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 Carrots, Blanching 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.
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.
Notes
1 lb fresh sliced carrots = 3/4 cup dried carrot slices1 cup dried carrots = 2 cups re-hydrated carrotsTo 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.