Carrots are a great thing to have on hand for soups, roasts, stews, and even by themselves as a side dish! And since they usually go on sale in the fall, this is a great time to stock up and can enough for the whole year!
Read on to get the full details on how to can carrots for your well-stocked pantry!
As with all vegetables, carrots have to be pressure canned. If you have never done that before, it can be a little overwhelming and even scary to thing about trying!
Rest assured, it is a simple process that you can quickly master. Read my step by step guide on pressure canning if you are new to the process – this post will not be as in depth 🙂
How to Can Carrots
Last November I found an amazing deal on organic carrots and I grabbed up 100lbs. A few days later they were all safely canned into quart mason jars and ready to be consumed.
Flash forward to today and I’m down to my last few jars! We use these carrots all the time.
A jar of carrots, a jar of potatoes, a jar of green beans, and some roast chunks makes a really fast and delicious dinner!
I even toss them over a raw roast with a few uncooked potatoes before cooking for a perfect Sunday lunch.
And if you just want to have them on their own, sauteed in butter then glazed with honey is a wonderful side dish for most any meal!
So when you’re looking for great deals on food and you see those carrots on sale, grab them up and get to canning!
How to Can Carrots
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds carrots per quart
- Salt
- Water
- Pressure Canner
- 5-7 Quart jars
- Canning Tools
Instructions
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Wash carrots really well. Peel if desired, we leave ours if the carrots are organic.
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Slide, dice, or leave whole if no more than 1 1/2 inches thick.
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Pack carrots into hot, clean jars. Leave 1 inch headspace.
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Add 1 tsp salt to each quart jar. This is optional, but I recommend it. The carrots are very bland without and salting them after they have been canned does nothing.
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Ladle boiling water over carrots, leaving 1 inch headspace.
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Remove air bubbles with canning knife. DO NOT use a metal utensil as it can cause the jar to break under pressure.
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Add lids and rings.
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Process pints for 25 minutes, quarts for 30 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a pressure canner.
Recipe Notes
Pressure cookers and pressure canners are not the same thing. Read my full pressure canning guide here.
Amy @ These Wild Acres says
Yes! So easy, and I LOVE adding beef, sweet potatoes and onions for an amazing beef stew! I’ve found that canned carrots make awesome mashed carrots- can be a side or a topping for shepherd’s pie / buffalo chicken casserole. 😀
Victoria says
I would never have even thought to try mashed carrots! Sounds really interested! Do you just add butter and spices? Or what? I’m totally intrigued!
Nathalie says
Is there an alternative way to can vegies without a pressure canner?
Victoria says
Hey Nathalie, there’s really not. Due to the acid level of most veggies, you need to pressure can them to make sure the food is safe when you open it!
Some veggies, like tomatoes, or pickled items, can be canned in a water bath. But things like potatoes, carrots, and so on need the extra heat produced by the pressure canner.
Jeffery Johns says
When canning carrots does it make a difference if you were to add sugar or cinnamon to the process?
Victoria says
Hey Jeffery, great question! I really need to add this to the post. You can add sugar and/or cinnamon to your carrots without needing to change anything about the processing time or weight. I would probably remove the salt from the recipe though. Enjoy!
Clara says
What about pints? How many minutes at 10 lbs presser?
Victoria says
Hi Clara, great question! Pints are 25 minutes at 10lbs. I am adding it to the recipe too.
Thanks for stopping by!