microwave is the ticket! Plus, you can save valuable space in your oven while dinner cooks. Here's how to cook carrots in the microwave: Place 1 pound carrots in a microwave-safe casserole dish ($15, Crate & Barrel) with 2 Tbsp. water. Microwave, covered, on 100% power (high) until crisp-tender, stirring once. Here's how long to cook carrots in the microwave depending on how they're cut: 6 to 9 minutes for ¼-inch slices 5 to 7 minutes for ¼-inch strips 7 to 9 minutes for baby carrots Andy Lyons Get the Recipe for Honey-Cumin Roasted Carrots BHG / Crystal Hughes How to Roast Carrots Bring out the natural sugars in carrots by roasting them. The caramelized flavors make the vegetables taste like a treat even picky eaters will enjoy. Here's how to cook carrots in the oven: Use 1 pound packaged peeled baby carrots or peel, wash, and trim 1 pound carrots and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Arrange cut carrots or baby carrots on a large baking sheet or shallow baking pan.Toss carrots with olive oil, salt, pepper, and, if desired, other seasonings.If directed by your recipe, cover pan with foil.How long to cook carrots in the oven: Bake in a 425°F oven 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil if covered; stir carrots. Bake, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes more or until carrots are tender. BHG / Crystal Hughes How to Make Carrots in a Slow Cooker When your oven and stove top are jammed at the holidays or other family gatherings, you can cook carrots in your slow cooker. Try these orange-cardamon slow cooker carrots or use this easy basic recipe for inspiration: Start with 2 pounds packaged peeled baby carrots, halved lengthwise. In a 3½- or 4-quart slow cooker ($35, Target) combine carrots with ¾ cup chopped onion, ½ cup chicken broth, and ½ tsp. salt. Cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours or on high 2½ to 3 hours. If using low heat, turn to high. In a small bowl stir together ½ cup apple juice or cider, 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, and ¼ to ½ tsp. ground cinnamon or ½ tsp. ground ginger. Cover and cook 45 minutes more or until thickened and bubbly. Sprinkle with snipped fresh chives before serving. We're not done yet. You can make a simple side of carrots using your Instant Pot, too. Try this easy recipe for pressure cooker braised carrots. If you'd rather make a one-dish meal than separate recipes, keep your cooked carrot craze going by adding prepped carrots to your pot roast or roast chicken. (If your recipe doesn't already have directions for when to add them, the last 45 to 60 minutes of cooking time should do the trick.) Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit