The cook time for steaming carrots depends on the size of the carrots, the quantity, and the method you use for steaming. Steaming carrots in a microwave usually takes a couple of minutes less than on a stove top or in a vegetable steamer. However, microwaves tend to cook unevenly, so there is a risk of overcooking your carrots. For this baby carrots recipe, it will take approximately 8 minutes to steam 2 pounds of baby carrots in a steamer, or 5 minutes in a microwave. This will cook them to al dente.