These Carrot Recipes Prove They’re Not Just for Bunnies

This fragrant carrot halwa celebrates the natural sweetness of carrots, slowly cooked down with cashews and warm spices. It’s rich and satisfying but also rooted in whole ingredients—proof that dessert can be both indulgent and balanced.

This dish pairs tender, perfectly seared bison steaks with homemade hazelnut spätzle and roasted carrots. The rich beef stock reduction and whole-grain mustard add depth to the plate, while black currants and sunflower shoots provide a touch of brightness. Sliced shallots and a final sprinkle of flaky sea salt give it a textural pop.

Carrots are rarely the shining star of a meal, but this galette thrusts the root vegetables into the spotlight. Their perfect texture and slight sweetness complement the earthy and woody flavors of Ras El Hanout.

If you’re the kind of person who shudders at the idea of the hair of the dog, this cocktail is for you. There’s something so pleasantly healthy-ish about this fresh-pressed-juice cocktail, which has the slightest orange-bitter twinge from Aperol. It’s exactly what you want to drink, no matter the time of day.

“Several times a week, I rely on this versatile vegetable stir-fry to put a fast, tasty side on the table,” wrote Andrea Nguyen in her book Ever-Green Vietnamese: Super-Fresh Recipes, Starring Plants from Land and Sea. “It features a green veggie that’s cut on a steep diagonal to ensure the pieces cook quickly and absorb flavors well. One or two other vegetables play supporting roles by adding contrasting color, flavor, and texture.”

Matt Horn writes of this pickled carrot recipe in his cookbook, Horn Barbecue: “This is a standard pickle recipe for crisp carrots; the sweetness of this colorful root vegetable is enhanced by the tart-sweet brine and kick of mustard and fennel seeds. If you can get your hands on heirloom carrots—red, yellow, purple, and white—these pickles will look like art.”

“This vegan play on chicken and dumplings is perfect for a wintry meal,” explains chef Tanya Holland. “The body of the stew is hearty, with bold round flavors and a slight kick from the mustard and lemon. The aromatic, airy herb dumplings are ideal for soaking up the delicious broth. It’s like a comforting bowl of braised greens with extra veggies and dumplings to make it a meal.”

Writes The Pasta Friday Cookbook: Let’s Eat Together author Allison Arevalo, “Coming up with new recipes for Pasta Friday is not always easy. Sometimes I use an old family recipe, or a tried-and-true pasta dish, or something new and exciting that popped into my head while I was taking a shower. Other times, I am blocked, panicked even, because for the life of me, I can’t think of a single thing to cook for all those people who are coming to dinner. The inspiration for this dish came to me one week when I was out of ideas, and Luca (luckily?) caught a cold. While I was making him chicken soup, I thought of this recipe.”

Israeli chef Alon Shaya buys bunches of young carrots. “The skins are more tender,” he says. “I roast them skin-on for the added nutrients.”

This is a great party dish and is easy to multiply for a crowd.

Who says carrots are for schoolkids?

“Diners were going to fall for this soup before it ever crossed their lips,” says chef and cookbook author Joanne Weir. “Its vibrant orange color and sweet smell of fresh carrot mingling with heady notes of licorice would pave the way for their first satiny sip.”

Scoop up these spiced carrots and seasoned yogurt with freshly toasted pita chips.

Tender potatoes and carrots need very little fussing over. Simply roast them and toss with thyme and butter for an easy side dish.

This healthy salad is picnic-perfect, because the carrots stay crunchy and the quinoa and chickpeas keep their texture.

Fun and portable, this easy dessert stuffs sweet cream cheese icing between two flat cylinders of spiced carrot cake.