
Vichy carrots
- Published: 28 Oct 24
- Updated: 20 Dec 24
Have you ever tried vichy carrots? This classic French technique is our favourite way to cook carrots, whatever the time of year. It’s particularly good at Christmas – especially when you add star anise, thyme and lemon to give the dish a bright sweetness.

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Before you start
Why these are the best carrots
Very vichy: Throwing some butter into the pan while the carrots cook is a wonderful way to add richness to the vegetables. They absorb the butter as they cook, rendering them sweet and soft rather than waterlogged and limp.
Go for the glaze: Simmering the carrots in a wide, open pan rather than a deeper saucepan means the water can evaporate away quickly, leaving the butter behind – which glazes the carrots towards the end of cooking ((it’s a cheffy French technique, hence the term ‘vichy’).
A bright idea: A pinch of sugar amplifies the carrots’ sweetness, lemon zest and juice gives them a bright tang and the star anise lends a subtle aromatic note which really complements the vegetable.
Ingredients
- 2 star anise
- 1kg carrots, scrubbed and cut into 4-5cm batons
- 80g unsalted butter
- Pinch caster sugar
- Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
- Thyme leaves to sprinkle, plus extra to garnish
Method
- Set a large frying pan or sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the star anise and toast for about a minute until fragrant. Add the carrots, butter, sugar and lemon zest, plus a good pinch of salt. Pour in enough water to almost cover the carrots.
- Bring to the boil and simmer briskly, stirring every now and then, for 15-20 minutes until all the water has evaporated, the carrots are just tender and they’re coated in a buttery glaze.
- Squeeze in half the lemon juice and scatter over the thyme leaves. Stir, then transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with more thyme and serve with the remaining lemon half.
- Recipe from November 2024 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 130kcals
- Fat
- 8.7g (5.3g saturated)
- Protein
- 0.7g
- Carbohydrates
- 9.7g (9.2g sugars)
- Fibre
- 4.9g
- Salt
- 0.1g
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