Instant Pot Carrots with a Maple Butter Sauce
Posted: 05/16/24
Updated: 08/31/24
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Carrots cooked to perfection in the Instant Pot then swaddled in a delicious maple butter sauce. Quick and easy, this is one of our favorite veggie side dish recipes.
What We Love About This Recipe
- Cooking baby carrots in the Instant Pot is SO simple, yet they come out perfect, never mushy or undercooked.
- The maple butter sauce adds a deliciously sweet-and-savory flavor to the dish, without overpowering the natural flavor of the carrots.
- It’s tasty enough to be part of your holiday dinner table, but easy enough to make a regular appearance at meals year-round.
- You can change the seasonings as you like to make the recipe your own, or you can omit the sauce entirely to use your Instant Pot carrots in another recipe!
Chef’s Tips
- If you’re feeding a large group, and if your Instant Pot is big enough, I recommend doubling or even tripling this carrot recipe to ensure you make enough for everyone.
- Make sure to Quick Release the pressure after cooking! The Instant Pot has two release options – Quick (or Manual) Release, and Natural Release. If you use the Natural Release function, your baby carrots WILL be overcooked and mushy by the time you serve them.
- All appliances behave differently, so if you have time, test this recipe at least once before you make it for your holiday meal. You and I could have two of the exact same Instant Pot in the exact same kitchen, and your carrots might be ready after 6 minutes while mine need the full 8. Adjust as needed!
More Easy Vegetable Recipes
- Zucchini Salad
- Stuffed Artichokes
- Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
- Grilled Asparagus in Foil
- Instant Pot Chickpeas (No Soak!)
- Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans
- Keto Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
- Garlic Butter Parsley Potatoes
- Instant Pot Broccoli
- Texas Roadhouse Green Beans
- Carrot Raisin Salad
- Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes
- Sauteed Zucchini
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For more delicious recipes, visit our sister sites, 40 Aprons and Easy Cheap Recipes.
Instant Pot Carrots with a Maple Butter Sauce
These super easy and flavorful carrots are perfectly tender and are a delicious side.
servings
Ingredients
For the Instant Pot Carrots
- 16 ounces baby carrots defrosted if frozen
- 2 cups water
For the Maple Butter Sauce (Optional)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic approximately 3 cloves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker
- Colander
- large wooden spoon
Instructions
For the Instant Pot Carrots
- Add 16 ounces baby carrots and 2 cups water to Instant Pot and stir to incorporate. Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in Sealing position.
- Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure and set cook time to 8 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize, then cook time will begin.
- Once 8-minute cook time ends, carefully Quick Release internal pressure. Use caution – any escaping steam will be very hot.
For the Maple Butter Sauce (Optional)
- Carefully remove insert from Instant Pot. Pour carrots and water into colander, draining carrots well. Return drained carrots to Instant Pot insert and return insert to Instant Pot.
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and stir to incorporate. Allow butter to melt completely.
- Once butter has melted, add 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ⅛ teaspoon chili powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir to incorporate, then allow ingredients to sauté until garlic is fragrant, approximately 60 seconds.
- When garlic is fragrant, add 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup and stir gently until syrup is fully incorporated and carrots are fully coated in sauce.
To Serve
- Divide Instant Pot carrots into preferred portions. Spoon additional maple butter sauce over carrots and serve warm with desired entrée.
Notes
- Make it Dairy Free: Use a plant-based butter.
- Leftovers: Let carrots cool completely. Refrigerator leftover carrots in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 135kcal | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Total Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Net Carbs: 16g | Vitamin C: 4mg | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 389mg | Potassium: 320mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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