Sous Vide Carrots – An Easy And Delicious Side Dish

Discover the secret to perfectly tender and flavorful carrots with this easy sous vide recipe. These orange glazed carrots make a great side dish for any meal!

Ingredients for Orange-Glazed Carrots

• Whole Carrots
• Butter
• Salt and Black Pepper
• Orange Marmalade
• Chopped Pecans
• Honey

Sous Vide Carrot Recipe

My new favorite toy is my sous vide cooker, thanks for my neighbor Ariane who turned me on to this kitchen wonder machine. Meat is a very common food to cook in sous vide, but vegetables are equally convenient and tasty after the process of sous vide.

Whole carrots are one of those vegetables that I love but do not tend to cook since they do tend to take a long time. I love making these during the week when I have time, and then refrigerating them until I need a quick side dish for supper.

All I have to do is pull them out and finish glazing them in a large skillet. The sweet orange glaze brings out the sweetness of the carrots, and the crunchy sweetened nuts give the best texture combination.

What does sous vide mean?

Sous vide is a cooking technique that involves sealing food in a vacuum-sealed bag and cooking it in a water bath at a precise, consistent temperature for an extended period. This method ensures even cooking and often results in tender, flavorful dishes.

Once you start to figure out the time and temperature points in sous vide cooking, the recipe variations are endless. Here are some of our favorite sous vide recipes for proteins:

• Sous Vide Beef Short Ribs
• Pork Spare Ribs – Sous Vide
• Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
• Sous Vide Parmesan Chicken
• Teriyaki Chicken – Sous Vide Style

How to sous vide carrots?

Step by Step Instructions

1. Wash, peel and trim the ends of fresh carrots. If the carrots are extra large, split into half or thirds lengthwise, keeping the thickness of the carrots consistent.
2. Place carrots, salt and pepper, butter and orange jam in either a vacuum bag or large resealable plastic freezer bag.
3. Vacuum seal the bag using either a vacuum sealer or the water displacement method (see below for an explanation).
4. Place sealed bag into the sous vide container.
5. Preheat the sous vide machine water bath to 183 degrees F; cook the carrots for one hour or until to your desired tenderness. (Check them at 1 hour, and add more time, if needed.) Be sure the carrots are completely submerged.
6. Remove from the water, and either immediately move on to the glazing step or refrigerate for up to a week before finishing them to consume.
7. When ready to eat, pour the carrots with the juices (entire contents of bag including liquids) into a large skillet.
8. Heat over medium-high heat until the carrots are hot and the sauce has reduced to a glaze. If you unintentionally undercooked, then they can finish cooking in the sauce for a longer amount of time.
9. In a small skillet, heat chopped pecans and honey over low heat until sticky. (The carrots will have a shiny glaze.) Sprinkle over glazed carrots before serving.

Storage Instructions

Let leftovers cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

For the full ingredient amounts and recipe steps for sous vide glazed carrots, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Recipe FAQs

• If desired, use baby carrots instead.
• The carrots might not be fully tender at the one hour mark. If this is the case, continue to cook them until the desired consistency. I check this by carefully squeezing the carrots through the package. Be careful not to burn yourself.
• If you make a boo boo and remove these from the water bath too soon, it is not a big deal. Cover and cook the carrots on a medium low heat, covered, until tender. Then raise the heat to caramelize them at the end.
• To prepare these ahead of time, refrigerate after cooking in the water bath for up to 5 days. Reheat in the skillet as they glaze.
• To make these in the oven, place all the ingredients in a 1-quart covered baking dish, and cook at 350 degrees F until heated through.

Recipe Variations

• Peach jam, apricot jam or other preserves instead of orange preserves will also taste great.
• If you love extra sticky glazed carrots, let these reduce longer until the carrots get an almost brown color to them. This caramelization tastes great.
• Use walnuts or your other favorite nuts instead of pecans.
• Substitute maple syrup for honey, if desired, or omit the honey and sprinkle plain nuts over top instead.
• Want a stovetop carrot recipe? Try our lemon carrots recipe. Or try our oven-roasted carrots. For a crock pot version, try these Sweet Tangy Carrots.

What is the water displacement method?

The water displacement method, often used in sous vide cooking, involves placing food in a plastic bag, partially sealing it, and then submerging the bag in a water bath. As the bag is lowered into the water, the pressure pushes the air out of the bag, creating a vacuum seal before it is completely sealed. This method helps remove air from the bag, ensuring efficient heat transfer and even cooking. This method is an alternative to using a vacuum sealer.

How to keep food submerged during sous vide?

There’s several methods that people use to keep food submerged during sous vide.

• Invest in a rack that will fit in your water bath.
• Place a wet kitchen towel over top the food.
• Use ping pong balls to float over top of the bag.
• Use clips to clip to the side of the water bath.

What temperature should you sous vide carrots at?

When sous vide cooking carrots, the ideal temperature is around 183°F (84°C). The cook time will depend on the type of carrots (whole vs. baby carrots) and the size of the carrots.

How do you reheat sous vide carrots?

There are various ways to reheat sous vide carrots if they’ve been refrigerated before consuming. Firstly, simply place the vacuum-sealed bag in a pot of hot water and let it warm up to the desired temperature. Or, try tp quickly sauté them in a hot pan with a little butter or oil for added flavor.

Favorite Vegetable Side Dishes

Nutty Brussel Sprouts

Creamed Rutabaga

Fried Eggplant

Zucchini Patties

Vinegar Beet Salad

Kitchen Utensils

• Sous Vide Cooker
• Vacuum Sealer or Freezer Bags (zip-lock)
• Vegetable Peeler
• Sharp Knife and Cutting Board
• Large Skillet
• Orange Marmalade