How to Cook Carrots in Microwave

How to cook carrots in microwave without steamer, with water so they are tender, savory or sweet as a side dish. Microwave carrots are delicious and cheap to make. Just one of many microwave recipes on our site.

How to Cook Carrots in Microwave

We shared recently how to cook ground beef in microwave. That can be used as your main protein but I bet you would like to serve it with a healthy side dish too, this is a great one. You can add butter and garlic salt to make it savory or drizzle some honey or maple syrup for a little bit of sweetness.

You can in fact nuke carrots with water or a bit of liquid in a bowl. Whether you want a vegetarian snack, side or need to soften them so much so that you can make homemade baby food with them we have you covered.

Looking for some easy microwave recipes? We have the answer! Whether you are traveling in an RV, need to cook in a hotel room or just want to cook food quickly we can help. Here are a few resources to get started;

FIRST – sign up for our free newsletter below! I publish new posts each and every day and that will be sent out twice a week for you to read and try them all!

1. Always use microwave safe dishes with lids to cook, plastic is no good.
2. Cook times may vary slightly if you have a very small unit with less than 1000 watts.
3. Remember to use pot holders to remove food from inside as it may be very hot when done cooking.

Microwaving Carrots

All you need for the basics to make them nice and tender is water or broth and the veggies prepared. From there you add the flavorings you want. This time around we’re going with butter and thyme. Salt and pepper are always a given and I add that at the end so it can be adjusted.

It is very similar to making pressure cooker carrots really, but this is faster. Both are my favorite ways of cooking this particular vegetable.

Once you have the hang for this you can use the idea for other steamed vegetables like fresh green beans, acorn squash, brussel sprouts, I mean you get the idea. I mean very hot circulating air with a bit of liquid will create a box of ultimate steam to get all the things fork tender.

How Long to Cook Vegetables in a Microwave

That depends on how large and firm the pieces are, also how tender you want your microwave acorn squash let’s say to become. No matter how you cook them, you’ll need to peel the outsides of some varieties first. Carrot peels are a no go for eating. The larger the pieces are the longer they will take obviously. Slice into sticks or dials, your choice. If you are using baby carrots right out of the bag you could skip this step and the slicing as well.

Quick Way to Steam Carrots without Steamer

That is right, you don’t need fancy things to get this done, just a bowl is all you need. NO steamer necessary to get tender when nuked. Want a bit of crispness to yours. You can either start and only use our air fryer carrots directions or make this way and just pop them in at the end.

If you’re adding them into your beef stew casserole I would cut into 1″ circles and keep them a bit firm still since they will continue softening in the pot. If you’re serving these with a meal just keep checking after the initial few minutes with a fork. Everyone prefers a different “feel”.

We are a not even close to mushy kinda’ family so these don’t take very long at all. Want to make an entire meal together? We just shared recently how long to cook hot dogs in microwave too so this duo would come out at just about the same time.

If you’re using small ones that are bagged you can skip the prep really. Be careful when they are done as the dish and contents will be quite hot, you’ll want an oven mitt for this.

How to Steam Carrots in Microwave

• Peel skins and discard. Cut them into bite sized pieces. Place the carrot and water in a microwave safe dish, shallow plate with a lip or bowl. You can use broth instead of 3 tablespoons of water too.
• Put in the microwave and cover the dish with a lid, plastic wrap tight, or plate. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, the carrots will become softer, but will likely be a little firm for your taste, check. Set the timer for another 2 minutes.
• After 2 minutes, the carrots will become even softer and you can determine if the degree of tenderness is sufficient.
  • Continue to cook the carrots to make them even softer.
• In this case, set the timer for another 1-2 min. cooking time. Then the carrots will be fully cooked. Use an oven mitt to carefully remove as the dish will be quite hot.
• Uncover the bowl and drain excess water into the sink.

Drizzle with melted butter, brown sugar maybe, salt, pepper and add fresh thyme. Any or all of these are your choice. We mess around with them depending on our mood. Same goes with Crockpot carrots or if you make a batch of Instant Pot carrots.

Before you go I want you to sign up for my free newsletter!! You will get all my new recipes emailed to you a few times a week that will help with meal planning for the week.