Instant Pot Steamed Carrots

Instant Pot Steamed Carrots are delicious & very easy to make with or without steamer basket. These Instant Pot baby carrots makes a great side when you season them with your favorite seasoning or toss them in your favorite sauce. 3 different instant pot carrots time shared in the post with steps and Video.

Instant Pot Carrots

Do you love al dente carrots or fork tender or softer?

We vote for all of the above 🙂

We experimented with the cooking time a bit here and a bit there.

And finally came up with 3 different instant pot carrots time leading to three gorgeous varieties of carrot texture.

Al dente or crisp, fork tender and softer!

The cooking time remains the same for baby carrots as well as whole carrots diced about 1 or 1.5" pieces.

What we love about these Instant Pot steamed carrots the most is that you can cook both baby carrots and regular carrots following the same method.

Not to worry if you don't own an Instant Pot steamer basket because you can make Instant pot carrots without a steamer basket as well.

In that case you need a strainer or sieve to strain the steamed carrots.

Instant Pot steamed baby carrots

Instant Pot steamed baby carrots are even easier to make because they need no peeling or dicing at all.

Cut open the packet, rinse the baby carrots and dump them on the steamer basket or directly into the insert along with 1 cup water.

Pressure cook and you are all set with a fantastic beta carotene filled and nutrient packed side in a jiffy.

Kids love Instant pot steamed carrots when tossed in melted butter and honey. So Yum!

This is my go to recipe for my 6 years old's lunch box. So easy to make during busy early mornings.

We love them too.

I often serve instant pot savory carrots with baked fish or meat.

How long to cook carrots in Instant Pot?

We came up with 3 instant pot carrots time and 3 lovely textures.

Needless to say we love them all.

However, my 6 years old voted for the 2 mins Instant Pot steamed baby carrots.

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Instant Pot steamed carrots - Tips

1. Carrot size matters: If using regular diced carrots try to dice them in equal sizes so that they are cooked evenly and all at once.
2. Pressure Release: Quick Pressure Release (QPR) is super important otherwise the carrots will end up over-cooked.
3. Organic Carrots: If using organic whole carrots skip peeling them and rinse them well. The maximum nutrients are stocked in the skin.
4. Cook Time: The cooking time for Instant Pot whole carrots depends a lot on the thickness of the carrots. Hence, adjust the time accordingly. If you find the carrots are firm, close back the IP lid and cook them for a few minutes longer.
5. Regular Carrots: If using regular carrots that are not organic allow the carrots to rest in salt water or vinegar water for about 15-20 mins. This helps to rinse out the toxic pesticides and herbicides. Rinse them well and than steam them.

How to steam carrots in Instant Pot?

Steam baby carrots in Instant Pot as well as regular whole carrots diced into chunks using the below method.

Step #1 Fill the Inner pot with water

Add 1 cup normal water.

Step #2 Insert the steamer Basket or rack

If using steamer insert or basket place it inside the inner pot. Or if steaming carrots without steamer rack skip it altogether and dump the carrots directly in the water.

Step #3 Add the carrots and pressure Cook

Throw the carrots into the steamer basket and pressure cook on HIGH for 1 min for crisp steamed carrots, 2 mins for fork tender carrots and 3 mins for softer cooked carrots.

Do a quick Pressure Release. Season and enjoy.

Baby carrots in Instant Pot storing tips

Instant pot steamed carrots (baby carrots & diced carrots) lasts for 4-5 days in the fridge in an air tight container.

Instant Pot baby carrots without steamer basket

Wondering how do you steam carrots without steamer basket?

Let me tell you that steaming carrots in Instant Pot whether it's baby or regular carrots is as easy as you think.

You can cook Instant pot baby carrots without steamer basket by directly adding the carrots into the water in the inner pot.

Cook on high pressure, the cooking time remains the same here. Do a quick release and strain the steamed carrots.

How long to cook whole carrots in Instant Pot?

You need to cook whole carrots anywhere between 3 minute to 4 minutes on HIGH pressure depending on the thickness of the carrots. Always perform a quick pressure release.

How long to cook baby carrots in Instant Pot?

You need to cook baby carrots in Instant Pot on HIGH pressure for 2 minutes for fork tender carrots and just 1 minute for firm carrots. Followed by a quick release.

Note: Avoid very thin baby carrots as they tend to fall apart when steamed in the Instant Pot for this long. They are already tender. For very thin baby carrots I would choose the 0 minute pressure cooking time.

Flavoring ideas

With the pressure cooked baby carrots I made a simple Instant Pot savory carrots and served it as a side with this Chicken Tikka in oven.

Here's, how you can make it.

Toss the instant pot steamed baby carrots in 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle sea salt and coarsely ground pepper along with chili flakes for extra kick and finish them off with a generous sprinkle or parsley or any herb of your choice. Yum!

You can make other varieties too like garlic carrots, ginger carrots, maple glazed carrots, honey glazed carrots, brown sugar carrots. The possibilities are endless.

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