15 Easy Carrot Side Dish Recipes for Spring (2024)

• Healthy Recipes
• Cooking Methods

Hot Honey Parmesan Carrots

This sweet side dish turns up the heat with hot honey and lots of crispy Parmesan cheese crisps for a savory note. To make your own hot honey, combine honey and crushed red pepper in a small skillet and bring just to a simmer over low heat. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Stir in apple-cider vinegar to taste. Try this easy method with other veggies like beets, turnips or Brussels sprouts too.

Carrot Salad

This zesty carrot salad features a sweet-and-savory vinaigrette that adds punch to every bite. Serve it on its own, mix it with greens, or use it as part of a sandwich or wrap filling. Let it stand for at least 10 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld. Freshly grated carrots work best here. Grate them using the large holes on a box grater, or use the shredding disk for your food processor if you have one.

Balsamic Oven-Roasted Carrots

Roasting carrots in the oven brings out their sweetness, which is enhanced further with a tangy balsamic and maple glaze. Serve these balsamic roasted carrots as an easy weeknight side dish.

Air-Fryer Carrots

Air-fryer carrots are an easy side dish that pairs with just about everything. Here the carrots are tossed with a touch of brown sugar and spices, with Parmesan cheese adding a savory note. Go even cheesier with a sprinkle of crumbled goat cheese for garnish, if you like.

Carrot-Peanut Noodle Salad

his crunchy salad is made with spiralized carrots instead of noodles. Make sure to use unrefined peanut oil, which is way more flavorful than its refined counterpart and is one of the trio of peanutty ingredients that makes this simple salad stand out. Look for it with other specialty oils or in the Asian section of your grocery store.

Garlic & Parmesan Roasted Carrots

Roasting carrots in the oven brings out their inherent sweetness, while Parmesan and garlic give this easy side dish a flavorful savory accent.

Ginger Pickled Carrots

This pickling liquid gives bright flavor to carrots—try it with green beans or peppers as well. Serve these pickled carrots alongsideKoji-Brined Pork Shoulderfor a bright, acidic side dish.

Chili-Roasted Carrots

Roasted with chili powder and cumin then tossed with cilantro and lime juice, these carrots are bursting with zesty flavor. Serve them with simple roast chicken or pork.

Candied Carrots

A combination of brown sugar and apple juice makes these easy candied carrots sweet but not cloying. Chopped fresh thyme brightens the flavor in this classic side dish, but feel free to omit it if you want an even simpler dish. Serve with chicken, pork or your Thanksgiving dinner.

Honey-Mustard Smashed Carrots

Smashing carrots increases their surface area, allowing them to crisp up beautifully under the broiler with a sweet mustardy glaze. Choose carrots that are on the thicker side for the best results.

Pan-Roasted Carrots

This recipe gives you a faster route to "roasted," lightly caramelized carrots. Instead of cooking in the oven (and waiting for it to preheat), here you cook the carrots on the stovetop in a cast-iron skillet. The key is to keep the carrots still; you'll cook them for 5 minutes without stirring, then stir and cook undisturbed for another 5 minutes. The results are beautifully browned, crisp-tender carrots that take about a third of the time as oven-roasted. A hint of hoisin and maple syrup enhances the sweetness of the carrots without rendering them cloying.

Shredded Carrot Salad with Spiced Orange Dressing

This shredded carrot salad makes a delicious side dish. Cinnamon provides spice in the dressing, while lemon juice offers a little tanginess to balance the flavors. You can make this salad up to 4 hours ahead—any longer and the carrots will begin to lose their crunch. If you have a food processor, use it to speed up the process of grating the carrots.

Roasted Carrots with Cardamom Butter

Roasting these carrots with only a bit of butter and some cardamom gives them a rich, nutty flavor that belies how healthy they are. A single serving gives you over 600 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin A!

Carrot-Raisin Salad

This carrot-raisin salad is both tangy and sweet, thanks to the combination of lemon juice, pineapple and raisins; carrots bring color and crunch. Letting the salad sit at room temperature for 30 minutes is a great way to help the flavors intensify.

Honey-Glazed Carrots

A basic carrot side dish is jazzed up with the addition of honey and ginger.

Was this page helpful?

Tell us why!