Carrot Rice/Pilaf Recipe is an Indian-style rice dish that is a quick, healthy, and tasty breakfast, lunch, and kids lunchbox recipe. You can make this dish with grated carrots or finely chopped carrots as you like.
Carrots are an excellent source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants and offer several health benefits. Carrots are best known for their ability to improve and protect eyesight.
This healthy carrot rice is one of my favorite lunch box recipe at our home and is also convenient for me to make in less time and pack for myself, my husband, and my daughter's lunchbox.
I usually prepare this rice with basmati rice, but you can use any variety of rice. You can also add roasted cashews or peanuts for the crunch.
I have given a South Indian touch to this recipe by adding sambhar powder. Still, you can also add garam masala powder or try other variations by adding vangi bath powder, Bisi Bele bath powder, or pav bhaji masala.
You can also check my other rice recipes like Raw Mango Rice, Capsicum Rice, Milagai Podi Rice(Chutney Powder Rice). Also, check my 25+ Instant Pot Rice Recipes Collection.
Ingredients for Carrot Rice/Pulao
How to Make Carrot Rice
Heat oil/ghee in a Kadai. Add whole spices, and saute for a few seconds or till aromatic.
Then add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them splutter.
Add green chilies, curry leaves, and hing (asafetida). Saute for a few seconds.
Next, add onions, and ginger garlic paste. Saute till the onions are light brown.
Then add green peas, and grated carrot. Cook for 2 minutes.
And then, add turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, sambar powder, and salt—Cook for another minute.
Add cooked basmati rice, mix everything well and turn off the gas.
Garnish it with coriander leaves & roasted cashews. Serve this South Indian-style carrot rice hot with raita or yogurt.
What to serve with Carrot Rice?
Serve Carrot Rice/Pilaf recipe with a side of yogurt or raita, pickle, and papad. However, this rice recipe goes very well with the dal recipe, like dal tadka or palak dal.
Tips & Variations
- Other Veggies: You can also use sweet corn instead of peas.
- Spices: You can skip sambhar powder and add an extra ½ teaspoon of jeera and coriander powder each OR add more garam masala, pav bhaji masala, or Bisi Bele bath powder for variation.
- Carrot: You can also add finely chopped carrots instead of grated carrots.
- Ghee: If you prepare this carrot rice for kids, use ghee instead of oil.
- Other Grains: Substitute white rice with brown rice, quinoa, or millets.
- Leftover Rice: You can even use leftover rice for this recipe.
- Nuts: You can add roasted peanuts or cashews to get crunch in the rice recipe.
Also check my Kids Lunch Box Series Posts
More Carrot Recipes
More Rice Recipes
- Raw Mango Rice
- Burnt Garlic Fried Rice
- Palak Biryani
- Paneer Biryani
- Chickpea Biryani
- Peanut Rice
- Curd rice
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Carrot Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked basmati rice or any rice (from 1 cup raw basmati rice)
- 1 cup carrot grated
- ½ cup onions thinly sliced
- ½ cup green peas fresh or frozen
- 2 green chillies slit lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves chopped
- few curry leaves
- few cashew nuts roasted
- a pinch asafetida (hing)
- 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
- salt to taste
Whole Spices
- 2 cloves
- 1 green cardamon(elachi)
- ½ inch cinnamon(dal chini)
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
Dry Spices
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon sambhar powder
Instructions
- Heat oil/ghee in a Kadai. Add whole spices, and saute for a few seconds or till aromatic.
- Then add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them splutter.
- Add green chilies, curry leaves, and hing (asafetida). Saute for a few seconds.
- Next, add onions, and ginger garlic paste. Saute till the onions are light brown.
- Then add green peas, and grated carrot. Cook for 2 minutes.
- And then, add turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, sambar powder, and salt—Cook for another minute.
- Add cooked basmati rice, mix everything well and turn off the gas.
- Garnish it with coriander leaves & roasted cashews. Serve this South Indian-style carrot rice hot with raita or yogurt.
Notes
- Other Veggies: You can also use sweet corn instead of peas.
- Spices: You can skip sambhar powder and add an extra ½ teaspoon of jeera and coriander powder each OR add more garam masala, pav bhaji masala, or Bisi Bele bath powder for variation.
- Carrot: You can also add finely chopped carrots instead of grated carrots.
- Ghee: If you prepare this carrot rice for kids, use ghee instead of oil.
- Other Grains: Substitute white rice with brown rice, quinoa, or millets.
- Leftover Rice: You can even use leftover rice for this recipe.
- Nuts: You can add roasted peanuts or cashews to get crunch in the rice recipe.
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