What is the best way to preserve carrots?

Dehydrating carrots is one of the top ways to preserve them. You could also pickle, can, or freeze carrots, but dehydrating them has tons of benefits! It takes up less storage space, makes it easy to take carrots on an outdoor adventure, and leaves the original flavor without added sugar, salt, or vinegar.

Are dehydrated carrots as healthy as fresh carrots?

Almost! Although some nutrients are lost when you blanch the carrots, dehydration locks in the rest of the nutritional value. Dehydrated carrots are still an excellent source of vitamin A, several B vitamins, vitamin K, antioxidants, potassium, and of course, beta-carotene, which can help lower the risk of cancer .

What can I use dehydrated carrots for?

Almost anything you'd use fresh carrots for! Once you've rehydrated, one cup of dehydrated carrots turns into around two cups of carrots. You can use these sweet and tasty veggies in stews, pasta sauces, soups, casseroles, or baking. Dehydrated carrots also work well in juices and in baked goods like carrot cake and muffins.

Why do you need to blanch carrots before dehydrating them?

Blanching is part of getting your carrots ready to be dehydrated. It protects the carrots from losing color, flavor, and texture. Although it may seem unnecessary because the idea is to get liquid out of the carrots and not add more in, blanching makes dehydration go faster! When you submerse the carrots in boiling water, they release some of their juices which help the dehydration process.

How to Dehydrate Carrots (Homemade Carrot Chips)

Name: How to Dehydrate Carrots (Homemade Carrot Chips)
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 12 min
Cuisine: Healthy
Ingredients: 5 pounds carrots

Ingredients

Units Scale

5 pounds carrots

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Instructions

Wash your carrots well and remove any soil from them.
Peel the carrots and trim the tops. Cut the carrots into small slices around a ¼ inch thick.
Bring a large cooking pot filled with water to a boil.
Fill a large mixing bowl with cold water and some ice while you wait for the water to boil.
Lower your carrots into the boiling water. Leave the carrots in the boiling water for two minutes. They should be bright orange and still crunchy.
Remove the carrots from the boiling water and immerse them in the ice bath until they’re completely cool.
Drain and pat the carrots dry.
Turn your dehydrator on and set it up according to the user manual.
Lay the carrot slices carefully onto the dehydrator sheets, making sure they’re in a single layer.
Place the carrots on the sheets into the dehydrator for 6 to 8 hours.
Turn the dehydrator off and allow the carrots to cool completely. Store your dehydrated carrots in an airtight container.

Notes

Oven method: Blanch the carrots as per the instructions above. Preheat your oven to 125°F. Lay your carrot slices onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Place the sheet into the oven for 8 to 10 hours. Check the carrots after 6 hours and again after 8 hours to see if they’re dry. Rotate the tray if necessary. Once they’re dry, allow the carrots to cool completely. Store your dehydrated carrots in an airtight container.
You can dehydrate any amount of carrots, it doesn’t have to be in 5 pound batches. If you dehydrate a larger amount, just make sure you have enough space in your oven or dehydrator; otherwise you will have to dry them in batches.
Carrots should be hard and crunchy when they’re dehydrated. To test them, squeeze a piece with your fingers. It should be hard and break, not bend. If it’s soft or bendy, or you see any moisture, the carrots need to be dehydrated a little longer.
You can grind the dehydrated carrots into powder to sneak them into sauces, soups, stews, and smoothies.
Rehydrate dried carrots by adding 2 cups of boiling water to each cup of dehydrated carrots and allowing it to stand for 1 to 2 hours.

Author: Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Category: Side Dish
Method: Dehydrator
Cuisine: Healthy
Diet: Vegetarian

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/24 of recipe
Calories: 39
Sugar: 4.5 g
Sodium: 65.2 mg
Fat: 0.2 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 9.1 g
Fiber: 2.6 g
Protein: 0.9 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg