Carrot rice – Simple, healthy, delicious & quick carrot rice recipe for the busy days. It can be made for lunch, dinner or for lunch box. This carrot rice can be made using grated carrots or finely chopped carrots to suit your liking or your convenience.
This rice can be made in 2 ways, sharing both the versions. The second method can be made in a pressure cooker. You can also use green peas or corn to make this and skip cashews. More details mentioned below.
Carrot rice can be served alone or with some curd, raita or papads. You can find more Carrot recipes here
I make this carrot rice at least a week for my kids’ lunch box. They love it and finish up most times.
Get creative and try with different spice powders like garam masala, pav bhaji masala, vangi bath or bisi bele bath powder.
For more Rice recipes, do check
Corn pulao
Fried rice
Veg pulao
Dal khichdi
Beetroot pulao
Carrot rice recipe
Carrot rice
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for carrot rice
- 1 cup rice (uncooked)
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
spices
- 1 small bay leaf or curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon cumin or jeera
- 2 green cardamoms or ½ tsp mustard (optional)
- 1 inch cinnamon or 1 tsp urad dal (optional)
other ingredients
- 1 medium onion (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste or grated ginger
- 2 carrots grated or 1 cup chopped finely
- 1 handful coriander leaves or pudina (mint) chopped
- ¾ teaspoon garam masala or any spice powder as needed
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder or paprika (optional)
- 12 cashews or roasted peanuts (optional)
- salt as needed
How to make the recipe
Preparation for carrot rice
- Wash and soak rice for about 20 minutes.
- Cook it to grainy and not mushy. Fluff with a fork and cool completely.
- If cooking in a pot you can add 2 cups water, bring it to a boil and cook covered on a low flame.
How to make carrot rice
- Heat a pan with oil and fry all the dry spices until they crackle.
- Add onions and saute until transparent or golden.
- Saute ginger garlic paste till the raw smell vanishes. Add carrots and saute for one to two minutes. Sprinkle salt and Cook till carrot is cooked to your liking.
- Add spice powders – chili powder, garam masala and mint or coriander leaves. Stir and saute for a minute for the raw smell of chili powder to go off.
- Cover and cook on a low heat if using chopped carrots and not grated.
- Add cooked and cooled rice and sprinkle very little salt.
- Mix everything well and squeeze in some lemon if desired.
- Garnish carrot rice with toasted cashews. Serve with a Raita.
NUTRITION (estimation only)
If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.
method 1 – How to make carrot rice
1. Heat oil in a pan. If using cashews, golden fry them and set aside. Saute dry spices. I used bay leaf, shahi jeera, cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves. You can also replace them with curry leaves, mustard, cumin and urad dal. I have made several times that way too, the rice has more of curry leaves flavor.
2. Add chopped or sliced onions and fry until they turn lightly golden or brown.
3. Next add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes off.
4. Add grated or finely chopped carrots and saute for a while. If using green peas or corn you can add them now. If using corn from the cob they need to be boiled first until tender and then use here. If using frozen corn or peas, just rinse them and use.
5. Sprinkle salt and cook on a low flame until done.
Adding spice powders to make carrot rice
6. Then add red chili powder, garam masala and pudina leaves or coriander leaves. If making for young kids, you can skip red chili powder. Mix everything well and fry for a minute.
7. If using grated carrots, skip this step. Cover the pan and cook on a low flame for 1 to 2 minutes. This helps the veggies to absorb the flavors well. The mixture is slightly moist now, this prevents the rice from becoming dry even when stored in lunch box for few hours.
8. Switch off the stove. Add cooked and cooled rice, sprinkle salt. I also use little extra virgin olive oil.
9. Mix everything well. I usually add hot rice to the pan and sprinkle salt and oil. Set aside to cool completely. I mix it later when cooled. Add cashews if using. If using corn or peas, you can skip cashews.
Carrot rice can also be served with a simple raita or a bowl of plain curd. For the lunch box, i pack with a simple vegetable stir fry. This time it was the baby corn capsicum stir fry.
You can find method 2, a one pot method after the recipe card.
METHOD 2 – carrot rice in cooker
one pot method. Can make in pressure cooker or in a pot
This method works good with only chopped carrots. You can also use peas and corn. Same Instructions to follow till step 6 from the step by step instructions.
7. Add 1 and a ¾ cups water and bring it to a boil.
8. Adjust salt as needed. Add soaked and drained rice to the boiling water.
9. Cook until rice is done. If cooking in pressure cooker, cook until water is almost evaporated.
10. While the rice is still soggy, cover the cooker with a lid and cook on a very low flame for 3 to 4 minutes.
11. When the pressure goes off, open the lid .Carrot rice is ready, sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves.
Karthi says
How to make carrot rice recipe – Take a pen and sheet of paper and list down the ingredients first. And then write how to cook. That’s it. 🙂
swasthi says
Hey Karthi,
Sorry for the delayed response! I took so long to understand your comment.
🙂
In the past I too thought that making a recipe literally means writing down the recipe. But No! It also means making the dish! Thank you!
🙂
Divya says
I tried peas and corn pulavu.. It was very nice.. Post more lunch box receipes.. It would be very useful. ..
swasthi says
Thanks Divya,
You can check this link for more lunch box recipes.
Asjad says
Looks good will make it tomorrow in Shaa Allah
swasthi says
Thank you. Yes do try it.
Jackie says
Thank you for this recipe! I made it for the first time last night and it was absolutely delicious!
swasthi says
You are welcome. Thanks for trying
Varun says
Hi Swasthi,
Thank you very much for this excellent recipe. Your recipes have been a life saver for me here in Germany. Prepared this for dinner and a little extra would suffice as lunch the next day. Used rice cooker for cooking the rice and chopped carrots and it came out very beatiful. Just tweaked your recipe by adding Pepper powder and Coriander powder instead of Chilli and Masala powder. I don’t have the luxury of garnishing as the nearest Indian shop is 80 Kms away. Anyway, I loved this recipe and am trying your Beetroot Pulao very soon. Thank you once again.
swasthi says
Hello Varun
You are welcome. Very glad to know the recipes are useful. Yes do try beetroot pulao, healthy and delicious. This link on easy indian recipes may help you to find quick recipes on the blog easily without having to search much. Thanks and Appreciate your comment and feedback.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Madhavi says
Hi swasthi! Made this carrot rice for my son and i for a quick lunch. It was indeed quick and very yummy! I grated the carrots and added few paneer pieces which were just left so it was even more quick ?. my son also enjoyed eating it. Thank u for a nice recipe.
swasthi says
Welcome Madhavi
Nice to read your comment after a long time. Happy to know you all liked it. I havent tried paneer in this rice yet. Sounds so good. Thanks for the share
shalini says
Its very tasty. A unique flavour of rice. Never thought that carrot rice would taste so yummy.
In this form at least we eat healthy vegetables.
swasthi says
Thanks shalini
glad you liked it
siri says
Looks delicious… will definitely try this tomorrow
swasthi says
Thanks Siri.
mrunalini says
I made this for dinner tonight and it turned out awesome. Lovely… My husband and my brother loved the recipe…. Thanq for sharing this wonderful, simple and delicious recipe…
mrunalini says
I served this along with your kesari rava recipe. This made a wonderful desert…..
swasthi says
Thanks Mrunalini
swasthi says
Welcome Mrunalini,
That’s a very quick try.
🙂
I am so glad you all liked it. Thank you.
Anamikha says
The carrot rice recipe was really awesome… Mouth watering… I am very new to cooking and this recipe helped me a lot….
Can u pls mention how to prepare the vegetable stir fry coz I am still not aware of that recipe….
Keep rocking swasthii…
Go ahead..
I am ready to follow Ur recipes..