Name: How to Freeze Carrots - With or Without Blanching
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 2 min
Ingredients: fresh carrots

Are you looking for an easy way to preserve fresh carrots from the garden? Let me teach you how to freeze carrots – with or without blanching, in any shape you desire! Then they’re ready and waiting to toss into future soup, stew, stir fry, baked goods, and more. This is one of my favorite quick ways to preserve homegrown carrots.

This post will cover the easy step-by-step process of freezing carrots, address frequently asked questions, along with best practices on how to store, defrost, and cook frozen carrots too.

DeannaCat is holding a bunch of freshly harvested, orange root vegetables by their greens.

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RELATED: Get tips on how to plant and grow carrots here. We also like to make fermented carrot pickles and this delicious creamy roasted carrot and sweet potato soup to freeze and preserve our bounty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to peel carrots before freezing them?

No, it’s not necessary to peel carrots before freezing. If you prefer your carrots peeled, you can of course, but we don’t! Some of the best nutrients and antioxidants found in carrots are most concentrated in the skin, so why get rid of it – and add an extra tedious step? We never peel carrots before eating them in general, especially since they’re homegrown.

Can you freeze carrots without blanching?

Yes, you can absolutely freeze carrots without blanching them first. It’s an extra quick and easy way to preserve them when you’re in a hurry! All you have to do is wash, chop, dry, pack, and freeze them as explained below – simply skip the blanching and ice bath steps. However, keep in mind that raw (not blanched) carrots won’t hold up quite as long in the freezer.

Blanched vs not blanched: what’s the difference?

Blanching carrots in boiling water (or steam) quickly deactivates certain enzymes found in carrots, which in turn helps to slow the natural degradation process. This means blanched carrots retain better color, flavor, texture, and overall quality longer – for up to a year in the freezer.

On the other hand, it’s best to use frozen carrots that were not blanched within a few months. The quality will start to decline thereafter. For instance, we often freeze raw carrots without blanching in the fall to use in soups that winter.

So, if you want your frozen carrots to stay good for as long as possible, it’s best to blanch them first. Particularly if you hope to eat them on their own later, such as a side of sautéed carrots. Yet if they won’t be the star of your future meals (e.g. in something like soup) then freezing carrots raw is a great quick option!

A hand is holding a silicone bag full of prepared carrot rounds. Below is a baking sheet with more rounds and half moons of carrots.

Supplies Needed

Fresh carrots. The fresher, the better! I don’t recommend freezing carrots that are already going limp. Keep raw carrots fresh and crisp by storing them in the refrigerator inside a plastic bag with a tiny splash of water.
For blanching: a large pot or steam blancher (what we prefer to use) along with a large mixing bowl to make an ice bath
A baking sheet and clean lint-free towels for air drying
Air-tight freezer containers of choice. I like to freeze carrots in these reusable silicone food storage bags or these durable BPA-free freezer containers with lids.

Instructions

Step 1: Wash and Cut

Begin by thoroughly washing your carrots. I recommend scrubbing them with a clean brush to remove dirt from any cracks and crevices, especially if you are choosing not to peel them first.
Next, trim off the stem end and cut the carrots into your desired shape or size, such as rounds or sticks. You could even leave small carrots whole. I like to cut ours into bite-size rounds and half-moons, perfect for future soup or stir fry. You can also use a box grater to make and freeze shredded carrots. (See more tips about freezing shredded carrots towards the end of this post.) Also cut out and discard any damaged spots.
To freeze raw carrots without blanching, skip straight to step 4.

A wood cutting board contain many whole carrots that range in color from orange, to yellow, and red. A knife is laying on the board next to many cut rounds of carrots, and a bowl of prepped carrots sits just above the cutting board.

Step 2: Blanch

To blanch carrots before freezing, you can either use the boiling water method or a steam blanch. Have your ice bath ready and waiting too!

Bring a large pot of water with a pinch of salt to a rolling boil, OR use a pot with a steamer basket insert and lid. If using a steamer, add enough water so that it covers the bottom of the pot but not so deep that it touches the steamer insert. Either way, ensure the pot is fully heated and steamy before adding the carrots.
Once the water is boiling (or the pot is filled with steam), add the carrots. Cover the pot with a lid and set a timer right away. Do not overcook them!
Blanch cut carrots for 2 minutes (3 minutes if steam blanching or boiling whole carrots). When boiling, start counting once the water returns to a boil after adding the carrots. When using a steamer, toss the carrots halfway through to promote even blanching.
If blanching several batches, return the pot to a full boil/steam before processing the next batch.

A steam blancher is halfway full of vegetable rounds and half moons.

Step 3: Ice Bath

Quickly transfer blanched carrots to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Set up an ice bath (a large bowl of water and ice) and have it ready before you blanch the carrots.

Immediately after blanching, carefully transfer the carrots into the ice water. Use tongs or a wire skimmer to fish them out of the boiling water, or simply lift and dump out the inner basket if using a steamer.
Allow the carrots to chill in the ice bath for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add more ice between batches as needed to keep the water icy cold.

A small strainer is full of sliced carrots, held above a metal bowl filled with ice water and more prepared carrots.

Step 4: Air Dry

Whether raw or blanched, it’s important that carrots are fairly dry before freezing them. Too much extra moisture can easily lead to freezer burn, causing an unpleasant flavor.

After the ice bath (or if freezing raw, after washing), let the carrots drip-dry in a strainer in the sink. Then lay the carrots out on a clean towel on a baking sheet or on the counter to air dry after their wash or ice bath. Use another clean towel to gently pat them dry or set a fan nearby to help expedite drying if needed.

A variety of yellow, orange, and red root vegetables drying on a sheet lined pan.

Step 5: Flash Freeze (Optional)

Depending on how you plan to use your carrots, you may want to consider flash-freezing them before packing them into freezer containers. Flash freezing is the process of pre-freezing food in a single layer, which helps prevent them from sticking together. This makes it easier to take out just a handful to use in a meal as needed. Or, you can skip this step and simply freeze the carrots in smaller portions that you can use all at once.

Once the carrots are fairly dry, lay them out on a baking sheet or other freezer-safe tray that will fit inside your freezer.
Spread the carrots in a single layer, touching as little as possible.
Put the tray into the freezer for one to two hours, until the carrots are frozen solid.
Once frozen, transfer the carrots into their final freezer storage containers.

A metal baking sheet is lined with cut round and half moons of carrots, ready to be flash frozen in the freezer.

A metal baking sheet is full of frozen carrot rounds and half moon cuts. Plastic containers full of prepared carrots and a silicon bag of ready to freeze carrots are around the baking sheet.

Step 6: Pack and Freeze

Finally, pack up the carrots into freezer-safe containers of choice. I personally love to use these durable BPA-free freezer pint containers – the perfect size to add to a pot of soup. They come in other sizes too! We also like to freeze carrots in these reusable silicone food storage bags.

It’s best to fill your containers nice and full (with as little empty air space as possible) to help reduce the risk of freezer burn. If you use freezer bags, try to press or suck out as much air as possible before sealing the bag.

Be sure to date and label everything! Use blanched carrots within 12 months for the best quality, and unblanched carrots within two to three months.

A hand is holding a pint sized plastic freezer container full of sliced vegetables ready to freeze.

Carrots have been sliced into rounds, half moons, and shredded. Some are in a silicone bag, plastic freezer containers, and some are still on a baking sheet. A couple whole carrots are off to the edge of the prepared vegetables.

Can you freeze shredded carrots?

Absolutely! Freezing shredded carrots is an ideal way to preserve carrots to use in future stir fry, baked goods, or other dishes that call for grated carrots.

Shredded carrots are especially quick and easy to freeze raw. Use a box grater to shred them, pack them into containers, and put them in the freezer. You can also blanch them to increase quality and shelf life. Follow the same process explained above, but blanch for only one minute instead of two to three.

Since they’ll all clump together, it’s best to freeze shredded carrots in small portions that will be easy to use later – such as in pint containers (2 cups) for your favorite carrot bread recipe. These 1-cup silicone molds are also really handy for freezing small portions. Simply pack, freeze, then pop them out of the silicone mold to store the small blocks together in an air-tight freezer bag.

A cutting board has a box cheese grater on top of it along with a small mound of shredded carrots along with a plastic container full of shredded carrots.

Defrosting and Cooking Frozen Carrots

Like any frozen vegetable, you can’t expect frozen carrots to be the same as fresh. Don’t plan on snacking on them like crisp, raw carrot sticks! Yet since they’re so crunchy, carrots are more forgiving and less prone to getting mushy than other veggies. They make a perfect side dish, or addition to any recipe that calls for cooked carrots.

To defrost frozen carrots, you can put the container in the refrigerator to defrost overnight or let it sit out on the counter for just a few hours. The smaller the pieces of carrot, the less time it will take. We often only let ours partially defrost before tossing them into a pot or pan (especially when using them in soup), and then let them finish defrosting as part of the cooking process.

The key to avoiding mushy, soggy frozen carrots is to not overcook them. Cook only until they’re fork-tender, such as a quick saute in a frying pan with olive oil or butter. You can also cook frozen carrots in boiling water, a microwave, air fryer, instant pot, or roast them in the oven. Here is a simple guide on cooking frozen carrots.

A white ceramic bowl with handles full of creamy sweet potato soup. A wood cutting board with a loaf of bread is positioned just above the bowl. Sprigs of thyme are garnishing the surrounding area. — My favorite creamy roasted sweet potato and carrot soup

Well folks, that concludes this lesson. I hope you found this guide to be useful. If so, please leave a review below – and feel free to ask any questions!

Have more veggies to preserve? Get the best tips on how to freeze green beans, freeze basil in ice cube trays, freezing tomatoes whole, or two easy ways to freeze zucchini.