30 Creative Carrot Recipes

How do you make a picky eater fall in love with vegetables? When it comes to carrots, our answer is two-part: slather them in a sweet and sticky glaze and then roast them. In the oven, the honey and butter in the glaze will caramelize, transforming plain, boring carrots into an addictive side dish.

Get the Honey-Glazed Carrots recipe.

This is your cake, so feel free to customize it to your liking. Not a fan of pecans? Sub in walnuts or pistachios, or leave the nuts out entirely. Want to skip the raisins? Feel free to, or switch them out for dried cranberries, cherries, even pineapple!

Get the Best Carrot Cake recipe.

These sweet-savory carrots are topped with the most delicious mix of crunchy nuts and spices. We like pistachios and black and white sesame seeds, but feel free to swap in your favorites.

Get the Miso Roasted Carrots recipe.

This simple recipe is the most versatile side dish, and it's impossible to mess up. Toss carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread in an even layer on a large sheet tray. (Feel free to throw in any of your favorite herbs or spices as well!)

Get the Oven-Roasted Carrots recipe.

Sweet baby carrots are the perfect match for this tangy balsamic glaze. Fancy enough for a holiday meal, but easy enough for a weeknight, this recipe is endlessly riffable and guaranteed to deliver crisp-tender carrots every time.

Get the Roasted Baby Carrots recipe.

These are, by their soft, tender, and pillowy nature, very rustic—one might even call them ugly. But worry not: once you sauté them in butter, herbs, and pistachios, they will look every bit as delicious as they smell. You can also use them as you would store-bought gnocchi, like in our one-pan creamy chicken & gnocchi recipe.

Get the Carrot Gnocchi recipe.

These pickled carrots are just as easy as homemade dill pickles. All you need to do is make a brine (water + spices + sugar + salt), heat it up, and pour it over your veggies. Let the whole thing cool to room temperature, then wait at least 2 hours. The longer you wait, the more flavorful your pickles will be.

Get the Pickled Carrots recipe.

No summer potluck is complete without a big bowl of coleslaw, and our recipe is the best. More a fan of red cabbage? We got you—check out our red cabbage slaw too.

Get the Homemade Coleslaw recipe.

A combo of spices adds a riot of flavor to those carrots that may or may not have been sitting in the crisper for too long. Serve alongside anything grilled, like our grilled tofu or grilled pork tenderloin.

Get the Air Fryer Moroccan-Spiced Carrots recipe.

Canned coconut milk makes this flavorful soup super creamy and rich while keeping it conveniently dairy free. Just a tablespoon of fish sauce adds depth and makes this soup feel that much more special. A sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro at the end ties in all the flavors and makes it look ultra appealing. Want to up the presentation even more? Add crispy fried shallots and chili oil for that final chef’s kiss.

Get the Carrot Ginger Soup recipe.

As with most root veggies, carrots take awhile to cook through, meaning they've got to be tended to and turned frequently to get tender on the grill. The good news is that your hard work will be rewarded; the carrot's natural sweetness comes out during cooking, a complementary foil to the smoky char achieved on the grill. We love serving this veggie side atop creamy ricotta, with a punchy carrot top-based chimichurri sauce for some brightness.

Get the Grilled Carrots recipe.

A quick side dish is always appreciated, especially one as easy as this combo. It goes well with your steak dinners, your rice & beans, or your vegan meatloaf, but if you really love your peas and carrots, you could just eat this in one sitting, as a meal (we have! 😉).

Get the Peas & Carrots recipe.

Our version picks up a little spice from the jalapeños and draws out the sweetness from the carrots by roasting them first. It has plenty of coriander for a perfectly spiced, citrusy spoonful at every bite.

Get the Carrot and Coriander Soup recipe.

To make this delicious vegetarian side dish, you'll toss a pound of steamed carrots in a slightly spicy honey-butter glaze. Rather than cooking the carrots and the glaze together in the pan, you'll cook the carrots and the glaze separately, reducing the risk of mushy veggies.

Get the Steamed Carrots With Hot Honey Butter recipe.

This carrot-and-raisin salad gets an upgrade with a slightly spicy, slightly sweet harissa and honey sauce. It brings out the sweet freshness of the carrots and makes the whole dish sing. We're tempted to pour it over all of our salads from here on out.

Get the Moroccan Carrot Salad recipe.

We love this cupcake like bunnies love carrots. Every bite is filled with warm spice and sweet carrots and topped with the most delicious cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Get the Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe.

Just a heads up: any dish that features the word “candied” is bound to be on the sweet side and more than likely something you won’t be eating every day. That said, don’t be shy about the amount of butter and brown sugar that goes into these candied carrots: Decadence is the goal here!

Get the Candied Carrots recipe.

This is one of our favorite ways to roast carrots—with their tops still on! You're going to want to put this honey balsamic glaze on everything.

Get the Balsamic Glazed Carrots recipe.

Marinating carrots in veggie broth, vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic powder, paprika and liquid smoke makes them taste uncannily like a hot dog—these are the vegetarian and vegan dogs of your dreams.

Get the Carrot Hot Dogs recipe.

Sweet, savory, rich, and tender—the Easter Bunny would approve! We used full-sized orange carrots here, but these would be so cute with mini rainbow carrots too.

Get the Maple Bacon Carrots recipe.

With classic carrot cake on the bottom and rich, creamy cheesecake on top, we can't think of a better mash-up dessert. Some of the carrot cake batter gets poured into the middle of the cheesecake to create a swirly look and we didn't forget the best part of a carrot cake—the cream cheese frosting!

Get the Carrot Cake Cheesecake recipe.

You bought gorgeous carrots with those cute little green tops still attached. Now what? Surely you're not going to just... toss them away, are you? No, of course not. Because they're good to eat, especially when you blend it all up into pesto with deliciously toasted nuts, savory cheese, a touch of garlic and herbs, and a drizzle of oil.

Get the Carrot Top Pesto recipe.

We know, we know—baby carrots will never replace your favorite cocktail weenies. But trust us, these are a surprisingly good dupe, especially for vegetarians! Let the carrots marinate for at least a half an hour so they can really soak in that smoky salty flavor.

Get the Carrots In A Blanket recipe.

Love maple bacon... everything? Us too! You're going to LOVE this maple Dijon chicken, particularly paired with simple fresh thyme and carrots.

Get the Maple Chicken & Carrots recipe.

It's undeniable. A Vietnamese banh mi is the PERFECT sandwich. Rich, savory meat combined with bright and crunchy homemade pickled daikon and carrots stuffed into a fluffy baguette; what's not to love?! We're extra into this version because it requires minimal ingredients but still packs a powerful punch of flavor.

Get the Classic Banh Mi recipe.

These flavor-packed cookies are an easy and fun mash-up of two iconic desserts: fluffy carrot cake and classic oatmeal cookies.

Get the Carrot Cake Cookies recipe.

Be still our beating tarts! Use rainbow carrots for extra color if you can find them.

Get the Caramelized Carrot and Onion Tart recipe.

Everyone knows the best part of carrot cake is the cream cheese frosting, and this carrot cake dip does not skimp on the good stuff. While many other cake dip recipes use boxed cake mix, this version is gluten-free and uses wholesome toasted pecans, caramelized cinnamon, carrots, and plump rum raisins to bring out that signature flavor.

Get the Carrot Cake Dip recipe.

Feed your french fry craving sans potatoes with these low-carb carrot fries—they're reminiscent of sweet potato fries, but with extra veggie flavor.

Get the Carrot Fries recipe.

Inspired by that sweet and tangy bright orange dressing you can find on iceberg salads at Japanese-American restaurants, this blended recipe is super simple and extra flavorful.

Get the Carrot Ginger Dressing recipe.