Ever been to a bulk store like Costco and they had a deal for something you just couldn’t pass up on? For us, that was baby carrots. So… many… baby carrots. But how do we store them in this case? Can you freeze baby carrots?
Yes! you CAN freeze baby carrots! They are just regular carrots… but itty bitty!
These adorable little tasty snacks freeze up just like regular carrots, Since that’s basically what they are. They just have a slightly different procedure to them. They will last up to 12 months.
Freezing baby carrots
First you have to blanch them
Blanching baby carrots is the exact same method as blanching normal sized carrots. The difference is the cooking time and how you slice the carrots.
In the case of baby carrots, you can blanch them whole.
- Boil a large pot of water
- Get your blanching ice water bowl ready with cold water and ice
- You should do baby carrots in 1 pound batches to prevent water from cooling down too much, which would mess up the timing
- The water will stop boiling once you add the carrots, Allow to reboil
- Once it’s back up to boil, leave in for 3-5 minutes
- Remove carrots with a strainer and dump them into the ice water.
- Keep them in ice water for 5 minutes to stop the cooking process
Freeze the baby carrots in bags
There are a couple ways you can go about adding your blanched carrots in the freezer.
You can dump them all into a bag at once if you plant on using them all at a single time, As they will clump together. Suck all the air out of the bag.
The other method is to lay them flat on a bakeing sheet with space between them so they freeze individualy. After an hour in the freezer they can be placed into a large freezer safe airtight bag.
This will prevent them from sticking together in clumps and make them easier to manage in larger batches. It also has the added benefit of easy measurement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are frozen baby carrots used for?
You can use frozen baby carrots in most of the same way’s you would if they were fresh. You can add them to strews, cakes, casseroles, stir fries etc.
If you blanched them beforehand, they should even give a good crunch for dipping if you froze them large enough.
Can you freeze baby carrots without blanching first?
Yes you can, You can slice them up, you can freeze them whole, or you could even grate them first. Just keep in mind what blanching does.
Blanching prevents the carrots from creating certain enzymes that cause it to break down in texture and color and flavor.
So if you decide to freeze carrots with out blanching them first, It’s ideal you use them within the first couple months of being frozen.
And even than, it’s best served in stews and other foods where it’s texture and color isn’t as important of a factor.
How baby carrots are made
When 2 adult carrots love each other very much, They place an order for a baby carrot to be delivered by the flying butternut squash.
I’m of course, kidding!
Great question, Check out this short video made my Insider
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