How to Freeze Carrots
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In this tutorial, we’ll learn how to freeze carrots the correct way. Follow this simple tutorial to ensure that the carrots preserve their color, texture, and taste for months in the freezer.
In my garden, the stuff that we have to dig out of the soil is the stuff we love growing most of all. The potatoes, the sweet potatoes (or the purple sweet potatoes), the carrots. It’s like a game…
You plant the seeds and then you have to gauge how your vegetable is doing without actually being able to see it. You are dying to see it… But you have to find patience and just wait. Then the time comes and you get to dig your hands into the soil and actually pull the hidden gem! It’s so rewarding and so much fun.
How to Freeze Carrots…
Carrots are even more fun than potatoes because you get to eat them right away. There is nothing like a fresh carrot from the garden. They aren’t the easiest to grow, I have to admit, but they are totally worth the effort. Learn how to grow carrots here.
Ways to Preserve Carrots…
- Keep them in the ground – a great benefit of carrots is that they can last in the ground all winter long here in the South (and in many other areas). I plant a ton of carrots in my Autumn garden in time for them to be fully grown and ready for picking in the middle of November. But instead of harvesting them, I leave them in the ground and cover them with a thick layer of mulch. The ground becomes their refrigerator during the winter and they last the whole time.
Every time during the winter, when I want carrots, I go to the garden and pull a few. Not only do I get fresh carrots in the middle of the winter, but it’s also a little bit of garden therapy for the soul. This is a great easy solution for fall carrot storage, however, I can’t do this with my spring-planted carrots. By the time they are ready to harvest, it’s way too hot to leave them in the ground and I have to harvest all of them. - Keep them in cold storage – if you happen to have a root cellar or an extra fridge, carrots can last a few months in cold storage easily.
- Can carrots – keep them at room temperature by canning them. I love canning carrots because this means that they are on the shelf, ready to be added to any recipe.
- Dehydrate carrots – this is another great way to keep carrots at room temperature. They are easy to use and can last for many years.
- Freeze carrots – I’ve shown you before how I freeze my carrots shredded mainly so I can have them ready for a carrot cake any time, in this tutorial, we’ll see how to freeze carrots after cutting them into coins or dicing them.
What Kind of Carrots Are Good For Freezing?
In the grocery store, we usually see the orange carrots. But carrots come in so many other shapes and colors and this is one reason why it’s so much fun to grow your own vegetables. You get to try different varieties that you don’t see in the store.
Some carrots are orange, some are purple, and some are yellow. Some might be round and short, some narrow but short, or narrow and longer. All of them are great for freezing, just make sure that you choose firm and fresh carrots.
Ingredients…
- Carrots – any variety, choose firm and fresh carrots.
Tools We Are Going to Need…
- Peeler
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Pot
- Large bowl
- Skimmer ladle
- Kitchen towel
- Vacuum sealer – packing the carrots in a vacuum sealer will make them last longer in the freezer. You can also use zip lock bags but a vacuum sealer is preferred.
- Vacuum sealer bags – I use the rolls I linked to but you can use whatever bags fit your sealer.
- Paper towels – I’ll show you a nice trick that I do with a paper towel to help the bag seal better.
How to Freeze Carrots Step By Step…
Step one – prepare the carrots. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots. Then slice them into coins that are approximately 1/4 of an inch thick. You can change this around and cut them in a different way if you like, just make sure that the pieces are not too large.
Step two – blanch the carrots. You might wonder what blanching is and why we are doing it before freezing vegetables… Here is a great explanation from The National Center For Home Food Preservation…
“Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture.
Blanching cleanses the surface of dirt and organisms, brightens the color and helps retard loss of vitamins. It also wilts or softens vegetables and makes them easier to pack.”
You can read more here.
So really, the blanching process is done by boiling the vegetables for a short time, then cooling them rapidly in ice water to stop the cooking. Then we pack the food and freeze it. Since we blanched it before freezing it will keep fresh for a longer period of time in the freezer. It might be a little bit of work and an extra step, but I want to encourage you not to skip it…
- Fill a pot with water and set it on the stovetop. Turn the heat to high, cover the pot, and bring the water to a boil.
- When the water in the pot is boiling, just before you add the carrots to the boiling water, make an ice bath in a large bowl and set it on the counter close to the stovetop.
- Scoop some of the carrots and drop them into the pot of boiling water (I sometimes use my skimmer ladle to help me do this). Make sure to work in batches and not crowd the pot too much. Let the carrots cook in the boiling water for two to three minutes. You can go up to five minutes but I usually do only two or three because my goal is for the carrots to stay as fresh as possible. Also, once I add the carrots to the pot, the water stops boiling. I do not wait for the water to start boiling again before I start my timer.
- Once the time is up, Use a skimmer ladle to scoop the carrots from the boiling water right into the bowl of ice-cold water.
- After a few minutes in the ice-cold water, scoop the carrots out onto a kitchen towel and pat them dry. They are now ready for packing.
Step three – pack the carrots. Add your carrots to a vacuum bag. It might be a good idea to measure the carrots before adding them to the bag so you can label the bag “one cup of carrots” or “two cups of carrots”. This will make it easier for you to use the carrots later in recipes.
Now, here is a neat trick… Before you seal the bag, fold a paper towel and stick it above the carrots inside the bag. When you vacuum the bag in the vacuum sealer, it draws out all the moisture that is still left in the vegetables and it makes it hard for the bag to seal properly.
I used to waste so many vacuum bags because they didn’t seal right and they were all wet so I couldn’t reseal them. The trick with the paper towel solves this problem. The little moisture that is left in the carrots, gets trapped and absorbed by the paper towel and allows the sealer to seal the bag properly.
Step four – freeze. Once your bags are sealed properly, all that is left to do is label them and place them in the freezer!
How to Use Frozen Carrots…
- Add them to soups – you don’t have to thaw them first, you can add them frozen. Try this Israeli Pea Soup or this pumpkin soup.
- Add to chili – try adding frozen carrots to this delicious chicken chili or any other chili. You can also add them to bolognese pasta sauce.
- Add to casserole – any casserole would benefit from frozen carrots!
- Add to meatball sauce – I love making these meatballs with peas. It’s a classic Israeli dish. Oftentimes, I add carrots to the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions…
You can, however, they might not keep their texture very well. The best is to cook them for a short time by blanching and then freeze them, however, if you have leftover cooked carrots you can go ahead and freeze them.
Yes, peel the carrots. The skin usually carries bacteria that can interfere with the preservation process. It only takes a minute and it’s worth doing.
I usually try to keep things separate but when it comes to carrots it sometimes works well to freeze them with peas or celery since they are often used together later in recipes.
If you followed this tutorial, carrots should last at least 18 months in the freezer.
I hope that this was helpful! Freezing carrots is a great and simple way to preserve them and they are a great ingredient to have on hand since they are very easy to add to so many recipes.
More Freezing Tutorials…
- Freezing Leeks
- Blanching Potatoes for Freezing (Homemade Frozen French Fries)
- Blanching Green Beans
- How to Freeze Sweet Potatoes
- How to Freeze Figs
- How to Freeze Tomatoes
How to Freeze Carrots
How to freeze carrots the right way so they last longer in the freezer.
Ingredients
- Carrots (any variety)
Instructions
- Wash and peel your carrots. Cut your carrots into discs 1/4 of an inch thick (or any other way but make sure the pieces are not too thick).
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Also, set a large bowl of cold water and ice close by on the counter. Add your carrots to the pot of boiling water and blanch for 2-5 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to scoop the carrots out of the boiling water and into the bowl of ice water. Let them stay in the ice water for a few minutes (this will stop the cooking).
- Scoop the carrots out of the bowl of ice water and onto a kitchen towel. Pat the carrots with the towel and dry them.
- Add the carrots into a vacuum sealer bag. Place a folded paper towel above the carrots inside the bag. Seal the bag. The paper towel will absorb any moisture that comes out of the carrots and will allow the bag to vacuum and seal properly.
- Store in the freezer.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions...
- Can you freeze cooked carrots?
You can, however, they might not keep their texture very well. The best is to cook them for a short time by blanching and then freeze them, however, if you have leftover cooked carrots you can go ahead and freeze them. - Do I have to peel the carrots?
Yes, peel the carrots. The skin usually carries bacteria that can interfere with the preservation process. It only takes a minute and it’s worth doing. - Can I freeze other vegetables with the carrots?
I usually try to keep things separate but when it comes to carrots it sometimes works well to freeze them with peas or celery since they are often used together later in recipes. - How long will carrots last in the freezer?
If you followed this tutorial, carrots should last at least 18 months in the freezer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 97Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 160mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 8gSugar: 10gProtein: 2g
Hi! I’m Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.
I really appreciate for sending valuable information. I enjoy and learn so many things.
Kind regards,
Simin
Great read, am going to try your trick with the paper towel this year. What I do is put your carrots in you bag stand in your deep freeze then after a few hours, take them out and then vacuum seal. No moisture problem.
That’s a good idea too!
Thank you for the information. Turned out great!!
Awesome! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Lady Lee! Thanks for posting this recipe! I just harvested my spring carrots and I saw your post!
Just to make sure I got it right, you freeze the paper towel along with the carrots in the vacuum sealed bag?
Thanks!
Yes! You place it in there, vacuum and freeze. It just stays there.