Carrots are cheap year round and keep their color brilliantly when freeze-dried. They are a staple for soup kits and pot pies. Blanching first gives a softer, sweeter carrot after rehydrating; raw carrots tend to come back firm and slightly woody.
Shredded carrots are worth a tray of their own for carrot cake and slaws.
Prep and loading
- Peel and dice or slice ⅜ inch thick. Even pieces are the key.
- Blanch diced or sliced carrots for 2 minutes, chill, drain.
- Shredded carrots can skip the blanch; spread them loosely.
- Frozen diced carrots or frozen peas-and-carrots go straight on the tray.
How to tell it’s done
- Pieces are hard, light and bright orange right through.
Not sure? The weight check compares two weighings and the expected dry weight for carrots.
Problems and fixes
Woody after rehydrating
Raw carrots or a short soak. Blanch before drying, and give them a full 10 minutes in hot liquid.
Rehydrating and storing
Rehydrate: Hot water 10 minutes or simmer in soup. By weight, 100 g of dried carrots takes back about 708 g of water to return to fresh weight; the rehydration calculator does any amount.
Store: Mylar or jar with an oxygen absorber.
Ways to use it
- Soup kits
- Pot pies and stews
- Carrot cake (shredded)
- Fried rice
How much fits per batch
At a normal single layer, carrots load at roughly 2.6 lb of fresh food per square foot of tray. That works out to:
| Machine | Fresh per batch | Dried per batch |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest Right Countertop 360 | 6.5 lb | 12.8 oz |
| Harvest Right Small | 7.8 lb | 15.5 oz |
| Harvest Right Medium | 12.2 lb | 1.51 lb |
| Harvest Right Large | 20.0 lb | 2.47 lb |
| Harvest Right X-Large | 40.6 lb | 5.03 lb |
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: carrots, raw (water content)
- Utah State University Extension: Can I Freeze-Dry That? (2026)
- Penn State Extension: Let’s Preserve: Freeze-Drying
- National Center for Home Food Preservation: freezing (blanching times)
- Iowa State University Extension AnswerLine: Preserving by home freeze drying
Water content rounded from USDA FoodData Central (carrots, raw). Cycle times are typical ranges at default settings; thickness, load and your room change them. How we put these together.