How to Dehydrate Carrots and How to Use Them

dried carrots

It’s time to dehydrate carrots. We just harvested buckets of carrots and I can only store so many of them in the fridge or freezer. My detached garage is unheated and my basement is too warm so neither of those are options for long term dry storage (read more about harvesting and storing carrots).  That leaves dehydrating, a process that will allow me to keep carrots without worry for at least a year.

I use dried carrots by tossing them directly into soups, stews or casseroles. Others I use when making homemade soup mix in a jar.  I’m also thinking of making some carrot powder (simply grinding the dried carrots in a coffee grinder or food processor) to use in cakes, smoothies, soup, breads, pancakes, etc.  Sort of like what I did with my beet root powder.

dehydrating carrots

Blanch Before You Dehydrate Carrots

Some websites say you do not have to blanch carrots before drying. As much as I love a good short-cut, I respectfully disagree. I highly recommend that you DO blanch carrots before dehydrating.  WHY? Because blanching protects against loss of color, texture and flavor. Unblanched dehydrated carrots will last about 3 months before their quality noticeably deteriorates – have a look.

dehydrated carrots
Unblanched dehydrated carrots on left, blanched dehydrated carrots on the right. Same batch of carrots dehydrated at the same time. Unblanched carrots lose color, texture and flavor within 3 months, blanched carrots will last at least one year.

I dried the same variety of carrots at exactly the same time for the same length of time and stored them in the same way for 3 months.  The white carrots are those that weren’t blanched, the orange carrots are those that were blanched.  Which would you rather have?! Blanching stops enzyme action that causes loss of color, texture and flavor.  In dehydrating it also shortens the drying and re-hydration time, keeps dried veggies fresh for longer, and kills microorganisms that could induce spoilage.  

Blanch your carrots!

rehydrated carrots raw vs rehydrated

The Colorado State University Extension Office says this about blanching:

Pretreating vegetables by blanching in boiling water or citric acid solution is recommended to enhance the quality and safety of the dried vegetables (see Table 2). Blanching helps slow or stop the enzyme activity that can cause undesirable changes in flavor and texture during storage. Blanching also relaxes tissues so pieces dry faster, helps protect the vitamins and color and reduces the time needed to refresh vegetables before cooking. In addition, research studies have shown that pretreating vegetables by blanching in water or citric acid solution enhances the destruction of potentially harmful bacteria during drying, including Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella species and Listeria monocytogenes.

With that said, here are the steps to dehydrating carrots – including blanching!

How to Dehydrate Carrots

dry and rehydrated carrots
Print Recipe
4.50 from 4 votes

How to Dehydrate Carrots

Step by step instructions for blanching and dehydrating shredded or sliced carrots.
Prep : 20 minutes
Cook : 7 hours
Total Time: 7 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 1 pound
Author: Getty Stewart

Ingredients

  • 1-5 lbs carrots

Instructions

  • Wash and trim ends of carrots. Cut out any blemishes. Peeling is optional.
  • Use a mandolin or food processor to cut carrots into coins about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Or use the shredding tool to shred carrots.
  • Blanch sliced carrots or shredded carrots. To do so bring large pot of water to boil. Add carrots, wait for water to come back to a full boil, then boil sliced carrots for 4 minutes and shredded carrots for 3 minutes. Remove carrots from hot water and immediately put into ice water. Once cooled, drain well. For more details on blanching read Blanching and Freezing CarrotsBlanching and Freezing Shredded Carrots.
  • Spread carrots out on dehydrator trays. Coins should be spaced apart, shreds can overlap a little.
  • Dehydrate carrots at 125°F or 52°C until they are brittle or very tough and leathery. When cut in half, there should be no soft spots in the middle. Drying time for slices will vary from 8-12 hours and for shredded carrots from 6-10 hours.
  • Allow carrots to cool thoroughly before storing in airtight jars. Turn dehydrator
    off and let them rest for another 1-2 hours. This ensures that there won’t
    be any condensation build up on the inside of the jars.
    dehydrated carrots on screen
  • Store in airtight containers in a cool, dry, dark place. Use within one year for best quality, but will be safe for longer. Vacuum seal for even longer storage.
    dried carrots

Notes

1 lb fresh sliced carrots = 3/4 cup dried carrot slices
1 cup dried carrots = 2 cups re-hydrated carrots
To re-hydrate, cover carrots with boiling water and soak for 30-40 minutes. Best used in recipes like soups, casseroles, sauces, stuffing, baked goods, stews, etc.
Nutrition calculation for 1lb of carrots.
Tried this recipe?Mention @GetGettyS or tag #GetGettyS

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 313mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 22g | Iron: 1mg
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrots, dehydrated carrots, dehydrating, dehydrating carrots, preserving carrots

I use the 9 tray Excalibur Dehydrator so I can dehydrate a lot of carrots at once! You see below that in one batch, I did sliced and shredded carrots as well as a batch of sliced purple carrots. I used my food processor to slice the carrots. They don’t come out in perfect coins, but because I use these carrots for soups, casseroles and other mixed dishes it doesn’t really matter. I have not tried using my oven to dry carrots. If you try this, remember the ideal temp is about 125°F – so set your oven to the lowest possible temp, maybe prop the door open and rotate trays. You’ll need a good 8-10 hours.

dried-carrots-three-ways

How to Re-hydrate Carrots

It is best to soak dried carrots before using in a recipe. 

  • Cover carrots with boiling water and let soak for 20-40 minutes until tender. Use 2 cups water for every 1 cup dried carrots.
  • Typically 1 cup dried carrots reconstitute to 2 cups carrots.
  • If using in soups or stews, soak for 20-30 minutes and add liquid and carrots to recipe.
  • If using in fried rice, stir-fries, casseroles, etc. soak for 30-45 minutes then drain any remaining liquid before adding to recipe.  
rehydrated carrots in mac and cheese
I added re-hydrated shredded carrots to this ham and peas mac and cheese.

The longer you let them soak, the more they plump up and look just like regular cooked carrots. 

dry and rehydrated carrots
The carrots on the right started like the carrots on the left. They were soaked in hot water for 30 minutes.

How to Use Dehydrated Carrots for Trail Food

Add sliced or shredded carrots when assembling meals for your backcountry trips. 

I usually add a total of 1/4 cup of dried veggies per meal per person. Typically that includes a mix of veggies. For example if I were making a mac and cheese meal, I’d add 2 Tbsp dried green peas and 2 Tbsp dried carrots. If I were making that meal for two people, I’d double it. 

couscous salad with dehydrate carrots
Mix of veggies in lentil couscous salad

Let me know if you dehydrate carrots and how you use them. I’d love to hear about your experiences. And, if you’re on social media, take a photo and tag #getgettys so I can see it and like it!

Getty Stewart is a Professional Home Economist,  speaker, frequent media guest and writer dedicated to putting good food on tables and agendas.  She is the author of several recipe books on enjoying and preserving fruit, Founder of Fruit Share, a mom and veggie gardener. Sign up to get articles by Getty delivered to your inbox. You’ll get recipes, practical tips and great food information like this.

Getty Stewart is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

26 Comments

    1. Will do Irene, I’m still catching up on preserving this year’s carrots, but when it’s their turn, I’ll post a pic.

      1. Hi Irene,
        I’ve dehydrated another batch and took a photo of some rehydrated carrots for you. Check out the bottom of the post. The longer you soak them, the more likely they’ll return to their original shape.

        Good luck,
        Getty

    1. Hi Catherine,
      I have not tried using dried carrots in carrot cake, but here’s how I would do it. Re-hydrate your carrots first and measure the carrots once they have been re-hydrated according to what your recipe calls for. As a rule of thumb: 1 cup of dried shredded carrots will turn into ~2 cups of re-hydrated carrots. This will vary depending on how dry your carrots are and how long you soak them, but should give you someplace to start. Good luck, let us know how it works.
      Getty

  1. Hello,
    Im planning of drying carrots in a industrial dryer, so i have some questions:

    – How long can the blanched carrot be stored before the drying process?

    – Is it better if i combine the blanching process of the diced carrot cubes with an osmotic dehydration process before drying them in the dehydrator machine?

    – Any advice for a moisture meter that i can buy to measure the final moisture % of the product.

    Thank You

    1. Hi Bojan,
      Not sure if I can be of help to you. I don’t have any experience with industrial dryers, moisture meters or osmotic dehydration. I dry small batches in a home dehydrator.

      I would say you can store your blanched carrots in the fridge for about 3 days before moving to the drying stage.

      Good luck,
      Getty

  2. Pingback: To blanch, or not to blanch: that is the question – Sage Says
    1. Yes of course, the sun and its heat were the first dehydrator ever used! It does, however require more care and consideration. I don’t have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide any advice on sun drying safely and effectively. Good luck!

  3. I dehydrate leftover juice pulp from carrots and various other vegetables and then run it through the, ‘fine,’ setting on a coffee grinder. I keep it in an airtight container and substitute the powder for flour in recipes, especially breakfast recipes for my kids. They never tasted the difference in their pancakes that were made with no grains.

  4. i am interested in drying Dairy milk locally. I live around the northern region of Nigeria where they milk cows locally. The locals here, collect the milk, prepare it fresh for consumption, and make yogurt from it. i really wish i can learn how to locally dry this milk. Do you have an idea of a simple method of drying fresh milk? please reach me on my email; [email protected]

    1. Hello Kojo,
      Drying milk is far beyond my dehydrating skills. If I come across any information, I will email you.

      All the best,

      Getty

  5. hello

    am so glad to see people like you interested in drying vegetables. I have been drying carrots and really love the way it comes out. Am also drying Tomatoes, Pumpkins and vegetable leafs that grow here in Nigeria.

    1. Thanks Kojo! Glad you found the site useful.

      Wishing you continued good fortune with drying your vegetables.

      Getty

  6. Hi Getty,
    I just got a dehydrator, and was planning on trying carrots. Happy to see it on your site. What other vegetables would you suggest I use the dehydrator for? Will let you know how the carrots come out.

    1. Ooh, how exciting Rita!
      You can see all the dehydrating posts on my site under the Tab Preserving then Drying/Dehydrating. That will give you a good overview.
      Can’t wait to hear how it goes for you.

      Getty

  7. Thank you so much for this! I inherited a dehydrator from my mother and every day it feels like I’m learning to do something new with it. (My mom mainly used hers for jerky and banana chips.) My dehydrator currently has a permanent spot on my counter because I keep getting heaps of produce thrust upon me that I don’t have the equipment to can or the freezer space to freeze. Today was carrots and it’s excellent to know I can dehydrate them all! Thank you so so very much for this nice tutorial!

    1. Hi Zoe,
      Thanks for sharing your story! I’m glad you found the site and are loving your new-to-you dehydrator. If you’re looking for a great snack to make with it, try the raw apple almond bars I think you’ll love ’em.

      All the best,
      Getty

  8. Thank you for the great info. My mom cannned and dried fruits and vegetables. She blanched everything. The pictures you posted of blanching vs not blanching was an excellent reference. Thanks again.

    1. So glad you found the info helpful, Tammy. Yes, seeing the difference between blanching and not blanching was a surprise to me too. It’s pretty fascinating. Good luck with your own preserving as you follow in your mom’s footsteps.
      Getty

  9. Thank you for posting this information. I especially appreciate the added information about WHY I should blanch the carrots.

    I am new to dehydrating and to my vacuum sealer as well…………..but with about 50 lbs of carrots, this information will get me going!

    Thank you for a well thought out information page. 🙂
    Cindy

    1. Aw, thanks Cindy! Glad you found the information useful. I like knowing the Why too, so when I research the info I’m glad to share what I learn. 50lbs of carrots!! You go girl, good luck.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.