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You are here: Home / Recipes / Instant Pot / Instant Pot Carrots with Brown Sugar Glaze

Instant Pot Carrots with Brown Sugar Glaze

November 24, 2019 By Aileen Leave a Comment This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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A picture of cooked carrots with the words "instant pot carrots with brown sugar glaze"

Sweet and tender instant pot carrots in just 15 minutes! The brown sugar glaze makes these carrots extra special without a lot of extra work!

I love carrots. They are one of my favorite vegetables to serve and were one of my favorite vegetables growing up. My grandma used to make a sweet and buttery carrot dish every week and it was the one I looked forward to the most.

Some our other favorite vegetable side dishes are Air Fryer Cauliflower, Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots, Instant Pot Artichokes with Creamy Chili Dipping Sauce, Kid Friendly Roasted Cauliflower, and Honey Roasted Carrots.

A cream colored serving dish filled with instant pot carrots. 

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This instant pot carrot recipe is reminiscent of the buttery carrots my grandma made when I was a child. Carrots are wonderful because they are naturally sweet and tend to be kid-friendly. The trick to cooking carrots is cooking them until they are fork tender. You don’t want a crunchy carrot. 

That’s why I like steaming carrots in the instant pot. They come out perfectly fork tender (without being mushy) and are on the table in just about 15 minutes.

How do you steam vegetables in an instant pot?

Steaming vegetables in the instant pot is very easy! Simply add 1 cup of water to the bottom of your instant pot and place your cut and washed vegetables inside the instant pot, on top of a steamer basket.

Many softer vegetables will steam in 0 minutes. The pot will come to pressure and immediately start depressurizing. That is the perfect time to steam vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower. When steaming carrots, you will set the time to 2 minutes with a quick pressure release.

How to cook fresh carrots in the instant pot?

(printable recipe is available at the bottom of this post)

  1. Prepare your carrots by peeling them and cutting them in 1-inch pieces at an angle.
  2. Add 1 cup of water to the instant pot and place the steamer basket into the instant pot. You can add the trivet underneath for easier removal, too. Peeled and cut carrots in a steamer basket inside of the instant pot.
  3. Cook the carrots on high pressure for 2 minutes. Do a quick release.
  4. Remove the carrots, steamer basket, and trivet, if used. Pour out the water.
  5. Press sauté and melt the butter, brown sugar, and spices inside the instant pot. Butter and brown sugar starting to melt inside the instant pot.
  6. Toss the carrots in the brown sugar glaze. Brown sugar glaze inside the instant pot, ready for the carrots.
  7. Enjoy! A close up of instant pot carrots.

How do you steam vegetables in an instant pot without a basket?

If you don’t have a steamer basket, you can still steam carrots and other vegetables in your instant pot. Simply place your trivet inside the instant pot over the required water. Make a bowl out of two pieces of foil and place the carrots inside of the bowl. 

Alternately, you can roll up three balls of foil and place them at the bottom of your instant pot and place a foil bowl on top of that.

Why make carrots in the instant pot?

Carrots in the instant pot come out perfectly tender and soft. The brown sugar glaze adds the perfect amount of sweetness that makes them extra special and pleases those picky eaters.

You may also like: Air Fryer Carrots or Healthy Carrot Muffins

A side view of instant pot carrots in a cream colored serving dish.

Can I use baby carrots instead of whole carrots?

If you prefer the flavor of baby carrots over whole peeled and cut carrots, you can use them in this recipe! The cook time stays the same, so it is very simple to make the switch to baby carrots.

What to serve with instant pot carrots?

We love serving instant pot carrots with a protein like Instant Pot Italian Beef, meatloaf or instant pot chicken. They are also great served next to a grain like brown rice or quinoa. Mashed potatoes is also a great side kick for instant pot carrots.

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A cream colored serving dish filled with instant pot carrots.

Instant Pot Carrots with Brown Sugar Glaze

Yield: Serves 6
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Additional Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Sweet and tender instant pot carrots in just 15 minutes! The brown sugar glaze makes these carrots extra special without a lot of extra work!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Instructions

  1. Place water in instant pot and top with steamer basket.
  2. Place carrots inside of steamer basket.
  3. Close lid and set pressure release valve to sealing.
  4. Press manual or pressure cook button and set to 2 minutes.
  5. Once pot has finished cooking, quick release the pressure.
  6. Remove lid, take out carrots and set aside, pour out water.
  7. Press sautte button and add butter, brown sugar, salt, and cumin.
  8. Stir until butter is melted and brown sugar is dissovled, about 2 minutes.
  9. Pour carrots into the pot and stir to coat them in the brown sugar glaze.
  10. Serve warm.
  11. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1/2 cup cooked carrots with glaze
Amount Per Serving Calories 124Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 20mgSodium 197mgCarbohydrates 14gNet Carbohydrates 0gFiber 2gSugar 10gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 1g

Nutrition information is an estimate.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Aileen Clark
Cuisine: American
Cover art of The "I Love My Instant Pot" Affordable Meals Recipe Book.

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A collage photo of a close up of instant pot carrots and a dish filled with the carrots.

Did you try this recipe for instant pot carrots? Let us know what you thought with a rating and comment. You can also tag us in your recipe creations on social media using @aileencooks.

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Filed Under: Carrot Recipes, Instant Pot, Instant Pot Side Dish Recipes, Instant Pot Vegetable Recipes, Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes, Recipes, Side Dish Recipes, Vegetable Recipes Tagged With: carrots

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Meet Aileen

Hi, I'm Aileen. I'm married to the love of my life and mom to three busy kids. My mission is to help busy moms cook good food and enjoy their families. I invite you to check out my long list of recipes, fun projects (for kids and moms), and honest posts about motherhood.

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