Can You Freeze Carrots? An Easy Way to Freeze Carrots

If you have this burning question “Can you freeze carrots so that you can enjoy them all year long?”, then you have come to the right place!

I love to munch on carrots, add them to a large variety of dishes, such as delicious veggie pies and stews, and prepare glazed carrots.

What’s truly amazing about carrots is that they are one of those veggies that don’t go bad too easily and you can keep them for quite a few days.

However, they are a seasonal vegetable, which means that without finding a way to store them for a long time, you can’t enjoy them all year long.

Click here to find out how to sauté carrots so that they taste delicious!

This is where freezing carrots comes into the picture. Freezing a large batch of carrots allows me to cook with them whenever I want. All I have to do is take them out of the freeze, let them thaw a little, and then use them in my favorite recipes.

Freezing is an incredibly convenient way to prolong the life of my most favorite veggie!

So, if you want to learn how to freeze carrots, then read on to find out!

Can You Freeze Carrots?

Yes, you can absolutely freeze carrots! Frozen carrots will taste just as good as fresh carrots in any cooked dish. Just make sure that you freeze fresh carrots right away if you don’t plan on using them or keep them in the fridge until you freeze them. This way, the carrots will remain fresh until frozen.

How to Freeze Carrots

It’s pretty easy and super convenient to freeze a large batch of carrots to use over the year. Just make sure to freeze it in small meal-size batches so that you can simply take one bag of frozen carrots out and use it in your recipe. Here’s how you can freeze carrots:

Things You Will Need

• • A large batch of carrots
  • A large pot
  • A sharp knife
  • Some heavy-duty freeze bags
  • A straw
  • A peeler
  • A cutting board
  • A large colander

Instructions

1. 1. The first step is to carefully select the carrots that you’ll freeze. Make sure to choose carrots that are fresh and young and stay away from dry or limp carrots. Also, try not to use baby carrots since they don’t retain their flavor well after being frozen.
   2. Wash the carrots as thoroughly as possible to remove all the dirt from them.
   3. Use a peeler to peel the carrots and then use a sharp knife to chop off both the ends of all the carrots and discard them.
   4. Place the carrots on a cutting board and cut them into your desired shape – coins or thin strips.
   5. Fill two-thirds of a large pot with water, bring it to a boil, and then dump the carrot strips or coins into the boiling water.
   6. Let the carrots blanch in the water for about 2 to 3 minutes.
   7. While the carrots blanch, prepare a large bowl of ice water and fill it with about one tray of ice cubes.
   8. Quickly transfer the blanched carrot slices or strips into the ice water bowl and let the carrots cool for about 2 to 3 minutes. Putting them in ice water will ensure that they don’t cook further in their own heat and become too rubbery.
   9. Use a large colander to drain all the water from the carrots and dry them thoroughly.
   10. Put the carrot coins or strips on a baking tray in a single layer, making sure that they aren’t touching each other or overlapping.
   11. Put the tray in your freezer for about an hour or two or until the carrots are frozen solid. Flash freezing them like this will prevent them from sticking together when frozen.
   12. Divide the carrot slices or strips into small portions and put them in heavy-duty freezer bags and try to remove as much air from the bags as possible. A neat trick is to tuck a straw in the corner of the bag to suck out the air. This acts just like vacuum sealing the bags!
   13. Don’t forget to label the bags with the date and the portion size before you chuck them in your freezer.

Can You Freeze Raw Carrots?

Yes, you can surely freezer raw carrots. With that said, when you thaw frozen raw carrots won’t have the same flavor and texture as boiled carrots.

Consequently, they won’t work as well in your cooked dishes as blanched carrots. However, if you’re in a time crunch, then you can freeze raw carrots.

Can I Freeze Carrots Without Blanching Them?

While blanching before freezing carrots is the best way to go, you can freeze the carrots without blanching them as well. Again, they won’t taste or feel as good as blanched carrots in your recipes.

However, not blanching the carrots does save you some time.

Simply wash and dry the carrots and then slice them up any way you want. Store the sliced carrots in heavy-duty freezer bags, remove the air from the bags, and then put them in your freezer.

They probably won’t last as long as blanched carrots in your freezer, but if you keep the temperature constant, then they will easily last for a few months.

Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks that you can use when you are freezing carrots and using frozen carrots:

• Don’t let the carrots boil for more than 3 minutes. The longer they stay in the boiling water, the more rubbery they will be when thawed.
• Make sure to dump them in ice-cold water to prevent them from cooking further.
• Don’t forget to flash freeze the carrots before putting them in freezer bags so that they don’t clump together when frozen.
• Make sure to freeze the carrots in small batches so that you can use them at your convenience.
• Since thawed carrots won’t have the same crunchy texture as fresh carrots, it’s best if you don’t eat them as is. Instead, you can add frozen and thawed carrots to various cooked dishes such as stews, soups, and even stir-fries. You can also try roasting frozen carrots.
• Make sure to devour the carrots within nine months if you want to enjoy their fresh flavor.

Check out this delectable recipe of thyme roasted carrots!

The Bottom Line

I hope this guide has helped answer your question, “Can you freeze carrots?”. The best way to freeze carrots is to blanch them before freezing since blanching allows the carrots to retain their flavor and texture.

It also makes them last longer in the freezer. You can add frozen carrots to a large variety of cooked dishes such as veggie soups, stir-fries, stocks, and stews, and enjoy them all year long.

So, what are you waiting for?

Go ahead and freeze a large and beautiful batch of young carrot to enjoy till the next season!