How to Freeze Carrots (6 Quick Steps)

In this guide, we're explaining how to freeze carrots beautifully. You'll learn all the steps to freezing carrots as well as tips for navigating common issues.

Let's start with the steps...

Can You Freeze Carrots?

Quick Answer: Yes, you can freeze carrots. But there's a certain way to do it that will preserve the texture, flavor and overall quality, as you're about to discover.

Looking for recipe tips? Our Vegan Grocery List for Beginners is a comprehensive guide with advice for easy grocery shopping, cooking hacks and more.

Directions for Freezing Carrots

Step 1 - Wash and Dice the Carrots

The first thing to do is wash the carrots as you normally would if you were about to cook them or eat them for a snack. Peeling them is optional.

Then cut the carrots up. You can slice them or dice them, whichever you prefer. You just want them to be the appropriate size for immediate use down the road.

Step 2 - Get Ready to Blanch the Carrots

If you're unfamiliar with blanching, it's a method of cooking vegetables for a brief period of time to stop enzyme activity that would cause the vegetables to deteriorate in the freezer. 

Here's what you'll need to set up: a pot of water to boil on the stove and a large bowl filled with ice and cold water.

You can safely skip blanching entirely if you think you'll use the carrots pretty soon, like within the coming weeks or the next couple of months.

Step 3 - Blanch the Carrots

Move the chopped carrots to the pot of water once the water has reached a full boil. You only need to leave them in the water to blanch for a few minutes.

The smaller the carrots pieces, the less time they'll need to cook. If they're just tender (not too soft) all the way through, you know they're done blanching.

Step 4 - Transfer the Carrots to an Ice Bath

After blanching, scoop the carrots out of the boiling water and move them to the bowl of ice water.

This will halt the cooking process and cool them down quickly. It should only take a few minutes.

Step 5 - Drain the Carrots

When they're nice and cool, drain the carrots with a colander in the sink and let them air dry for a few minutes.

You don't need to worry about them being super dry, but the less moisture there is, the smaller the risk that they'll get freezer burned.

Step 6 - Pack the Carrots in Freezer Safe Containers or Bags

Now you can put the carrots in plastic freezer bags or any freezer-safe container and put them in the freezer until you're ready to use them. Be sure to get as much air out of the bag as possible, or fill a container all the way to the top.

Quick tip: Pack the carrots in smaller portions so that they're easy to manage when you take them out of the freezer later. 

Bonus Tips

Carrots are the kinds of vegetables that can be tricky to dice. How do you get evenly cut carrots with minimal effort? Check out this video for the answer.