There’s something about fresh flowers that can add a little color to an otherwise gray day. Similarly, these Rainbow Carrot Blossoms with Garlic and Herbs have the ability to perk dinner up in a pretty colorful way. They’re also Paleo, Keto, SIBO, and Whole30 friendly, so they’re a healthy indulgence to make.
Rainbow Carrot Blossoms made simple
Rainbow carrots are just plain gorgeous and, after all, you eat with your eyes first! I have found them at both my local farmers market and several local grocery stores. If you don’t see them, or would prefer to use the big orange guys lurking in your crisper – do it! They’re tasty either way.
Rainbow Carrot Blossoms are super simple to make with the wide ribbon blade on a hand-held spiralizer, like this one. If you don’t have a spiralizer, these carrots are just as good prepared thinly sliced or julienned on a mandolin like this one, or peeled with an old-fashioned potato peeler into gorgeous ribbons. Trust me friends, you don’t need to a special tool to use this recipe – just use what you have.
A note about garlic oil
I often get questions when I list this ingredient. As a SIBO-sufferer, I do not tolerate whole garlic very well as it is high in fructans, a type of Fodmap (short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine). Instead, I cook with garlic-infused oil as a safe replacement to whole or powdered garlic. The fructans contained in garlic are water soluble, but not oil soluble, making infused oil the perfect way to access all of the flavorful goodness from the garlic without consuming the fibrous part that contains fructans. You can make your own, and in a pinch, I sometimes do. However, I prefer to buy it as the homemade version is only stable for a short window of time. If you’re interested in cooking with garlic oil, Trader Joe’s carries my favorite, but you can also often find it at Whole Foods and New Seasons markets. If you aren’t a SIBO sufferer, fresh or powdered garlic is totally fine to use and I do my best to include this swap in ingredient lists.
A note for special diets
These Rainbow Carrot Blossoms with Garlic and Herbs are grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free and friendly for Paleo, SIBO, and Low-FODMAP diets.
Rainbow Carrot Blossoms with Garlic and Herbs
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 portions
Ingredients
- 6 large rainbow carrots
- 2 tbsp butter or ghee, melted
- 1 tbsp garlic oil (or 2 cloves, minced if not SIBO or Low-FODMAP)
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
- 2 tsp fresh oregano, minced (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Using the wide ribbon blade on a hand-held spiralizer, prep carrot blossoms. Because the carrots are so firm, the wide ribbon spiralizer should produce short, thick blossom rather than long, thin spirals. If you don't have a spiralizer, these carrots are just as good prepared thinly sliced or julienned on a mandolin or peeled with an old-fashioned potato peeler into ribbons.
- In a medium bowl, toss carrots with butter or ghee, garlic oil (or cloves), parsley, oregano, rosemary, and salt until coated.
- Bring 1-2 inches of water to boil in a large saucepan.
- Transfer carrots to a steamer basket or metal colander and place on top of the saucepan.
- Steam for 5-6 minutes, turning once or twice if you are making blossoms as they are thicker. If you have julienned or peeled your carrots into ribbons, they should only take 3-4 minutes as they are much thinner.
Notes
I find that the thicker the carrot, the easier it is to slice in a hand-held spiralizer and the more well-defined your blossoms will be.
Courses Sides
Cuisine American
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 portion
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 126 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 9 g | 14% | |
Saturated Fat 4 g | 20% | |
Cholesterol 15 mg | 5% | |
Sodium 320 mg | 13% | |
Total Carbohydrates 11 g | 4% | |
Dietary Fiber 3 g | 12% | |
Sugars 5 g | ||
Protein 1 g | 2% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
February 17, 2018 at 3:32 pmWhat a beautiful dish! I love buying rainbow carrots too, especially since my children love carrots 🙂
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
February 17, 2018 at 4:05 pmThis is the perfect dish for any occasion! Love how colorful and tasty these are!
Valentina
February 17, 2018 at 4:30 pmLove garlic and herbs on my veggies — and it’s always lovely to add color to a plate, or table! These carrots are fantastic.
Jessica Robinson
February 17, 2018 at 5:45 pmSounds like an amazing way to serve carrots and cook them quickly!
Emily
February 17, 2018 at 9:37 pmThose are such sweet little carrot flowers! I love garlic, so maybe I’ll use fresh garlic and garlic oil to maximize it!
Amy @ Little Dairy on the Prairie
February 19, 2018 at 9:14 amI love when you can add so much color to a dish! This looks so good!
Scarlet
February 19, 2018 at 9:23 amWhat a fun idea. I am sure my kids will get a kick out of these. Thanks for the recipe!
Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen
February 19, 2018 at 9:26 amSuch a beautiful side dish and packed full of flavor too! Thanks for sharing, am bookmarking these for my next dinner party!
Sharon
February 19, 2018 at 9:57 amRainbow carrots are always a fun buy at the Farmer’s Market. This recipe would be a great one to make the next time I pick some up. Delicious!
Megan Marlowe
February 19, 2018 at 9:59 amThese are almost too pretty to eat. Carrots are one of my family’s favorite vegetables and I cannot wait to present these to them. They’ll be so surprised and delighted!
kat
February 19, 2018 at 10:38 amlooks so tasty!!! love the colorfullness, can’t wait to try this!!! 🙂
Patricia @ Grab a Plate
February 19, 2018 at 5:05 pmHow cute is this dish! I loooooove the garlic and herbs with them. I need to try this soon!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
February 19, 2018 at 7:31 pmI love using my spiralizer. So much fun in the kitchen. Flavoured oils are so good…and I always have garlic flavoured oil on hand. This recipe sounds and looks delicious.
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife
February 19, 2018 at 8:19 pmSuch a beautiful presentation! Sounds delicious as well!
Kate
February 19, 2018 at 8:52 pmWhat pretty carrots! I just learned that the purple carrots especially are the best for you. I wish I could find them more often!
Brittany Poulson
February 19, 2018 at 9:44 pmThis is such a fun and creative idea! I bet it is so flavorful!
dixya @food, pleasure, and health
February 21, 2018 at 5:47 amthis is such a fun way to enjoy carrots…and yes i love rainbow carrots too!
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
February 21, 2018 at 8:24 amThis is one of the prettiest dishes I’ve seen in a long time! It’s almost too pretty to eat. Almost. 🙂 I can’t wait to serve this at my dinner party this weekend. My guests are going to ooo and ahhh. Great recipe!
Traci
February 21, 2018 at 10:42 amThis is so creative… And of course I could eat all the carrots all day long! Great recipe… Thank you for sharing!
Sandi
February 21, 2018 at 10:42 amThis looks like a delicious recipe…it is so creative!
Meredith
February 21, 2018 at 11:18 amI LOVE making apple and avocado roses… but hadn’t even thought to make carrot flowers. I can NOT wait to make them!
Joyce
February 21, 2018 at 11:23 amWow this is super pretty and so creative! I am excited to hunt down rainbow carrots this summer! They aren’t very common in our supermarkets here but that’s okay – gives me another excuse to head to the farmers market! 😀
Amelie
February 22, 2018 at 5:30 amThis is such a beautiful dish! I’m sure these will be fun to make with my kids. And as they love carrots, they will certainly love eating them too.
Amanda Mason
February 24, 2018 at 9:11 pmSimple. Elegant. Beautiful! I love everything about this dish!! And I love cooking with garlic oil! I’m going to try this recipe out!
Veronika's Kitchen
February 25, 2018 at 2:10 pmThis is a perfect and beautiful dish for a party to surprise the guests) So easy but looks unique)
Leslie Haasch
February 25, 2018 at 3:36 pmThank you for the tip about the thickness of the carrot – I find myself grabbing the closest carrots to me in the store, but I never really pay attention to their size!
Abby @ WinsteadWandering
February 25, 2018 at 7:48 pmThese are almost too pretty to eat! But I love garlic and carrots, so just almos
Claire @ The Simple, Sweet Life
February 26, 2018 at 11:02 pmThis dish is so beautiful! Almost too beautiful to eat. I bet it’s even more delicious than it looks!
Erin @ Platings and Pairngs
March 5, 2018 at 4:37 pmWhat a unique and pretty recipe! I love how you made the carrots into flowers.
Andrea
March 5, 2018 at 8:49 pmThis is so unique! I feel excited to try! Thank you also for the note about the garlic oil- really interesting information!
Hillary Harper
March 5, 2018 at 10:23 pmWhat a beautiful dish! This would be great to jazz up a main for a dinner party 🙂
Kelsey
March 7, 2018 at 8:40 amWow those are so pretty! I love when food is art.
Susannah
March 20, 2018 at 9:10 amWhat a gorgeous meal! How could you eat your veggies when they’re that pretty? 😉
Rae
May 3, 2018 at 10:37 amI never thought I’d say a dish of carrots was beautiful but you’ve accomplished something special with this recipe! These would be the star of any meal for sure!
Vicky
May 3, 2018 at 10:54 amI have cooked with rainbow carrots before, but have never seen them presented in a prettier way. I think even my kids might try this!
Susie
May 3, 2018 at 12:23 pmThat is sooooo beautiful! I love the idea of this, and I have a spiralizer that is collecting dust!
Veena Azmanov
May 3, 2018 at 12:47 pmNow, this recipe will be one of my favorites. Looks incredible! I like all the ingredients in it. This is perfect for me. I’m sure this is incredibly delicious! THANK YOU!
Julie
May 3, 2018 at 1:43 pmThis sounds so delicious. I love these flavors! Pretty presentation too.
Ayanna @ 21FlavorsofSplendor
May 30, 2018 at 9:20 amI love how beautiful and fancy this dish looks. I would totally make this for an adult dinner party.
Ashley R.
May 30, 2018 at 9:22 amMy mouth is officially watering! Yum! Maybe if I make veggies look prettier, the boys will eat more? Ha. Wishful thinking. Will still be trying this though!
Mimi
May 30, 2018 at 9:22 amIt looks so yummy and colorfull
Paula @ I'm Busy Being Awesome
May 30, 2018 at 9:23 amThis recipe is so beautiful to look at, almost too pretty to eat
Marcie
May 30, 2018 at 8:20 pmI hadn’t heard of garlic oil until your post. I’m going to check it out!