How to Store Carrots in 3 Different Ways

My love for carrots knows no bounds! I, for one, simply can’t resist buying them in batches and enjoy their crispness and slightly sweet flavor. I love to eat them raw, sauteè the carrots with other veggies, or bake them in the oven.

Sometimes, I even cook the carrots in the microwave with a delightful glaze.

After all, there are just so many ways in which you can enjoy this delicious veggie.

Even though carrots taste amazingly crunchy when eaten raw, they tend to wilt and become soggy when not stored properly. This is why you must learn how to store carrots the right way to ensure that they remain fresh and crisp for a long time.

Let’s explore different ways to store carrots to keep them fresh!

Table of Contents

How to Store Carrots

There are three ways in which you can store carrots so that they remain fresh – in the fridge, freezer, and sand. Let’s explore each method in detail:

Storing Carrots in the Refrigerator

Here’s how to store carrots in your fridge:

Remove the leaves and stems of the carrots right upon harvest or as soon as you get them home from the market. This way, the leaves won’t draw moisture into the carrots and your carrots will remain dry.
Make sure that you don’t clean carrots that have been freshly harvested. Instead, let them dry and firm up in a location that’s slightly airy.
Put the carrots in heavy-duty freezer bags, seal the bags, and store them in the crisper drawer of your fridge or somewhere high up, where cold air can circulate freely.
The carrots should stay fresh in your fridge for about 10 days.
When you need to use the carrots, remove them from the fridge and wash them thoroughly.

Alternatively, you can follow this storage method for whole carrots and even packaged baby carrots:

Remove the greens from the carrots and let the roots air dry.
Put the carrots in a container with water and put the container in your fridge. The cold water bath will keep your carrots fresh for weeks on end.
If the water starts to look cloudy, simply replace it with fresh water.

For longer storage and to keep carrots crisp, here’s what you can do:

Chop off the greens and roots of unwashed carrots.
Use several paper towels to line a vegetable crisper and put the carrot roots on top.
Make sure to regularly check the paper to ensure that there’s no unnecessary moisture buildup.
If there’s too much moisture on the towels, then replace them.
When stored this way, carrots should keep in your fridge for three months or longer.
Wash the stored carrots before using them.

Storing Carrots in the Freezer

Freezing carrots allows them to remain fresh for later use and for a long time. You can freeze whole or baby carrots and even larger carrots chopped into smaller chunks. Here’s how to store carrots in the freezer:

If you’re using large carrots, then take a knife to chop them into smaller chunks. As for baby carrots, you can store them as is.
Take about 1 gallon of water per pound of carrots and put it in a large pot. Let the water come to a boil and put your carrots or carrot chunks into the boiling water.
Let the water come to a boil again and allow the carrots to remain submerged in it for about 2 minutes of diced carrots and 5 minutes for larger chunks or baby carrots.
Then, use a strainer to remove the carrots from the water and put them in a large bowl that’s half-filled with ice water. This will prevent the carrots from overcooking by quickly bringing their temperature down.
Make sure to stir the carrots in the ice water and let them cool completely.
Drain the carrots and use clean kitchen towels to dry them.
Place the dried carrots on a clean baking sheet and put them in the freezer to flash freeze for a few hours.
Remove the frozen carrots from the freezer and put them in heavy-duty freezer bags.
Remove as much air from the bags as possible, seal them, label them with the current date, and put them in your freezer.
If you make sure to freeze them properly, frozen carrots will keep fresh for about 8 to 12 months.

Storing Carrots in Sand

If you can maintain the temperature in your garage or other enclosed areas in your house, then it’s completely worth it to store carrots in boxes with sand in them. This way, you can keep carrots fresh and tasty for a long time. Here’s how you can store carrots in the sand:

Take a wooden box or crate and put two inches of sand in it.
Put the carrots in the sand in a single layer and make sure to space them out.
Add a 1-inch layer of sand on top of the carrots and put another layer of carrots.
Repeat this process until your wooden box is full and all the carrots are neatly tucked away. Use more boxes if you have a whole bunch of carrots left.
Don’t forget to add some water on top of the sand so that it adds a little moist, without making the environment too humid.
Carrots stored in the sand will easily remain fresh for six months.

Pro Tip: Don’t wash the carrots before storing them and only trim off their leaves. The soil on the carrots will protect them from various elements during storage.

What Is the Best Way to Store Carrots?

The best way to store carrots depends entirely on your preference and ease. We often store our carrots in our crisper drawer in the fridge. We don’t wash the carrots before we store them but you do want to remove the green tops before putting them in the fridge.

Do Carrots Need to Be Kept in the Fridge?

Yes, you need to store carrots in your fridge so that they remain fresh and don’t become soft and limp. To keep carrots fresh, put them in a crisper drawer. Just make sure to remove the leaves before storage to ensure that the carrots remain crisp in the fridge.

How to Make Carrots Last Longer

To make carrots last longer, you need to store them in the freezer. When blanched, flash-frozen, and then stored in heavy-duty freezer bags, carrots should keep in your freezer for eight to 12 months.

Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks to keep carrots crisp for a long time:

When storing carrots, make sure to remove the leaves and stems so that they remain dry in your fridge.
Don’t wash freshly harvested carrots before storage, as the soil on them will protect them from spoiling and wilting.
When storing carrots in a water pool in your fridge, change the water when it gets too cloudy.
When freezing carrots, make sure to blanch and then flash freeze them. This will ensure that they remain crisp and fresh in the freezer.

The Bottom Line

I hope you enjoyed reading this article on how to store carrots. You can store carrots in the fridge, freezer, and boxes filled with sand. These methods should keep them fresh, with longer storage as long as you protect them from unnecessary moisture.

So, what are you waiting for? Go on and try the storage methods mentioned above to find the one that suits you best!