Sautéed Carrots are an easy recipe to pair with any dinner. They turn out crisp-tender and far more sweet and flavorful than typical steamed carrots.
When you’re making a big dinner, it can be hard to find vegetable Side Dishes that won’t take up space in the oven. Roasted Carrots are great, but if you need the oven for other dishes, Sautéed Carrots are definitely the way to go. They’re buttery, flavorful, and oh-so-easy!
SAUTÉED CARROTS
Sautéing is probably my favorite way to make cooked carrots at the moment. They come wonderfully tender without being mushy, and the sweet carrots’ natural taste really shines through! Sautéed veggies are also quicker to make than roasted vegetables, but as long as they’re prepared properly they’re just as tasty.
Just like Sautéed Green Beans, these carrots only take about 15 minutes to make. Once they’re done you get perfectly flavored, buttery, crisp veggies. It’s a great way to toss together a vegetable dish on nights when you’re in a hurry but still want a healthy side. The easy recipe is wonderfully kid-friendly and has been a big hit with everyone I’ve served them to so far.
This easy recipe is the perfect vegetable side for any dinner. The earthy and slightly sweet taste goes great with any number of flavors, and it’s made with just a handful of easy ingredients. Sautéed Carrots are just cooked in water, then tossed with butter, salt, and pepper. But, the minimal ingredients don’t stop them from being one of the most flavorful and delicious veggie dishes you’ll ever try. The bright orange color also brightens up the table, and you can bring even more color by using rainbow carrots.
MORE VEGGIE SIDE DISHES
TIPS FOR MAKING SAUTÉED CARROTS
- Prep: Start the recipe by peeling 4 medium-sized carrots. Hold the carrots at a 45 degree angle over a cutting board for the safest and easiest peeling. Once they’re peeled slice each carrot into coin-sized rounds.
- Cooking: Put a large skillet on the stovetop and set the heat to medium. Add ½ cup water and the carrot rounds to the skillet. Bring the water to a boil and then cover the pan with a lid. Continue cooking the carrots for 6-8 minutes.
- Flavoring: After the cooking in the water, remove the lid and add in the butter, salt, and pepper. As the butter melts stir it and the seasonings into the carrots so that they’re evenly coated. Continue stirring so the carrots cook evenly on all sides. Remove from the heat and serve after the water evaporates.
Create a free account to Save Recipes
VARIATIONS ON SAUTÉED CARROTS
- Seasonings: Try different kinds of herbs and seasonings to experiment with the flavor of your carrot recipe. Fresh thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, minced cloves garlic, onion powder, red pepper flakes, or fresh parsley could all add a lot to the taste. After cooking, you can garnish the recipe with a sprig of thyme for presentation. Another option is using warmer spices like ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. This is an especially great option if you’re serving the Sautéed Carrots for the holidays.
- Add-ins: For more ingredients to add in along with the carrots try onion, chopped nuts, peppers, or sesame seeds. You can also flavor the dish with a bit of lemon juice drizzled over the top.
- Honey Glazed Carrots: To make Honey Glazed Carrots mix in 3 tablespoons of honey at the same time that you add the butter to the skillet. It will make a nice, sweet carrot recipe.
- Oil: If you don’t want to use butter in the recipe, you can exchange it for olive oil, sesame oil, or coconut oil.
WHAT TO SERVE SAUTÉED CARROTS WITH
HOW TO STORE SAUTÉED CARROTS
- Serve: To keep cooked carrots fresh make sure to only leave them out for 2 hours or less.
- Store: Cover the carrots or put them in an airtight container to store in the fridge. They’ll be good for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: You can also freeze this recipe for as long as 10 months. Just let the carrots thaw out in the fridge before you reheat them.
Ingredients
- 4 carrots
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Peel and cut the carrots into coins.
- Add carrots and water to a large skillet (that you have a lid for) on medium heat.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 6-8 minutes.
- Remove lid, add butter, salt, and pepper, and stir.
- Cook until water has evaporated.