How to Cook Carrots in a Mug

Did you know you can cook carrots in a mug?  If you’re cooking small quantities, or simply don’t have enough saucepans or hob rings, then this is a really simple way to cook carrots.  If you’re having your kitchen refitted, or if you’re cooking in your holiday home  – times when you really want to simplify life.

• Pin It for Later: Cook Carrots in a Mug

I’ll usually cook vegetables in a microwave steamer, as it produces fresh, fast vegetables with the minimum of steam – and retains most of the nutrients.  But if I am just cooking 1-3 carrots I’ll often also just use a mug.  A mug is also a lot easier to wash up and dry than a microwave steamer, so this is a win/win situation!

Easiest Way to Cook Carrots!

This really is the easiest way to cook carrots, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this all along.  So, without further ado…. here’s the method:

You’ll Need:

• A mug, a splash of water, 1-3 carrots, something to use as a lid.

Method: 

1. Scrub the carrots so they’re clean – I often do this just by rubbing them down with a green/yellow sponge scourer.  Top and tail the carrots (that means just cut off the very top and very bottom bits. There is no need to peel them if you don’t wish to – I rarely peel carrots.
2. Cut the carrots into chunks or slices – you don’t have to cut them down to the size you’ll be serving them – you can wait until they’re cooked before doing the final slicing.
   Cutting raw carrots can be a problem for many people, or it’s annoying if slices ping off all over the place 🙂
   
3. Place the carrot chunks in the mug and add a splash of water.  Cover the mug – you can do this by placing a saved microwave meal dish over the top upside down, or with a microwave splatter guard, or some cling film.
4. Microwave on full power (800 watts) for 2 minutes.  Let the carrots sit for a couple of minutes, then stir them round and microwave again on high power for 2 minutes.  Let the carrots sit a further 2 minutes.
5. Cut the carrots down into smaller slices if you wish to serve them sliced thinner.

Job done!  Just drain, serve and eat them now!

You don’t need much water, you’re effectively steaming the carrots, which is why you need to use a lid, to keep the steam in as much as possible.  If you don’t have a lid … you can still do this, but you might need to cook the carrots for a further 2 minutes or so.

Variations: 

• Instead of a splash of water, add a splash of orange juice to the mug, to produce Orange Carrots, a nice little Christmas extra!

Other Vegetables You Can Cook in a Mug: 

Why not throw some frozen peas in too?  They don’t really need “cooking”, here’s how to cook peas in a mug: How to Cook Frozen Peas in a Mug – or, if you’re cooking fresh peas, simply use the “cooking carrots in a mug” method above!