Carrots are an excellent vegetable for freezing, and frozen carrots can be used later in soups or stews. Learn how to freeze carrots in this helpful step-by-step guide.

frozen carrots on a sheet pan
Contents hide
1 Benefits of Carrots
2 Why You Need This Recipe
3 Key Ingredients
4 How to Freeze Carrots
5 Pro Tips
6 FAQs
7 Other Helpful Guides on How to Freeze Foods
8 How to Freeze Carrots

Benefits of Carrots

Carrots are a root vegetable that are budget-friendly and very versatile. They are high in beta-carotene and have research showing their benefit to cardiovascular health and cancer prevention.

While carrots can generally last in the refrigerator for up to several weeks, they won’t last forever. Instead of getting rid of your excess carrots, consider freezing them instead! Frozen carrots can last up to several months, especially when they are prepared properly.

Let’s go through the best ways to freeze carrots which also helps preserve their nutritional value.

Why You Need This Recipe

  • Avoid waste by freezing excess vegetables before they go bad. If you buy too many and aren’t sure what to make be sure to freeze them for later.
  • Throw a healthy meal together even when the fridge feels empty! Having frozen carrots on hand helps you to put together a well balanced meal even when you’re low on fresh produce.
  • Frozen carrots are a great way to add more nutrients to any meal. See any of my list of the best healthy Instant Pot Soups for recipes where frozen carrots would be a welcome addition.

Key Ingredients

Carrots – Carrots are really affordable and an excellent way to pack in colorful vegetables. Look for carrots that are firm and bright orange with no dark or mushy ends.

Sea salt – You will need salt to season the water for blanching the carrots.

Ingredients for frozen carrots

How to Freeze Carrots

Step One

Place your fresh carrots on a cutting board and cut them into slices about ¼-inch in size. Discard the tops of the carrots.

As always, please do see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.

Step Two

Heat a large pot with water and sea salt until it is simmering. Use a slotted spoon to carefully place the chopped carrots into the hot water.

It’s important to blanch the sliced carrots for at least a few minutes to help kill any bacteria on the surface of the veggies.

how to blanch and freeze carrots

Step Three

Let the carrots cook for 2-3 minutes and then use a slotted spoon or a colander to transfer the blanched carrots into a bowl of ice water.

The cold water ice bath will stop the cooking process and prevent the carrots from getting overcooked or mushy from the blanching process.

Step Four

Place the blanched carrots slices onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours.

Freezing them separately ensures they do will not stick together.

Step Five

Transfer the frozen carrot slices to zip-top bags or your favorite type of freezer bags. Squeeze as much air out of the plastic bag as possible to help prevent freezer burn.

If you have a vacuum sealer, you can also use it at this point to get rid of all the air in the bags.

Place the bags in the freezer for freezing up to 2-4 months.

a bag of frozen carrots

Pro Tips

  1. For most recipes using carrots, you don’t need to defrost them first. Place the frozen carrot slices directly into a hot pot of soup or into whatever recipe you are making.
  2. Add sea salt to your boiling water to help add some flavor to your frozen carrots.
  3. Frozen carrots are best in hot or cooked dishes as they will lose some of their crunchy texture.

FAQs

Can you freeze carrots raw?

Yes, but you should only freeze raw carrots for a short period of time, up to 4-6 weeks. If you don’t blanch the carrots before freezing there is a chance that bacteria will grow, even in the freezer. Blanching also preserves the taste and texture of the carrots much better than freezing them raw.

How do you use frozen carrot slices?

Frozen carrots can be added right into your favorite recipes. They’re perfect for pot pies, soups, stews, mash, or casseroles! They don’t even need to be defrosted first.

Can you freeze carrots without blanching them first?

Technically yes but it’s better to blanch them first. This will ensure any harmful bacteria is killed while preserving the texture of the carrots. If you choose not to blanch the carrots they will come out mushy and less flavorful.

How many carrots are in a bunch?

A bunch of carrots (including the tops) generally weighs about a pound and includes at least 4 medium to large carrots. You can freeze as many carrots at one time as you can fit into your freezer. Just try to use your frozen blanched carrots within 2-4 months.

Can I cut the carrots into lengthwise strips as opposed to rounds?

Yes, just try to ensure that the carrots strips are no thicker than 1/2-inch thick in size.

Can all fresh vegetables be frozen?

Technically, with some caveats. Not all fresh vegetables need to be blanched before frozen (think onions or leeks). For the most part, though, all types of vegetables can be frozen.

frozen carrot slices on baking sheet

Other Helpful Guides on How to Freeze Foods

Or, check out my full index of posts on Food Preservation, including ideas and guides for freezing, dehydrating, and canning.

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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frozen carrots

How to Freeze Carrots

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Description

Carrots are an excellent vegetable for freezing, and frozen carrots can be used later in soups or stews. Learn how to freeze carrots in this helpful step-by-step guide.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 bunch of carrots
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  1. Wash the carrots and cut off the tops. Then, slice the carrots into rounds no thicker than ¼-inch. If your carrots are large in size, you can also cut them lengthwise before slicing.
  2. Fill a large pot with water and add the sea salt.
  3. Place the pot over high heat to heat the water to a gentle boil. Have a large bowl of ice water ready on the side.
  4. Carefully add chopped carrot slices to the pot using a slotted spoon so you don’t splash.
  5. Let the water come back to a simmer and cook the carrots for at least 2 minutes, but no longer than 4 minutes.
  6. Carefully remove the sliced carrots with a slotted spoon or drain in a colander and add to ice water to stop the cooking process.
  7. Drain well and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer.
  8. Once frozen for at least 6 hours, add the sliced carrots to labeled freezer zip-top bags.
  9. Place in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Notes

  1. For most recipes using carrots, you don’t need to defrost them first. Place the frozen carrot slices directly into a hot pot of soup or into whatever recipe you are making.
  2. Add sea salt to your boiling water to help add some flavor to your frozen carrots.
  3. Frozen carrots are best in hot or cooked dishes as they will lose some of their crunchy texture.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Side dish
  • Method: Freezer
  • Cuisine: Healthy

Keywords: freezing carrots, how to blanch carrots, how to prepare carrots for freezing

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