Honey Glazed Instant Pot Carrots

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Honey-glazed Instant Pot carrots – Learn how to steam carrots in the Instant Pot and glaze them to make this delicious side dish. This carrot side dish is perfect for busy weeknights and holiday dinners.

Got leftover baby carrots? Leverage your Instant Pot and turn them into this delicious side dish that your family will love. 

We all buy baby carrots with the hope that our kids will eat them for school lunches, but that doesn’t always happen, right? Our favorite way to use up leftover baby carrots is to make this delectable dessert recipe – carrot pudding (gajar halwa). But making a dessert every time is a bit much, no? That’s why this glazed baby carrot recipe makes for a good alternative.

With a hint of garlic and glazed with a mixture of honey and ghee (or butter), this garlic-roasted carrots recipe is just so darn good that they disappear in no time. What’s great about this recipe is that there are so many ways to make this that you can get your weekly dose of carrots without getting bored.  Alright, let’s chat about this honey-glazed carrots recipe now.

How to make honey-glazed carrots in the Instant Pot

There are two parts to this recipe – steaming the carrots and then glazing them.

Steaming carrots in Instant Pot

You’ll love steaming carrots in the Instant Pot. They are super easy and take about 15 minutes.

1. Add a cup of water to the steel inner pot of the Instant Pot.
2. Place a trivet and a steamer basket or a steel bowl over it.
3. Add the carrots to the steamer basket/steel bowl.
4. For carrots with a bit of crunch, pressure cook on high for 2 minutes. Increase the total time to 3 minutes, if you prefer soft carrots.
5. Release the pressure immediately by moving the steam valve to ‘venting’ as soon as the cooking cycle is complete.

How to glaze the carrots in the Instant Pot

1. Carefully remove the steamer basket/steel bowl from the Instant Pot. If using the steel bowl, you will notice water residue from pressure cooking – drain it.
2. Pour out the water from the steel insert and wipe it dry.
3. Set the Instant Pot on Saute mode and adjust it to ‘Less’. Add ghee (or butter), and when it heats up, add garlic.
4. Saute the garlic for a minute or so. Add the carrots along with salt, honey, cumin powder, and ground black pepper.
5. Continue to cook till the sauce thickens and the carrots are evenly glazed.
6. Take it off the heat and garnish it with rosemary (or herb of your choice).

Tips

1. Baby carrots are best for this job – they require no prep work since they are already peeled.

Variations

1. To make it vegan
   • Replace ghee with butter or olive oil.
   • Honey can be replaced with about a tablespoon of brown sugar (or more if needed).
2. I love to use dried rosemary leaves. Thyme, parsley leaves, and even cilantro are also great options for garnishing.
3. To make it Asian-style, add a tablespoon of soy sauce along with a teaspoon of ginger.
4. Also, using garlic is optional.

Can we make this honey-roasted carrots recipe ahead of time?

Yes! Make it 2-3 days ahead of time, and it will still taste great. Saute it with a teaspoon of butter or ghee or microwave it before serving.

Other delicious side dishes to try in the Instant Pot

1. Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes– This easy recipe yields creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes all in one pot in under 30 minutes.
2. Instant Pot Brussel Sprouts – Quickly and easily make steamed and sautéed Brussels sprouts with your Instant Pot in under 30 minutes. These tender on the inside, pan-crisped Brussels sprouts make the perfect vegetarian side dish for any weeknight meal!
3. Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes – Make these Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes for all of your busy weeknight dinners or holiday meal prep! This naturally vegan and gluten-free sweet potato recipe uses two ingredients for fork-tender sweet potatoes every time.
4. Instant Pot Baked Potatoes –  Learn how to cook this classic, comfort food side dish with just two ingredients and very little prep work.
5. Instant Pot Corn on the cob – If you’re looking for a healthy side dish, or the perfect vegetable to serve at your Summer BBQ party, you’ll love this easy Instant Pot corn on the cob. Flavorful, juicy, and perfectly cooked every time.
6. Instant Pot Hummus – With a few simple ingredients, you can easily whip up this delicious Instant Pot Hummus recipe for a gluten-free and vegan appetizer or snack!