A wildly popular side dish in France, Vichy Carrots feature perfectly tender carrot coins cooked in butter, sugar, and water until it reduces into a sweet buttery glaze, which is then finished off with fresh parsley. This easy and inexpensive recipe is a perfect weekday side, that feels luxurious enough to brighten any festive meal as well!
What does “Vichy” mean?
“Vichy” is a town in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in central France. It is a popular spa and resort site known for its springs of naturally carbonated water. This so-called “Vichy” water is commercialized and enjoyed all throughout France, as a table water as well as to cook with.
By tradition, this recipe was prepared with sparkling Vichy, supposedly giving the dish health-benefits from the mineral-rich water. Nowadays, the recipe is simply often done with flat water, for convenience. But you can of course use sparkling water if you wish – or even better, Vichy water if you can get your hands on it.
To sum it up, “Vichy-Style” stands for the French technique of cooking vegetables in butter, sugar, and a little water until it reduces to create a light buttery glaze. This cooking method not only creates a most succulent sweet and salty glaze, it also ensures the carrots are perfectly cooked – tender, yet still slightly firm. The dish is often finished off with chopped parsley and simple seasoning.
Vichy Carrots are the most popular and beloved take on this cooking technique in France. This dish was in fact often served to us at the school canteen, as kids usually love this vegetable dish too.
As an adult now, I always like to spot it on a restaurant menu to accompany fish or meat. And for festive occasions, like for Easter when carrots are in season, I almost always make it as well.
Once you master this technique, you can try it with other root vegetables too, such as turnips or beets.
Can I prepare this dish ahead of time?
Yes, absolutely! You can prepare the full recipe up to 2 hours prior and simply let the carrots sit in the pan. 15 to 20 minutes before serving, reheat the pan on medium-low and stir occasionally to reheat through and ensure the glaze is warm and glistening.
How to store Vichy Carrots?
After making and enjoying Vichy Carrots – if you have any leftovers – you can store them in the refrigerator or in the freezer.
- In the refrigerator: let the dish cool completely and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat your portions on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- In the freezer: let the dish cool completely and store it in a (freezer-friendly) airtight container and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, you can let the dish thaw in the fridge before heating it through on the stovetop or in the microwave.
What can I serve Vichy Carrots with?
Vichy Carrots are a simple side dish to enjoy on weekdays. Yet, I think it is fancy enough to be served for bigger occasions too!
It is lovely to accompany most type of meats, such as beef, pork, or chicken. You can enjoy them as a side to Beef Bourguignon, a simple roasted chicken, a Coq Au Vin or Chicken Tarragon. You can also serve these glazed carrots with fish, such as Sole Meunière or a Bordeaux-Style fish Gratin.
My final tips:
- If you get organic carrots, you don’t need to peel them. Simply brush them off and rinse them thoroughly under cold water. If they aren’t organic, I recommend peeling them.
- A key to this recipe is to cut the carrots the same size to ensure even cooking. To do so, use a sharp cooking knife and don’t be afraid to take your time. Slice the carrots in ¼ inch thick diagonal slices.
- Once the dish is cooked, do not let Vichy carrots sit too long as the butter glaze can solidify. Serve hot right from the pan if possible, or reheat before serving.
I hope you’ll love this Vichy Carrots (French Style Glazed Carrots) recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, please leave a comment.
More French sides you may like:
- French Green Beans Almondine
- Classic stove top Ratatouille
- Classic Vegetable Tian from Provence
- Cauliflower Gratin
- Classic Potato Gratin Dauphinois
- Brussels Sprouts Gratin
- Cucumber Salad with Crème Fraiche
- French-Style Potato Salad
17 comments
Lovely and simple. Often I add a couple of slices of fresh ginger to the pan.
Thank you, Amen! Ginger and carrot is a delicious combination, I absolutely agree!
Audrey I’m just dying to try your carrots, what a delicious way to cook them. I often cook them with honey and butter, but don’t add the water. These look amazing.
Thanks, Pauline! I hope you get a chance to try them soon and I’d love to hear back about what you thought.
Sorry but I can’t find how much water to add?
Hello Heather! There is no set amount of water for this recipe – you want to add just enough to cover the carrots. No more and no less. As simple as that! Hope you enjoy!
I made these for Le Réveillon at triple the quantity. They were amazing. Everyone loved them.
Amazing, Anne! This recipe definitely scales well, as you found out. So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
My daughter’s birthday is next week and she loves cassoulet, so I’m having her and her family here for dinner. I’m making cassoulet and Vichy carrots for it. I have some frozen French bread rolls that I will brown just before dinner and for dessert there will be creme caramel. My cassoulet is not “authentic”, as there is never duck or lamb in the stores where I shop, so I improvise with stewing beef tenderized in the pressure cooker, turkey drumsticks simmered a long time and the meat all removed from the bone and skin, Polish sausage and some bacon–all cooked with Great Northern beans, tomato paste and beef broth and heavily seasoned with large amounts of chopped onion and pressed garlic plus thyme and rosemary. The end result compares favorably with good cassoulet served in France. The sweet Vichy carrots will be a nice taste alongside the heavily seasoned cassoulet. And everybody loves creme caramel. My daughter and I have both studied in France and are fond of all French cuisine.
That sounds fantastic, James! I know the feeling of having to sometimes improvise with dishes, such as a cassoulet, when I was living in Canada. While duck and lamb are available, they’re often expensive cuts, or just a very limited amount available, especially for the duck. That being said, your substitutions sound perfect, and there is little doubt the dish comes out ansolutely delicious.
I’m sure your daughter will absolutely love the feast you’re preparing, especially that beautiful creme caramel finish 🙂 Happy birthday to her, and bon courage to the chef!
I’ve been making this dtish for years, though I use soft brown sugar – i like the colour contrast – and I cut the carrots in ‘chunks’ using the chinese method of cutting at 45 degrees, turning the carrot a quater turn and cutting again.
The dish is widely acclaimed in the family, though I didn’t know ’til now that it was Vichy style!
Alan, soft brown sugar would be absolutely perfect for this recipe! Perhaps not entirely traditional, but the taste would definitely be exquisite. As for the method of cutting you use, how thick would you say you make them, approximately?
Thank you Audrey. My carrots end up as roughly tetrahedral shapes which stand approx 20cm high. I find the shape moreinteresting than slices and well suited both for this dish and adding into stews, etc,
Oh, wow, those are large pieces! Very interesting information, thank you.
You have some factual errors in the beginning of this text, related to the town of Vichy and specifically Vichy water. As background, I’ve lived in France for over a decade and used to live in a small town a short drive north of Vichy. I’m quite familiar with the town — we would go there for shopping and dining on occasion.
Vichy water is rarely encountered in France. Honestly, the last time I saw it was while watching (once again) the film Casablanca. It is not widely enjoyed and I’ve literally never heard of anyone cooking with it. French people typically use tap water for cooking. Bottled water (commonly brands like Perrier, Badoit, Volvic, Vittel, and San Pellegrino) are used for drinking, if one prefers paying for bottled water, compared to free tap water (eau de robinet dans une carafe d’eau).
I made these carrots for Christmas dinner at my son’s house. They were fabulous!! And they went perfectly with a standing rib roast. Since my liquids weren’t boiled down enough after 20 minutes of the simmering, I took out the carrots and continued to boil down the liquids. The carrots were cooked perfectly. Not soggy and the hint of sweetness was amazing.
An absolute perfect side to rib roast, Judy! I could serve a mountain of these at any time and they’d be gone, but with beef they just go so, so well. Great thinking on your toes with the liquid, as well. Sounds like everything went wonderfully. All the best to you, Judy!