Shredded Carrots with Homemade BBQ Sauce! If you love pulled BBQ then you're going to love this healthy and delicious recipe.
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Hi there! Thanks for visiting us, we’re so happy you’re here. If you’re looking for Southern inspired vegan comfort food recipes, you’ve come to the right place.
We love vegan comfort food and we’re really good at making it. Take a tour through our site and you’ll find all of the recipes that scream, stretchy pants required!
The good news, they’re all plant-based recipes, so you don’t need to feel guilty eating them. Now sit back, relax, and eat happy. 🙂
Also, in case you didn't know, we're published cookbook authors. We've written two vegan cookbooks that will help you make amazing vegan BBQ (you don't even need a grill) and everyday meals, from breakfast to dessert.
Click on the titles to check them out. GREAT VEGAN BBQ WITHOUT A GRILL and THE ULTIMATE VEGAN COOKBOOK.
A VEGAN BARBECUE RECIPE THAT MEAT EATERS WILL LOVE
Pulled BBQ carrots. You think I’m kidding? I’m not. But before we start talking about this DELICIOUS recipe, let’s dish.
January first was my fifth vegan anniversary! That decision has been life changing.
I feel great, I’ve saved so many animals, Alex and I founded Veganosity, We've written two cookbooks and I've run two marathons, I’ve met an amazing group of vegan blogger friends, and this little blog is thriving.
All of that because I made the conscious choice to go vegan. Life is good! Pun totally intended. 😉
How Many Animals Does a Vegan Save Each Year?
According to Animal Equality, “Over 56 billion farmed animals are killed every year by humans. More than 3,000 animals die every second in slaughterhouses around the world.” 56 BILLION!
In two years Alex and I have saved approximately 800 animals combined. Just a speck when you look at the astronomical number of animals killed every second, but I bet those 800 animals are grateful.
ADOPT DON'T SHOP
We're also pro-adoption when it comes to adding a furry friend to the family. There are so many beautiful animals sitting in cages right now just waiting to be loved. Please adopt.
WHY THIS BBQ CARROT RECIPE WORKS
Y'all, won't believe how incredibly chewy roasted shredded carrots are. When you cook a whole carrot for too long it can get mushy, but when you shred them and roast them, they get a little crispy on the edges and super chewy.
This is what makes them the perfect vegetable for making pulled vegan barbecue.
We also add some shredded onion to the pan when we roast the carrots because it adds a great flavor.
Y'all, you just don’t know how fabulous carrots are until you turn them into chewy, meaty, slightly spicy, pulled BBQ deliciousness.
WHERE THE INSPIRATION CAME FROM
I thought of the idea of making pulled BBQ carrots during a visit to The Wonderland Express exhibit at The Chicago Botanic Garden.
There was a spirits and wine tasting at the event and I needed to eat. Unfortunately, and true to the Standard American Diet, everything had meat, cheese, or cream in it.
They had a beef sandwich with slaw on the menu, so I got creative and asked if I could have a slaw sandwich, which gave me the idea to create a pulled BBQ veggie recipe.
Carrots seemed like the obvious vegetable because they shred easily, they’re the color of BBQ sauce—more or less—and they have a sweetness that would rock with the spicy sauce.
HOW TO MAKE BBQ PULLED CARROTS
This is sooooo good. And it’s easy to make. If you have a food processor it’s even easier.
STEP ONE
Make the Carrots and Onions.
- Shred four or five large carrots and thinly slice a large red onion.
- Spread evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle the tiniest amount of olive oil on them, toss to coat.
- Cover the pan with foil, and roast for approximately thirty minutes. Make sure you shake the carrots and onions in the pan every ten minutes so they roast evenly.
- Take the foil off during the last 10 minutes so the edges get crispy.
- Put them in the pan of BBQ sauce and simmer for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
- While the carrots and onions are roasting—it smells so good—make the BBQ sauce. Or, if you’re feeling lazy you can use a vegan sauce, such as Amy’s or Stubbs.
- Once the carrots and onions are roasted to a soft texture and are slightly caramelized, you can put them in a medium sauce pan with a cup of barbecue sauce and simmer for ten minutes.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE
Our sauce is the best! We rarely make those kinds of statements, and we're making an exception this time.
Our readers love it, our friends and family love it, and we love it. Enough said. 🙂
STEP ONE
Add the BBQ sauce ingredients to the blender and blend until fully combined.
STEP TWO
Put the sauce in a pan and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and let it cook for about 15 minutes.
HOW SHOULD I SERVE WITH VEGANOSITY PULLED BBQ CARROTS?
We're so glad you asked. Here is a list of some of our favorite side dishes to serve with this vegan BBQ sandwich.
Vegan Southern-Style Creamy Potato Salad
Greg's Lemon & Dill Potato Salad
Smoky Baked Beans from our cookbook, Great Vegan BBQ Without A Grill
Make this and let us know what you think. We love to hear from you! And, don’t forget to take a picture of your gorgeous creation and tag us @veganosity on Instagram.
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Pulled BBQ Carrots
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 Oven
- 1 stove
Ingredients
- 5 large carrots – peeled and shredded
- 1 large red onion – peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon of olive oil
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
For the BBQ sauce:
- 1 cup of tomato sauce
- 3 cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of dark molasses
- ¼ cup of brown sugar See Note
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper see note in instructions
- ¼ teaspoon of white pepper
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 1 pepper from a small can of peppers in adobo sauce – remove the seeds the pepper is optional, this will make the sauce extra spicy, if you use it, make sure to remove the seeds
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 385°F and line a baking pan with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper you can line it with lightly oiled aluminum foil or lightly grease the bottom of the pan to avoid sticking.
- Shred the carrots with the shredder attachment of your food processor or with a box or hand held grater.
- Thinly slice the onion.
- Put the carrots and onion in the baking pan and drizzle the olive oil over them. Toss well to coat and then spread them evenly in the pan. Sprinkle ground sea salt and ground pepper evenly over the top. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast for twenty minutes (shake the pan every ten minutes to ensure even roasting), remove the foil and roast for ten more minutes. The carrots and onions should be nice and soft, and lightly caramelized.
- NOTE: If you are sensitive to spicy food blend the BBQ sauce without the cayenne pepper first, then add it slowly until you find the heat that's good for you. Also, if you don't tolerate spicy food, skip the pepper in adobo sauce
- While the carrots and onions are roasting, put the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until fully combined and smooth. Pour into a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for twenty minutes, stir occasionally to avoid scorching the sauce.
- Add the roasted carrots and onions to the sauce and stir well to coat. Simmer for fifteen minutes.
- Enjoy!
Brittney says
I just want to say, I made this recipe in my slow cooker one day. Just dumped in the carrots and onions with Stubbs BBQ and set on low for about 6 hours and it turned out MAGNIFICENT! It was so delicious!
I think it may have been the best 'dupe' recipe I've made. Thank you for this recipe, I've been sharing it like crazy! Even my carnivore in-laws want to try it for a guilt free bbq dish!
Linda Meyer says
That's so great to hear, Brittney! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know and for sharing. I truly appreciate it. Let me know what your in-laws think. 🙂
Lover of mySoul says
Even though I thought the carrots and the potatoes my Gran added to her beef stew were the better than the beef, I was skeptical about this recipe. However, it hit me in all the right places:at hand ingredients, few ingredients, easy and tasty. I tried it as a taco filling and loved it. I'm going to try it with eggplant next or a mix of carrots and eggplants. Thinking of trying it with beets too. Thank you bunches.
Linda Meyer says
I love that you tried it even though you weren't sure about it. 🙂 Thank you so much, I'm so happy you enjoyed it. Let me know how the beets turn out.
Chelsea says
Delicous sauce! My boyfriend and I really enjoyed this dish. Thank you 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Chelsea! I'm so happy that you two enjoyed it and took the time to let me know. 🙂
yshe62 says
Had this for dinner tonight - amazing BBQ sauce recipe! I'll definitely make this again. Thank you!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you so much for letting me know! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. 🙂
Victoria says
I tried this recipe and it's so good, thank you so much for sharing your genius recipe 🙂
I tweaked it just a little - didn't use molasses, no white pepper, and used about 5 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (we love spicy).
Turned out great! 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Victoria! I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe. 5 chipotle peppers!!! You are my idol!
catfest says
Someone posted this in our health and fitness group and it sounded good. I made it once already and am making it again tonight; my husband and I both loved it! That sauce is fantastic! We're not sports people, but I will make this again when we have friends over! They will love it, too! (So many exclamation points!!!)
Linda Meyer says
Hi there! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know that you liked the recipe. I really appreciate it. I'm so happy you enjoyed it. If you don't mind my asking, what health and fitness group did you see it in? I love to know where my recipes have been shared. 🙂
catfest says
Someone made a group on social media and she posted this there. I forgot to say that I made it a little differently. I used about half of a red onion, left out the cayenne, white pepper and adobo pepper (we don't do spicy!) and I used less garlic. Oh, I forgot the cabbage! But, it was still really good! I've made it twice now and it was easier and faster the second time.
Linda Meyer says
Hi there! Thanks for letting me know how much you enjoyed the recipe. I love that you changed it up to cater to your tastes. Would you mind sending me an email at alvegans@gmail.com to let me know what group you saw my recipe in? Thanks!
coreen says
LOVED this recipe! I just started my personal blog and shared my adaptation of your recipe here.
Great dish, thanks for sharing!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Coreen. I'm so happy you liked it.
Cari says
The BBQ sauce is amazing, thank you for this post! I didn't have enough carrots (I almost doubled the sauce recipe) so I started adding anything I had at home - sweet potato, black radishes, parsnip, and more onion - and it was terrific. Thanks again!
Linda Meyer says
Love it! That's what I love to see, Cari. Recipes are really only guidelines. It's so much fun to hear about the spin others put on our recipes. I'm going to try adding radish and parsnip next time, sounds great. Thanks so much!
Kariine Lesperance says
this recipe is incredibly amazingly tasty
I'm in love with it
and the sauce <3
just the sauce alone is the best BBQ sauce I've ever had
thanks for posting this recipe
Linda Meyer says
Thank you so much, Kariine! I'm so happy you liked the recipe. It took me several tries to get the sauce just right. You made my day! 🙂
Kirstin says
Looks amazing! Can't wait to try. Is the pepper in adobo sauce optional, or is it the removing of seeds part that is? Thanks so much for this great inspiration!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Kirstin! The pepper is optional. It makes the sauce really spicy. Thanks for your question, I'm going to go back and clarify that in the instructions. Please let me know what you think. 🙂
Kirstin says
Thanks so much. Was REALLY good. I decided to make matchstick carrots. And I'd never made bbq sauce before so now I know how easy and delicious it is. Thank you.
Linda Meyer says
Thank YOU, Kristin! Thanks for taking the time to let me know how much you liked it. I love that you cut the carrots into matchsticks, that's perfect for those who don't have a processor or don't have the time to grate them. I'm going to put that idea in the recipe section of the blog. 🙂
SuzLyfe says
LINDA Amazing. two of my favorite things (bbq and carrots) at once!
Linda Meyer says
Thanks, Suz! I think you'd like this. 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Gwen. The sauce is quite tasty. 🙂
Gin says
OMG Linda, I loved reading your vegan story! You look AMAZING for any age, let alone 52!! And I'm so glad you're putting your vegan experience out there for everyone to consider. The sandwiches are so creative and sound delicious, pinned! Pulled carrots?? Too awesome!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Gin! I'm so happy you enjoyed the post, and that you like the recipe. Yes, who knew that carrots could make such an amazing sandwich? I hope you try it. 🙂
Sina @ Vegan Heaven says
Happy vegan anniversary, Linda! I really enjoyed reading this! You look so pretty and happy in these pictures! For me it's kinda the same; so much changed since I've become vegan! Oh, and this pulled bbq carrots sandwich looks amazing! 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Sina. The beach and dogs always put a smile on my face. It's so nice to hear about how good other vegans feel, it just confirms what we already know. 🙂
Kaylee says
You're 52?! I thought you were in your 20s!! Well anyways, Happy Anniversary! My second vegan anniversary is in February, so we both went veg around the same time 😀 Thanks for the delicious looking recipe, I'm definitely gonna try it soon
Linda Meyer says
Hahaha! You must be talking about Alex, Kaylee. She's in her 20s. 🙂 Thanks so much, and congrats on your vegananniversary. You're so welcome, please let me know what you think of them. Have a great day!
Robin says
Newbie to your blog and like what I see so far!! Going to have to give these a try tomorrow!! Looking forward to reading more of your posts and trying some new recipes!!!
And, absolutely watched BAMA!!! ROLL TIDE!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Robin! I'm so happy you like our blog. Please let me know what you think of the recipe. And, yay, Roll Tide! 🙂
Kathy Hester says
Your bbq sauce sounds divine! I make a more southern version and can't wait to try yours out!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Kathy! Mmmmm, I love Southern BBQ sauce.
Alix says
Linda, I literally cannot wait to make this recipe! I love making pulled barbecue jackfruit, especially on game day, and I'm excited to use fresh carrots instead of canned jackfruit. It's also Casey's and my two year vegan anniversary as well! Thank you for connecting with us and for sharing your creative recipes!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Alix! I love pulled jackfruit too, but this recipe is even better. Congratulations to you and Casey! It's so nice to meet like minded people from one of my favorite states. 🙂
athleticavocado says
This recipe is genius! I am speechless 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! I hope you try it and come back and let me know what you think. 🙂
Laura // Chronicles of Passion says
Such a great idea! These look delicious:)
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Laura!
Christine | Vermilion Roots says
What a great idea! I eat carrots every day, and think I'm turning orange!
Linda Meyer says
Hahaha! It's better and cheaper than a spray tan, Christine. 🙂 Thank you.