When you want a quick and easy carrot side dish that is full of flavor, dill carrots is your go-to recipe! I used the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper to pressure cook the carrots, but you can also use this same recipe and boil the carrots on the stove.
These carrots have a buttery ranch flavor that perfectly coats the carrots and, as an added bonus, they are beautiful to serve. I have nicknamed them magic carrots because they are magically delicious. I'm not even a huge fan of ranch seasoning, but something magical (there it is again) happens when these spices combine with the butter and water to coat the carrots. You simply have to try them and I can pretty much guarantee the whole family will love them.
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These carrots are quick to make, use simple ingredients and, when you use your pressure cooker, it's pretty much hands off cooking. It's definitely one of the best ways I've ever prepared carrots.
I'm so in love with this simple seasoning blend and hope you try it so much that, even though my cooking preference is pressure cooking these little delights, I am also giving cooking instructions for roasting, steaming, or boiling the carrots in case you want them cooked a little differently.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Carrots
Obviously carrots are the main ingredient in this recipe, but I think this simple recipe would be great on cauliflower, green beans or potatoes.
I used baby carrots to make things even easier (no peeling), but have also tested the recipe with regular carrots and they work exactly the same. If you want to use fresh carrots, peel them (optional) and cut them on the diagonal in about 2" pieces. This allows them to cook all the way through in the short pressure cooking time.
Butter & Water
You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. I used salted butter. The butter combines with the water and the spices to create the thin sauce that lightly coats the carrots.
You can also use chicken stock or vegetable stock, but I didn't find it necessary.
The butter and water is used for the pressure cooking cooking liquid, if you want to use a different cooking method, you will want to make some adjustments and I will go over those suggestions in the following sections.
Spices
I used all dried spices in this recipe and it turned out amazing. It's a simple blend of sea or kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dried dill, and dried parsley.
You can absolutely use fresh dill weed or fresh parsley, but I recommend adding those at the end of cooking, just before serving. Pressure cooking fresh herbs turns the vibrant colors to very muddy looking and it's not visually appealing. The rule of thumb for substitution fresh herbs for dried is to use 3 times the amount of fresh herbs as you would dry herbs. With dill, I feel like this is a little different, so I would start off with twice as much fresh dill and adjust to taste.
The measurements for the spices is specific to pressure cooking where there will be some dilution from the liquid. If you are going to use a different cooking method, then you will want to follow the suggestions below.
Optional Ingredients
I find the natural sweetness in the carrots to be enough in this delicious recipe, but if you wanted them a little sweeter, add 1-2 Tablespoons of brown sugar or honey.
If you want them a little spicy, add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes to the water along with the butter and other spices.
Tips for Preparing the Carrots
- Use baby carrots. This will make life a lot simpler. All you have to do is give them a quick rinse and dump them in the pot. However, they are more expensive, so if you want to use regular carrots, see the tips below for preparing them so they cook evenly.
- Give regular carrots a good scrub or peel with a vegetable peeler. A lot of nutrients are found in the skin of the carrots and you can often get away without peeling them if you just give them a good scrub. However, if peeling is your preference (it is mine), then use a (affiliate link)good vegetable peeler to make peeling them a breeze.
- Cut the regular carrots on the diagonal. Not only does this look really pretty when served, it also helps the carrots cook all the way through while still being large enough not to overcook.
- Size of the carrots is important. If you have larger carrots, especially in thickness, then you may want to cut them in half widthwise or increase the cooking time by 1 minute if pressure cooking.
How to Make Dill Carrots in an Electric Pressure Cooker
I used my 6.5 quart Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper for this recipe, but any electric pressure cooker will work just fine and any size is fine.
If you aren't using baby carrots, then you will want to cut the carrots into 2" slices on the diagonal (bias). If you want to make coin like carrot slices, then cut them about 1¼-1½" thick so they cook in the 2 minute pressure cook time.
Gather the rest of your ingredients and measure out your spices. From here on, it's a dump and cook!
Add 1 cup of water to the inner pot. Add the 4 Tablespoons of butter and then dump the carrots into the pot. Spread them out so they cover the bottom of the pot.
Sprinkle the seasoning blend on top.
Put the pressure lid on. Make sure the valve is to the seal position and select pressure cook on high. Set the time for 2 minutes and hit start.
When the time is up, do a quick release of the pressure by moving the valve to the vent position. Once the steam is released and the pin has dropped, it is safe to open the pressure lid.
Stir the carrots and scoop them into a serving dish.
Make sure to add as much of the liquid as your serving dish can hold.
Dill Carrots Other Cooking Methods
Just in case you don't have a pressure cooker and still want to make these delicious carrots, I wanted to include other techniques that use the stove, oven, or even your air fryer.
Stovetop Instructions
In a large pot add about 8 cups of water. Salt the water with at least 2 teaspoons of sea salt or kosher salt. Bring the salted water to a boil and add in 2 pounds of carrots. Cook the carrots in the boiling water until they are your desired tenderness. 4-5 minutes for firmer carrots and about 6 minutes for softer carrots.
Drain the carrots and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons of butter, ½ Tablespoon of dried parsley, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of dried dill and salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to increase the garlic and onion powder to taste, but start off with just ½ teaspoon so you don't overpower the carrots.
Toss the carrots to coat in the butter and seasonings. Serve & Enjoy.
Air Fryer Instructions
If you aren't using baby carrots, then slice the carrots on the diagonal in about 2" slices.
Before air frying the carrots, you will want to par cook them. You can do this by blanching them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes or you can steam them for 2-3 minutes or use the microwave to cook them just slightly. If using the microwave, add some water to the microwave safe bowl and cook in increments of 90 seconds. The carrots should still be firm, but not raw.
This is important so the carrots get the benefit of the air fryer dry heat to "roast" them, but are cooked perfectly without burning the outside.
Once the carrots are par cooked, drain them from the water and pat dry with paper towels.
Mix 1 Tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, ½ teaspoon of sea or kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Toss the carrots in the seasoning and oil mix.
Preheat the air fryer on 400℉/200℃ for 10 minutes. Add the seasoned carrots to the air fryer basket and put them in a single layer as much as possible. Air Fry (Air Crisp) on 400℉/200℃ for 10 minutes. Toss and check them for doneness. Air fry as long as needed to get the roasted flavor and look and the desired tenderness. If the carrots are still too hard, but are getting too brown on the outside, lower the heat or cover them with foil.
While the carrots are air frying, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter and mix in 1 teaspoon of dried dill and ½ Tablespoon of dried parsley.
When the carrots are done, remove them from the air fryer and toss in the butter and dill seasoning. Serve & Enjoy.
Oven Roasting Instructions
I've never had great luck with oven roasted carrots because they always either burn on the outside before becoming fork tender or they shrivel up to much with the dry heat. However, when done correctly, the flavor is outstanding.
If you aren't using baby carrots, then slice the carrots on the diagonal in about 2" slices.
I recommend par cooking the carrots before roasting them, similar to what I suggest in the air fryer method. You can blanch them, steam them, or microwave them. You just want them cooked enough that a fork will pierce the carrot slice, but still meet some resistance.
Drain the carrots after par cooking and dry on paper towels. Toss the carrots in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil with 1 teaspoon dried dill, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, ½ teaspoon of sea or kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper (this is for 2 pounds of carrots).
Place the carrots on a sheet tray in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400℉/200℃ oven. Roast them for 15-20 minutes and then check on the doneness. You can continue to roast longer if you want them more tender. If the outside is getting too brown, but they need to cook longer, cover with foil so steam is trapped and helps cook them faster.
Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter and mix with ½ Tablespoon dried parsley. Toss the roasted carrots in the butter and parsley or drizzle over the top.
Serve & Enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What leftovers? Just kidding, sort of. These carrots are so good, I doubt there will be leftovers to freeze. Just in case there are, you can absolutely freeze them. However, carrots tend to be much softer once frozen and thawed. What I recommend is making sure the carrots are completely cold before placing in an airtight container for freezing. Add some of the liquid to the carrots to make reheating easier and quicker. When you want to reheat them, gently warm the frozen carrots in the liquid over low heat until warmed through.
Yes, either is fine. I tested the dill carrot recipe with 1 pound of carrots and when pressure cooking, you follow the same instructions and use the same amount of ingredients.
If you want to make 3 or 4 pounds of carrots using your pressure cooker, then the time would stay the same and the liquid will be the same, but you may want to increase the seasonings just slightly. I would recommend seasoning after cooking so you can adjust to your taste.
What to serve with Dill Carrots
Carrots are one of those side dishes that go so well with any kind of meat dish. I especially love dill carrots with beef and mashed potatoes. Here are some favorite recipes that will go perfectly with these carrots.
While the last one isn't exactly a recipe, but more a tutorial. Ham and carrots certainly go well together.
Dill Carrot Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup water or chicken broth/vegetable broth
- 4 Tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
- 2 pounds baby carrots
Seasoning Blend
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- ½ Tablespoon dried dill
- ½ Tablespoon onion powder
- ½ Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fine grind sea salt or kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
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Instructions
- Mix the seasonings in a small bowl. Rinse the baby carrots.
- Add 1 cup of water to the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi or Electric Pressure Cooker. Add in the butter and the baby carrots.
- Sprinkle the seasoning blend over the carrots.
- Put the pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. Pressure cook on high for 2 minutes. When the time is up do an immediate release of pressure by moving the valve to vent.
- When the pin drops and all the pressure is gone, open the lid and stir.
- Scoop the carrots and the juices into a serving bowl. Serve and Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
About the Recipe Author, Louise Long
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.
Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and learning more about the appliances they love.
Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper 101
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information
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Ronda Walters
DELICIOUS! I actually cooked half baby (not petite) carrots and potatoes,peeled and cut into about 2" pieces. It was absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe. I will definitely make again and again and again 🙂
Louise
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Shelli DelSignore
My family loved the Dill Carrots. I bought a 2lb. Bags of baby carrots, Not Petite carrots.
Recipe worked perfectly.
Louise
I'm so glad to hear that!