Lauren Salkeld
Lauren Salkeld
Lauren Salkeld is a New York City-based writer and editor. After studying pastry at the French Culinary Institute, she spent a decade working for food magazines and websites, including Bon Appétit and Epicurious. She now uses her culinary and editorial background to help chefs and food personalities share their recipes and stories, by writing and editing cookbooks. Lauren has worked on numerous high-profile cookbooks, including Maman: The Cookbook, The Cook’s Atelier, Cherry Bombe: The Cookbook, and the James Beard Award–winning Eat in My Kitchen. She’s also the Director of Outreach for The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts and co-producer of the Inside Julia’s Kitchen podcast on Heritage Radio Network.
published Sep 22, 2022
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Follow these steps for freezing carrots and you can whip up soup, stew, or a simple side dish whenever you want!
Serves4 to 6Makesabout 3 1/2 cupsJump to Recipe
Jump to Recipe
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While some markets sell individual carrots, this hearty, healthy root vegetable is more commonly sold in bags or bunches — go for bunches with greens attached, a good sign of freshness and flavor.
Carrots: The Best Ways to Pick Them, Cook Them, and Eat Them
Read More
Buying in bulk can save you money and, if kept in a cool, dark place, carrots will keep for a few weeks. But for longer-term storage — and to maximize flavor, texture, and nutrition — freezing carrots is a far better option. And it’s easy. Read on for everything you need to know about freezing carrots, including how to use your frozen stash in recipes.
How to Freeze Carrots
It’s tempting to simply toss extra carrots in a bag for freezing, but if you want to preserve their taste, texture, and nutrients, it pays to blanch them first. Blanching can even protect carrots’ gorgeous color! Plus, taking a few minutes to prep your carrots now will save time when you’re ready to cook them. Here’s a breakdown of how to prep, blanch, and freeze carrots.
Tip: It’s best to freeze food when it’s still at its peak, so freeze carrots as soon as you know you won’t use them. They should still be firm and plump rather than soft or shriveled.
1. Prep, peel, and slice the carrots.
Cut off the ends of your carrots and any greens. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the outer layer of the carrots, if desired — you can use the peels to make pesto and other scraps to make vegetable stock. Cut each carrot crosswise into rounds. (If your carrots are very large, halve them lengthwise before slicing into rounds.)
2. Blanch the carrots.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Blanch the carrots for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on their size. Plunge the carrots into the ice water to stop the cooking process, then move them to a clean towel and pat dry — you want the carrots as dry as possible before freezing.
3. Freeze on a baking sheet.
Spread the cooled and dried carrots in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for about 5 hours or until frozen solid.
4. Transfer to resealable plastic freezer bags.
Transfer the frozen carrots to one or more resealable plastic freezer bags or freezer-safe reusable bags, label and date the bags, and freeze for up to a year.
Tip: If you can’t fit a baking sheet in your freezer, place the carrots directly in resealable plastic freezer bags and lay the bags flat in the freezer until fully frozen. Avoid overpacking the bags and try to keep the carrots in a single layer.
How to Use Frozen Carrots in Recipes
Having carrots in the freezer means you always have an easy side dish on hand, but that is just the beginning. Frozen carrots can be used straight from the freezer and added to soups, stews, casseroles, and pot pies. You can boil, roast, sauté, or microwave frozen carrots without thawing; because they’ve been blanched, they’ll cook faster than usual.
That precooking does mean your frozen carrots won’t have the crunchy texture of fresh, so it’s best to avoid using them in salads, slaws, or other raw dishes. You can use frozen carrots to make carrot cake, but you need to shred them before freezing — use the same process as above but be sure to peel the carrots before shredding and blanch them for less time.
Here are a few recipes to get you started.
- Slow-Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Brunswick Stew
- Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole
- Turkey Pot Pie
- Roasted Root Vegetables
- Bourbon Glaze Carrots
How to Freeze Carrots
Follow these steps for freezing carrots and you can whip up soup, stew, or a simple side dish whenever you want!
Makes about 3 1/2 cups
Serves 4 to 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 pound
carrots
Equipment
Large pot
Large bowl
Baking sheet
Resealable freezer bags
Marker and freezer tape for labeling
Instructions
Prep and peel: Cut off the ends of the carrots and any greens. If desired, use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots.
Cut: If the carrots are very large, cut them lengthwise in half. Cut the carrots crosswise into rounds.
Blanch: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Blanch the carrots for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on their size. Plunge the carrots into the ice water to stop the cooking process then move them to a clean towel and pat dry.
Freeze on a baking sheet: Spread the cooled and dried carrots on a baking sheet and freeze for about 5 hours or until frozen solid.
Freeze in resealable bags: Transfer the carrots to resealable plastic freezer bags or freezer-safe reusable bags, label and date the bags, and freeze for up to one year.
Recipe Notes
Frozen carrots can be used straight from the freezer in recipes like soup, stews, sautés and more.
Filed in:
How To
Vegetables
Root Vegetables
Meal Plan
dinner
