Canning carrots is a great way to preserve carrots, take advantage of store sales, or just can the carrots from your own garden!
Learn how to can carrots with a pressure canner for easy sides, soups, and more!
Last November I found an amazing deal on organic carrots and I grabbed up 100 lbs. 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 easy soup for a fast dinner on busy nights!
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!
RELATED: Pressure Canning Supply Recommendations from a Veteran Canner
Canning Carrots in a Pressure Canner
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!
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 :-)
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds carrots per quart
- Salt
- Water
- Pressure Canner
- 5-7 Quart jars
- Canning Tools
Instructions
- Wash carrots really well. Peel if desired, we leave ours if the carrots are organic.
- Slide, dice, or leave whole if no more than 1 1/2 inches thick.
- Pack carrots into hot, clean jars. Leave 1 inch headspace.
- 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.
- Ladle boiling water over carrots, leaving 1 inch headspace.
- Remove air bubbles with canning knife. DO NOT use a metal utensil as it can cause the jar to break under pressure.
- Add lids and rings.
- Process pints for 25 minutes, quarts for 30 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a pressure canner.
Notes
Canning Carrots FAQ
We've had a few questions about our home canned carrots and I wanted to add them to the post!
Are Canned Carrot Mushy?
Not any more mushy than boiled carrots are! So, if you've ever had carrots in soup or as anything where they are cooked in water or broth, then you will know what to expect.
I've actually found that home canned carrots are fall less mushy than the carrots end up being in soup... so, there you go.
Do You Have to Peel Carrots Before Canning?
Generally, I like to peel them because I don't like the texture of canned carrots with the peels still on.
However, it's up to you.
I had one reader who was very concerned that I didn't insist on peeling before canning. Something about botulism. The only problem with that is that the entire point of pressure canning is to kill botulism and other bacteria.
If we don't believe it kills those things, then why even do it? But we do, so the peels are fine if you want to leave them! :-)
How Long Will Canned Carrots Last?
We don't usually have them on the shelf for more than a year, because we eat them all... However, home canned carrots, when properly canned in sterile jars in a pressure canner, should last at least 5 years.
If you store them in direct sunlight that time will be reduced. But if you store them in the pantry, you should be fine.
PIN THIS FOR LATER
Rick says
Love this simple recipe .The 5 of us started with 50 pounds of giant carrots. After the dicing was finished we had 43 packed guests of beautiful canned carrots. 50 lbs carrots at Food City 10 dollars.
Victoria says
Awesome! Love to hear that! We love our canned carrots!
Mary Self says
Can carrots be processed in water bath? I’m afraid of pressure canners. If so, how long? Is there a rule of thumb for water bath time for pounds of pressure?
Victoria says
Hi Mary! The only way to safely can meat/vegetables or any low acid foods is by pressure canning.
The reason being that the temp doesn’t get high enough to kill bacteria in those foods when water bath canning.
Some people do it anyway, but I really wouldn’t recommend it! I hope that helps!
Bev says
My son and I love carrots I’ve never canned them before , I’m so glad you posted these instructions
Victoria says
Yay, Bev, I’m so glad to hear that! Enjoy!
Doug Morris says
I misread the time to process carrots and did 10 minutes instead of 25- they were heating in the sealed pressure canner 10 minutes before I added the weight, 10 minutes after weight began rocking, and 10 more minutes after I turned off the heat and the weight stopped rocking so a total of well over 30 minutes – should I be concerned?
Victoria says
Hi Doug! The time is how long the carrots are in the canner at pressure, not total. So, I would go ahead and put them through the full 25 minutes under pressure. They should be totally fine at that point! Sorry for the confusion!