These Grilled Carrots are tender, smoky, sweet, and a delicious side dish! This unexpected 2 ingredient summer grilled vegetable is easy to make, inexpensive, customizable, and a fun addition to any cookout menu. If have been wondering if you can grill carrots, the answer is YES and you should.
Love grilled vegetables? Also try my Grilled Asparagus in Foil, Grilled Cauliflower Steaks, Grilled Zucchini in Foil, and Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges.
Grilled Carrots recipe
Grilled Carrots might not be the first thing you think of when planning your summer cookout menu, but they should! Whole grilled carrots make a fabulous vegetable to grill and the hot temperatures of the grill add some smoky flavor and natural sweetness to the dish. The grilling makes the naturally sweet flavors in the carrot a little more intense. It's downright unexpected and delicious.
One inexpensive bag of carrots goes a long way to fill your plate and menu! Plus, everyone will be asking how you made these tasty natural treats.
You might be wondering how you get the carrots tender on the grill, but I have a trick! I do a quick par-boil or blanch on the stove first before bringing them outside. That allows you to cook them over high heat to get a nice char, but still allowing the center of the carrots to cook completely and be tender. I'm normally not one to add extra steps to my recipe, but this step is worth it!
This is the basic recipe to grill carrots without added seasonings or sauces, but I've included a list below of tasty spices and dressings that you can use to match whatever type of meal you are cooking.
How to Grill Carrots! Share on X
Why You'll Love this Grilled Carrots recipe...
- Grilled Carrots are so good! It's not as expected as many grilling dishes, but it is delicious! If you are looking for fabulous grilled vegetable recipes this is it!
- Grilling carrots brings out the flavors and natural sweetness. It's a great way to cook whole carrots.
- Carrots are inexpensive, easy to find, and great to cook with!
- Carrots are low in calories. This recipe only has just over 75 calories a serving.
- Carrots are a nutritional powerhouse filled with vitamin A, vitamin K, Potassium, and beta-carotene.
Ingredients:
Here's an overview of what you'll need to make these Grilled Carrots, but keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts.
- Carrots: You'll need a bag of small to medium carrots. I like to look for ones that are at least less than an inch thick. If your store only has really larger carrots, it might be worth the effort to cut them in half lengthwise so they will be thinner. To prepare the carrots I cut off the top and peel them.
- Olive Oil: Just a touch of olive oil helps the carrots cook on the grill and keeps them from sticking.
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
Add More Flavor
This is just the basic recipe that helps you grill carrots. They taste wonderful without any additional flavors BUT if you are feeling fancy or want to compliment the rest of your meal here are some spices and dressings that will go well with it. For the spice mixes, toss the carrots in them AFTER grilling, otherwise, the spices will just fall off. The dressing suggestions are to dip or drizzle on top.
- Italian Seasoning Blend
- Cajun Spice Mix
- Herbs de Provence
- Taco Spice Blend
- Homemade Ranch Seasoning
- Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
- Blackening Seasoning
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Greek Salad Dressing
- Zesty Italian Dressing
- Greek Yogurt Ceasar Dressing
- Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing
- Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
- Almond Basil Pesto
- Fresh Basil Pesto
- Cilantro Lime Pesto
- Fresh Herbs like Rosemary or Fresh Thyme
Instructions:
This is an overview of the instructions to make these grilled Carrots, but the full detailed printable recipe is below in the recipe card.
- The first step is to blanch or parboil the carrots. Fill a large pot or pan with water and bring to a boil. Add carrots to the pot and parboil the carrots for about 7 minutes. Drain the carrots and set them on a tray.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Toss the parboiled carrots in olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Take the carrots to the grill and place them directly on the grill grates.
- Grill the carrots for 5-6 minutes or until fork tender.
- Serve as is or sprinkle with your favorite spices.
Variations
I love this Grilled Carrots recipe as written, but here are some fun variations.
- Use an indoor grill or griddle on the stove to cook them.
- If you are worried about the carrots falling through the grill, use my favorite grill basket.
- Add any of the seasonings listed above.
FAQ
Storage & Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
Freezing
I would not freeze the carrots because they would have a strange texture when thawing.
Do you need to peel the carrots before grilling?
Carrot peel is edible and you never HAVE to peel it. However, for this dish, I prefer to peel them because it look better and allows the center to et more tender. The peel can sometimes have a bitter taste, which I like to avoid when grilling them. I think the final product is more tender a a little sweeter without the peel.
How do you get the most flavor out of carrots?
Like many vegetables, they have the best flavor when cooked over high heat, like grilling. Slightly charring the outsides, while still cooking the insides until tender gives you the best caramelized but sweet flavor for the carrots. The directions in this recipe for grilled carrots will do that! You can also get a similar result by oven-roasting them. Try my Parmesan Garlic Oven Roasted Carrots to do that.
This Grilled Carrots recipe is So Tasty!
These Grilled Carrots are so crazy delicious! I'm telling you, after you start grilling carrots, you might not go back! This versatile dish can be served as is, or use some of the spice blends I suggested above to match the flavors with whatever dish you are cooking. You can toss it in a dressing or serve it with a pesto drizzle! This is the perfect side dish for summer.
This goes great with any dish like chicken or pork chops, or here are some fabulous ways to round out your dinner from the Running in Skirt recipe archives.
Serve it With:
- Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon
- Grilled Cauliflower Steak
- Portobello Mushroom Steak
- Rosemary Baked Salmon
- Lemon Grilled Shrimp
- Honey Lime Shrimp Kabobs
- Blackened Swordfish
- Lemon Pepper Tilapia
- Blackened Mahi Mahi
- BBQ Shrimp Skewers
- 3 Cheese Spinach and Portobello Mushroom Caps
More Grilled Vegetables to Try:
- Grilled Asparagus in Foil
- Grilled Cauliflower Steaks
- Grilled Zucchini in Foil
- Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges
- Cheesy Grilled Potatoes in Foil
- Honey Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad
- Grilled Vegetable Buddha Bowl
- Grilled Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad
More Carrot Recipes to Try:
- Maple Glazed Carrots
- Honey Balsamic Rainbow Carrots
- Crock Pot Honey Glazed Carrots
- 5 Ingredient Garlic Parmesan Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Broccoli and Carrots
If you make this Grilled Carrots recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!
Grilled Carrots
Instructions
- Fill a large pot or pan with water and bring to a boil. Add carrots to the pot and parboil the carrots for about 7 minutes. Drain the carrots and set them on a tray.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Toss the parboiled carrots in the olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Take the carrots to the grill and place them directly on the grill grates.
- Grill the carrots for 5-6 minutes or until fork tender.
- Serve as is or sprinkle with your favorite spices.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin for later:
Eden says
Loved how easy this recipe is. We grilled them along with corn and zucchini for our BBQ and it was so perfect. Thanks for the great idea and tasty recipe!
Veronika says
These carrots were delicious! Such an easy side for our BBQ!
Loreto and Nicoletta says
What a great idea to grill the carrots whole.. Such a great idea to par boil them first. This way they will be soft inside, with a nice char on the outside. Super easy and naturally delicious!! A healthy summer vegetable choice! 👍 A great share! 👌
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Such a great recipe that works with every cookout meal! I love that you parboil them first to help soften them before grilling them. Definitely a keeper!
Tammy says
Oh I love the grill marks on these! They look so good! What a perfect side dish and a delicious way to serve carrots ^_^
Colleen says
I'm now hooked on grilled carrots, which I never thought to do before. They turn out so delicious!
Mikayla says
Grilled carrots are at the top of my summer side dishes, they are great hot with a steak or chicken, but they are also delicious cold cut up into a salad!
Juyali says
Who knew carrots could be this good? Boiling them before the grilling is genius. How did I not think of that before? Simple yet delicious. Thanks!
veenaazmanov says
Never imagined grilling Carrots ever. Thanks. This really brings out the flavor and sweetness of the carrots. Looks soft and moist and tender too. Nutritious option are so healthy.
Yu says
These grilled carrots pair well with most of our main dishes. They are loaded with flavors and so easy to cook. Thank you for sharing!