Marinated Carrots
Garlicky, zippy and fresh, these marinated carrots are the perfect side or snack to whip up when you have an extra bunch of carrots to put to use.
The carrots still retain that bit of crunch, and you'll need just a few minutes and some pantry staples to whip these up. If you love the tang of pickled carrots, but still want them to retain a bit of crunch, this is the perfect recipe for you.
Marinating and quick pickling is one of my latest obsessions- I've tried doing it with almost every veggie out there- from quick pickled radish and sweet pickled green beans to pickled fresh turmeric and even pickled cherries!
This summer, I also tried making marinated tomatoes using some fresh tomatoes that I had at hand and everyone in my family just devoured them! And that's actually what inspired me to try this recipe!
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 min.
- ⏲️Cook time: 5 min.
- 👪 Servings: 6.
- 📋Main ingredients: Carrots, vinegar, oil, garlic, onion, seasonings, sugar, cilantro.
- ♨️Cooking method: Slice and blanch carrots 🡢 mix remaining ingredients in a bowl 🡢 add carrots and toss 🡢 let it sit for sometime before serving.
- ⭐Difficulty: Very easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Use these carrots as a filling for your homemade chicken deli meat sandwiches along with other fresh veggies of your choice.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- They're ridiculously easy to make! With just 10 minutes, you can make these and serve them as a quick side to go with any of your roasted or grilled meats.
- These are perfect to make ahead of time- just like my cherry tomato confit! You can make them a day or two before- and they'll actually taste even better after absorbing all that delicious marinade.
Recipe Ingredients
Carrots: Fresh, ripe and firm carrots. Avoid using carrots that have any soft spots or discoloration on the surface.
Vinegar: To soften the carrots and for that tart, tangy flavor. You can use freshly squeezed lime juice too, if that's what you prefer.
Aromatics: Fresh onion and garlic. These bring a nice savory flavor to the marinated carrots.
Seasonings: I used a mix of cumin powder (for that earthiness) and cayenne (for the heat).
Oil: Any regular cooking oil will do. I like to use my garlic infused oil for extra flavor.
Sugar: To balance out the other flavors. You can use some honey if you want to use a natural sweetness.
Cilantro: Chopped fresh, to garnish.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- To bring a bit of flavor variation, I like to use an infused vinegar like my strawberry vinegar or hot pepper vinegar- whichever I have at hand.
- When I'm using honey, I skip the plain honey and use my jalapeno honey or habanero hot honey for extra heat. For an extra citrusy zing, I've tried using my lemon infused honey too, and the carrots turned out so yum!
How to Make Marinated Carrots
Step 1: Peel and wash carrots. Slice them into rounds and blanch them in hot water for a couple of minutes to soften them. Drain and set them aside.
Step 2: In a bowl, combine minced onion and garlic with the vinegar, cumin, cayenne and sugar.
Step 3: Add the blanched carrots and chopped cilantro.
Step 4: Mix everything well and allow the carrots to sit for a while before you serve and enjoy.
💭Top Tip
Choose carrots that are roughly the same size and shape. This will ensure your sliced carrots all look uniform.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- I cut the carrots into slices here, but you can also cut them diagonally, or into sticks (like I did with my ginger carrot pickle recipe) or practically any cut you prefer.
- If you prefer a thinner texture, you can also try shredding the carrots- I did this when I made my quick pickled shredded carrots, which were SO good as a topping for tacos.
- For some extra heat, you can also add red pepper flakes and use habanero oil or any other spicy infused oil to dress the carrots.
- Instead of vinegar, you can also be a bit scrappy and use the liquid/brine from your jar of capers or olives for this recipe. I do this only when I'm sure I'm going to finish up all of the marinated carrots in one serving, and they won't be any leftovers. I end up using the liquid from my pickled eggs and sausage or jalapeno pickled eggs.
How to Serve Marinated Carrots
These crunchy, garlicky carrots are great as a side with almost any of your holiday meals, especially meats. I love adding them to my grain bowls and salads like Yam Khai Dao or chickpea egg salad.
I especially love how these carrots complement the flavors of my Sumac chicken. You can serve them as a part of an appetizer platter along with some cream cheese stuffed dates, some peach jalapeno jam and a nice sweet pepper relish.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
You can store leftovers for a couple of days in the refrigerator. I wouldn't recommend storing it beyond that as they can turn watery and mushy.
You absolutely can! You can in fact, use different colored carrots too if you want to. Use them whole instead of slicing them- they'll look incredible!
More Quick Pickle Recipes to Try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this marinated carrots recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Marinated Carrots
Ingredients
- 3-4 carrots
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- ½ tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 garlic
- ½ onion
- 1 tablespoon cilantro
Instructions
- Peel and wash carrots. Slice them into rounds and blanch them in hot water for a couple of minutes to soften them. Drain and set them aside.
- In a bowl, combine minced onion and garlic with the vinegar, cumin, cayenne and sugar.
- Add the blanched carrots and chopped cilantro.
- Mix everything well and allow the carrots to sit for a while before you serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Choose carrots that are roughly the same size and shape. This will ensure your sliced carrots all look uniform.
- I cut the carrots into slices here, but you can also cut them diagonally, or into sticks (like I did with my ginger carrot pickle recipe) or practically any cut you prefer.
- If you prefer a thinner texture, you can also try shredding the carrots- I did this when I made my quick pickled shredded carrots, which were SO good as a topping for tacos.
