Ready in under 15 minutes, these Instant Pot Carrots are sweet and so easy to make! They are the perfect easy side dish on a busy weeknight or for a holiday meal!
You won't believe how easy this Instant Pot Carrots recipe is! The Instant Pot does the hard work for you, and you get to enjoy delicious carrots for weeknight dinners or as a great side dish for your holidays. It's also a great side dish for Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin!
Cooking vegetables in the electric pressure cooker is one of my favorite things to do. When steaming vegetables, you usually use a steamer basket. However, these carrots are cooked right in the sauce for a more flavorful recipe.
I love to pair them with other vegetable side dishes like Instant Pot broccoli, Instant Pot sweet potatoes, and Instant Pot Brussels sprouts for a veggie-packed meal.
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Ingredients You'll Need
You only need a few simple ingredients to make carrots in the Instant Pot!
- Baby carrots. You will need 4 cups of baby carrots of about 2 pounds.
- Brown sugar. Maple syrup or honey can be used instead.
- ½ cup of water. Chicken broth, vegetable broth, or vegetable stock can all work in this recipe.
- Orange juice. For a little extra tang and flavor. Freshly squeezed is best!
- Butter. Olive oil or avocado oil can be used instead.
- Cinnamon and salt. For extra flavor.
- Fresh herbs. Optional, but thyme or chopped chives can be used as garnish on the carrots.
See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
What Type of Carrots To Use
Baby carrots are super easy to use in this recipe because you can just add the carrots right to the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
You can use whole carrots too. Peel the regular carrots and cut them into large pieces. Cut them into bite sized pieces and the cook time will remain the same for this carrot recipe.
How to Make Instant Pot Carrots
Step 1: Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot.
Step 2: Close the lid of the Instant Pot. Make sure the knob is set to the sealing position.
Step 3: Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
Step 4: After 4 minutes on high pressure, quick release the remaining pressure. Open the lid and serve.
Step 5: If you would like to make Instant Pot glazed carrots, set the Instant Pot to "saute," and cook the carrots in the sauce until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
Tips and Tricks
- The Instant Pot will take 5-7 minutes to come up to pressure before it will start cooking.
- Be very careful when you quick pressure release. The steam from the Instant Pot will be extremely hot and can easily burn you. You can use the natural pressure release if you prefer to hot release the steam. The carrots will be just a little softer than if you release the pressure manually.
- These carrots would go so well with other side dishes like brown sugar glazed carrots, rice dressing, skillet cornbread, and stuffing muffins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, place the carrots in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave them for 2 minutes, or until they are hot. The leftover carrots will be softer carrots since they will be sitting in the sauce in the refrigerator.
Definitely! Place carrots in the slow cooker, and top them with the rest of the ingredients. Set the cook time to 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Serve immediately.
I don't recommend it. The carrots will become very soft if you make this recipe ahead of time.
More Instant Pot Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Carrots
Ingredients
- 4 cups Baby Carrots 2 pounds
- ½ cup Water
- ½ cup Orange Juice
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Butter
- ⅓ cup Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot.
- Close the lid of the Instant Pot and make sure the lid is set to the sealing position.
- Set the cooking time to 4 minutes on high pressure.
- After 4 minutes, quick release the pressure.
- To get a thicker glaze on the carrots, open the lid of the Instant Pot and set the Instant Pot to "saute". Saute for 4 minutes to thicken the glaze. Sprinkle with fresh thyme if you would like and serve.
Video
Notes
- The Instant Pot will take 5-7 minutes to come up to pressure before it will start cooking.
- Be very careful when you quick pressure release. The steam from the Instant Pot will be extremely hot and can easily burn you. You can use the natural pressure release if you prefer to hot release the steam. The carrots will be just a little softer than if you release the pressure manually.
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