These Gorgeous Carrot Recipes Will Change the Way You Look at This "Basic" Veggie

If you avoid carrots because all you can think about is the bland, mushy steamed baby carrots your grandma serves, you're in for a taste bud awakening. From bright carrot smoothies to roasted and caramelized root veggie side dishes, these beta-carotene-filled ideas taste just as good as they look.

If you love sweet potato fries, then you're going to live for these baked carrot fries with salty Parmesan coating. You'll dredge the carrot sticks in a water and egg mixture before sprinkling on a nice coating of Parmesan cheese that crisps up perfectly when you bake these babies. Dip, dunk, or slather these carrot fries in your condiment of choice (like this chili mayo), or enjoy them with just some fresh chopped parsley.

Get the recipe: Baked Parmesan Carrot Fries with Chili Mayo Dip

Remember how amazed you were when you first discovered that cauliflower could be transformed into pizza crust? Get ready to freak out again because apparently, you can turn carrots into taco shells. Grated carrots are soaked, dried, and baked into shell forms and then used as the vehicle for whatever healthy filling you're into. These crispy shells turn what can be a carb-overloaded meal into a super-nutritious dinner.

Get the recipe: Healthy Baked Carrot Taco Shells

First there was the vegan jackfruit sandwich dripping in barbecue sauce that you swear looks exactly like pulled pork. But now there's a new meatless pulled "pork" sandwich in town—pulled BBQ carrots. There's obviously no actual pulling apart of meat involved, but when you taste the sweet carrots with the tangy sauce piled high on a bun with crunchy cabbage, you'll forget that this recipe actually healthy and go in for seconds.

Get the recipe: Pulled BBQ Carrots

Not all veggie chips are created equal—and FYI, just because a "chip" is made from a vegetable doesn't necessarily make it better for you. Cut out the middle man and make these baked carrot chips at home. They feature cinnamon and cumin to complement the naturally sweet flavor of the crispy carrots. (BTW, kale chips are still a thing and they are still delicious. Make your own.)

Get the recipe: Baked Carrot Chips

Pad Thai is one of comfort food's finest—no debate there. But it's not exactly the kind of meal you should indulge in every time you have the Sunday Scaries (so basically every week). That's where these stir-fried carrot noodles with chicken come in. The bowl is beautiful, bright, and filled with chicken, spinach, and carrot noodles all dressed in a honey-soy sauce mixture for a satisfying meal any day of the week.

Get the recipe: Stir-Fried Carrot Noodles with Chicken

Hummus doesn't need to be boring—as shown by these 13 different ways to make hummus. And spicing it up with everyone's favorite spicy condiment, sriracha, is the most genius idea since mermaid toast. This sriracha carrot hummus changes the after-work snacking game for good.

Get the recipe: Sweet and Spicy Sriracha and Carrot Hummus

These are the roasted carrots your grandma's mushy baby carrots aspire to grow into one day. Consider them your easy answer to a grown-up dinner party side dish. There's really not a whole lot of prep work involved, and the outcome is presentation-ready right out of the oven. The sauce of brown sugar, Italian seasoning, butter, balsamic, and garlic is cooked on the stove and drizzled on the carrots before baking.

Get the recipe: Honey Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots

Carrots assert their rightful place at the breakfast table with these sweet carrot cake waffles. The batter is made with not just carrots but pineapple, raisins, and toasted walnuts for hearty texture and flavor built right in. Discover more healthy waffle recipes that are perfect for starting your weekend off right.

Get the recipe: Carrot Cake Waffles