If you’re a vegetable juice fan, chances are you’re always on the lookout for new flavors. Knowing which carrots are best for juicing won’t just help you create spectacular carrot juice. It’ll also allow you to make all kinds of delicious veggie juice cocktails.
So, Which Carrots are Best for Juicing?
Why, the juiciest ones, of course!
Okay, that’s probably not helpful and might have made you cringe a little bit. Let’s take a better look at what makes some carrots juicy-licious while others are just “meh”.
One of the best ways to tell if a carrot is going to make amazing juice or not is by holding it. Fruits and vegetables with more liquid content are heavier than the ones that have dried out a bit. So, take two carrots of equal length and girth and hold one in each hand. If one feels heavier than the other, that’s the one you want to juice.
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Are Any Varieties Better for Juicing than Others?
That really depends on your palate, as well as the benefits that you’re hoping to get from this juice.
Deep red carrots like Atomic Red and Red Samurai are incredibly sweet. If you can get your hands on these at a local farmer’s market, do so! You won’t be disappointed. Alternatively, you can try growing your own.
Orange carrots can be counted on to create a dependable, moderately sweet juice. As mentioned, the thicker, heavier ones will create more liquid. Those traits also indicate freshness, compared to drier, woodier ones.
As mentioned, purple and black carrots contain the most antioxidants. They can be quite sweet too, but have a richer, earthier flavor. These varieties are often quite spicy as well, making them ideal for mixed vegetable juices.
Related Article: Why Are Some Carrots Purple?
White carrots have the least amount of nutrients, but tend to have the most water. Choose these if you want to make a veg juice that isn’t too sweet, but is still nutrient dense.
Do you want to try making a carrot juice that’ll have all the best qualities? Hydrating, sweet, spicy, and full of nutrients? Then try making a carrot-only juice cocktail, using as many different colored carrots as you can find. Seriously, taste the rainbow, here.
Top Tips for Juicing Carrots
The tips below have been shared by nutritionists, naturopaths, and MDs, who recommend carrot juice as part of a healthy diet.
Don’t peel them: Carrot’s highest concentrations of vitamin C, vitamin B3, and various antioxidant and anti-tumor phytonutrients are all concentrated in their skins. Just give them a good scrub to remove any dirt or bacteria before juicing them, and leave those peels on.
If you juice baby carrots, wash them first. Baby carrots are generally regular-sized carrots that have been peeled and cut to size. They’re usually washed in a chlorine bleach solution to keep them from going bad too quickly. You see, carrot peels protect the flesh inside from rotting. When peels are removed, the inner core has a tendency to start decomposing. As a result, it’s best to wash these babies thoroughly before juicing so you don’t ingest chemicals.
Add water: The best way to make carrot juice is with a juicer. Cut your carrots into 1/2-inch pieces, and run about 1/2 a cup of water through your juicer a bit at a time, as you process the carrots. This will help to draw all the goodness out so it doesn’t get wasted in the pulp.
Now that you know which carrots are best for juicing, it’s time to get creative. Experiment with different herbs and spices to see which combinations you like best. Same goes for various fruits and vegetables. If you like sweet juices, consider adding mango, orange, or peach to your carrot juice to compliment its flavors. Alternatively, if you like spicy juices, add red peppers, parsnips, and a dash of hot sauce to your juice.
Enjoy!
The Thrive Cuisine Team is dedicated to bringing you the best information on kitchen gadgets, food, garden veganism and much more. We’re a group of passionate food lovers that are dedicated to providing actionable guides and resources for our readers.
