How To Dehydrate Carrots
Learn How to dehydrate carrots so you can have this favorite vegetable on hand for long-term storage. You will always have a ready supply of carrots on hand for all your meals and recipes. Dried carrots can be rehydrated and used in any recipe that uses fresh carrots. Toss them in soups and stews while they cook.
Equipment
- Sink basin to chill down the carrots after blanching
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. fresh carrots
- water
- ice
Instructions
Prepping Carrots Before Drying
- Wash and scrub the carrots clean to remove all dirt.
- Trim the ends off the carrots and peel.
- Slice the carrots into thin round slices about ¼ inch thick.
Pre-Treatment: Blanching
- Bring a large pot of water to boiling. Add the sliced carrots and return to a boil. Blanch sliced carrots for 2 minutes.
- While waiting for the carrots to finish blanching fill a large bowl or plastic tub with ice cubes to create an ice bath.
- Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon. Immediately plunge the blanched carrots into the container of ice cubes to quickly cool them down and to stop them from cooking and getting soft.
- Drain the carrots very well using a large colander to remove as much water as possible before loading them onto the dehydrator trays.
Dehydrating Carrots
- Arrange the sliced carrot pieces in a single layer on the dehydrator trays.
- Set the temperature to 125 F. degrees on your dehydrator. Dry the carrots for 4 to 6 hours or until they are completely dried through the center of each piece. They should feel dry and leathery.
Conditioning Dehydrated Carrots
- Condition the dried carrots by placing them in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Place the jar in a safe place out of direct sunlight and any type of hot or cold air like a heating or cooling vent. For 5 days occasionally shake the jar to shift the pieces around. Each day check the jars for any sign of moisture forming on the inside walls of the jar. If no moisture is present the dried carrots have been dehydrated completely. Re-dehydrate if you see any moisture.
Storing Dehydrated Carrots
- Store the dehydrated carrots in an airtight container out of sunlight. A cool dark pantry cabinet is the best storage option.
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
- Blanching carrots: blanching does make a difference in the finished dried carrots.
- When dehydrating carrots keep in mind that the dried carrots will shrink over 50%. 5 lbs. of dried carrots can be stored in two mason jars.
- If a recipe calls for ½ cup of fresh sliced carrots you will only need to use ¼ cup of the dehydrated carrots for your recipe.
- Store dehydrated vegetables in a cool dark cabinet away from direct sunlight. Sunlight will cause color changes to any dehydrated fruit or vegetable. The heat from the sun can also cause moisture to form on the inside of the jar ruining the dried foods.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ServingCalories: 52kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.04gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 87mgPotassium: 403mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 21049IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 0.4mg
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