5-Ingredient Pastry Carrots

While these 5-Ingredient Pastry Carrots may look fancy and difficult to prepare, but they are actually easy to make with some puff pastry. Once the puff pastry cones are baked, they are filled with a creamy ricotta mixture and garnished with lettuce leaves to mimic the green tops on fresh carrots. These pastry carrots are wonderful and fun for an Easter appetizer preceding your main Easter meal.

To make the pastry carrots, the puff pastry is cut into strips and wrapped around metal cone molds before being baked in the oven. Then, they are filled with a mixture of ricotta, parmesan, walnuts, and salt. Once they are topped with lettuce leaves, they look similar to carrots but have a golden pastry crust and a creamy savoury filling.

What are Pastry Carrots?

These pastry carrots are basically puff pastry cones that are filled with a ricotta cheese mixture. The puff pastry is cut into strips before being wrapped around metal cone molds, which helps form the carrot shape as the pastry is baked. The ricotta filling includes parmesan cheese and salt, which add a savoriness to it, while walnuts give the cheese mixture some crunch.

Pro Tips

• Make sure the puff pastry is nice and cold when you start working with it as this will ensure it is easy to work with. It is also essential for the butter in the pastry to be cold when you bake it as that will ensure it puffs up in the oven.
• You will know the puff pastry is properly cooked when it is puffed up and golden in color.
• If you can’t find ricotta or prefer a higher protein option, you can replace it with cottage cheese.
• For added flavor, you can replace the lettuce with sprigs of basil or parsley instead.
• Nuts other than walnuts will work well in the filling in these pastry carrots. Consider adding pecans, hazelnuts, or almonds into the mixture for some crunch.

What to Serve with Pastry Carrots?

These pastry carrots are great served on their own as an appetizer or with a tossed green salad or steamed asparagus for a full meal.

Where Can I Buy Metal Cone Molds?

While you may not be able to find the molds needed for this recipe in your local kitchen stores, they are relatively easy to find online. These molds are essential for giving the puff pastry their carrot shapes so that you can fill them with the cheese mixture.

Can I Use Other Types of Cheese in Pastry Carrots?

Yes, you can feel free to modify the cheese if you like, however, you should make sure you use either ricotta or cottage cheese as the main cheese so that the filling is creamy. Beyond that, you can replace the parmesan with shredded pecorino romano, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, and more if desired.

Can I Make Pastry Carrots Nut-free?

Absolutely! If you don’t have walnuts on hand or prefer to make the pastry carrots without nuts due to allergies, you can simply omit the walnuts. Alternatively, if you would still like to add some crunch to the filling, you could add some sunflower seeds to the filling.

How to Store Pastry Carrots

It is best to assemble the pastry carrots just before you plan to serve them. Otherwise, the filling may soften the pastry cones and make them easy to break apart. However, you could store the filling and pastry cones separately. Simply store the ricotta mixture in an airtight container so you can store it in the fridge. Meanwhile, the pastries can be stored separately in another container at room temperature.

How to Make Pastry Carrots

Cut the puff pastry into strips.

Wrap the pastry strips around metal cone molds and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Brush them with the beaten egg and bake them in a 374 F (190 C) oven for 15 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the parmesan, walnuts, and salt until combined.

Divide the cheese mixture between the cones.

 Garnish them with the lettuce leaves and serve them immediately.