How Long to Boil Carrots

Name: How Long to Boil Carrots
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 13 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 medium/large carrots, peeled and sliced; water

Have you ever found yourself wondering, How Long to Boil Carrots? We have too! Whether the boiled carrots are to enjoy as an easy side dish on those busy weeknights or you plan to use in another recipe, like Candied Carrots, for a special occasion, sometimes you just need to know how long to boil carrots!

Step-by-step guide on how to long to boil carrots.

Perfect Boiled Carrots Recipe

At our house, we always have fresh carrots in the fridge! They are such a versatile root vegetable that makes a great side dish. Enjoy raw carrots as a healthy snack with a healthy veggie dip, dice them and toss in your favorite soup recipe, enjoy on a summer salad, or use them to make a holiday side dish.

Cooking carrots is surprisingly super easy and can be done with baby carrots, whole carrots, carrot batons, any size or type of carrot! They have a naturally sweet flavor that will even please picky eaters. Follow along as we show you just how easy this cooking process is.

What You Will Need

carrots – any variety of sweet carrots will work! Just grab your favorite from the local grocery store or farmer’s market!
water – just enough water to cover the carrots that are being boiled in the pot.

How To Boil Carrots

The first steps to boiling carrots is to gather the carrots you plan to cook and prep them. If using whole carrots, you will want to use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer layer, remove green tops (if they have them), and then cut into carrot sticks, carrot coins, or leave them whole.

Raw baby carrots and carrot coins in white bowls.

Now bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stovetop. When the water boils, add the carrots, and drop the heat slightly so it doesn’t boil over.

Carrot coins in a saucepan of boiling water.

Let the carrots cook in the boiling water for about 8-10 minutes or until they are easily pierced with a fork and bright orange in color. Some people like a softer carrot and some like a firmer carrot, use your personal preference.

A wooden spoon scooping cooked carrots out of a pot.

Best Way To Serve Boiled Carrots

Classic boiled carrots can be mixed with some butter or olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt alongside any main dish! They make a great addition to a whole roasted chicken, cast iron pork chops, or some grilled chicken thighs. And if you want to jazz up this simple side dish, feel free to season carrots with a sprinkling of fresh herbs, like parsley. Add a drizzle of pure maple syrup or brown sugar for added sweetness or a little bit of red pepper flakes, for a kick of heat to the cooked carrots!

Recipe FAQ

How long to boil baby carrots?

Approximately, 8-10 minutes but this will vary depending on the thickness of the baby-cut carrots. Smaller carrots will need less time than larger, thicker baby carrots.

How long to boil whole carrots?

Large, whole carrots will definitely take longer to boil. More like 10-15 minutes of cooking time. If you want to cook whole carrots faster you can cut them into sticks, coins, etc. Cutting them into smaller pieces will allow them to cook faster than in whole pieces.

Pinterest image for how long to boil carrots.

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