Here's What You Shouldn't Do With Unpeeled Carrots (2024)

FAQs

Are carrots okay to eat unpeeled? ›

Because a carrot's skin isn't as thick as other root vegetables (like potatoes) or winter squashes, carrots are perfectly safe and delicious to eat without peeling so long as they are properly cleaned. When it comes down to it, peeling carrots or keeping the skin on is a matter of personal preference.

“If you are making a rustic dish, then leaving the peel on could potentially enhance the look and experience of the dish. If you are using the carrots for a stock, broth, or sauce that will require straining in the end, this is another instance in which it may be better to leave the peel on.”

Bottom Line. Whether you decide to peel a carrot or not is up to you. From our tests, there is perhaps only one time when it makes sense to always peel; that is, when you're steaming. The peel of steamed carrots can be tough, dry, and extra chewy.

"If [the carrot] is smooth and can easily be scrubbed, then I don't bother to peel, if using in a soup or stir fry," she says. Blanchard points out another benefit of not peeling carrots: less food waste. Whether you leave carrots unpeeled or choose to peel them is mostly a matter of preference.

Raw, unpeeled carrots can be stored between three and four weeks in the refrigerator, and peeled or cut carrots will last two to three weeks.

People can eat them raw, steamed, boiled, roasted, or as an ingredient in soups and stews. Boiling vegetables can reduce or eliminate some of the vitamin content. Raw or steamed carrots provide the most nutritional value.

You'll have to store your carrots in the refrigerator, but how you store them can actually make a difference. Raw carrots, when properly stored will usually stay fresh for around 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge. If your carrots are sliced or chopped, you can store them in the fridge and they'll last for about 2 to 3 weeks.

As long as you wash and scrub them well to remove dirt and any debris (this natural fruit and veggie wash is a good start!), unpeeled carrots are perfectly safe (and delicious) to eat.

"From a health point of view, and I think from a taste and texture point of view, it's much better to leave the skin on," Simon says. "The skin of the potato is very high in fibre, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B — all of those good, healthy things are in high concentration in the skin."

In both cases, the skins on the unpeeled carrots became wrinkled, tough, and gritty. Their flavor was “again earthier, but not in a good way” and they weren't particularly appealing looking. On the other hand, the peeled versions remained bright orange, tender, and sweet.

Why boiled carrots is better than raw? ›

Cooking carrots allows beta carotene, an antioxidant compound that gets converted to vitamin A in the intestine, to absorb more easily in the body, explains Beckerman. 2 This helps your body soak up even more health benefits, like boosting your immunity and promoting eye health.

Yes, dogs can eat carrots. Carrots are an excellent low-calorie snack that is high in fiber and beta-carotene, which produces vitamin A. Plus, crunching on this orange root vegetable is great for your dog's teeth. Carrots are included as an ingredient in many dog foods as well as plenty of carrot dog treats.

The Unpeeled Truth

Mohn and Elizabeth J. Johnson, scientists at Tufts University's Antioxidants Research Laboratory, “this root vegetable is perfectly safe to eat unpeeled.” In fact, the peels are very healthy for us, containing the highest concentrations of vitamin C and niacin in the carrot.

Once the greens are trimmed off, all you have to do to keep the carrots crisp and fresh is put them in a container of water and store in the refrigerator! Whole carrots stay nice and crunchy in their cold water bath, and this is also a great way to store packaged baby carrots.

As an antioxidant, beta carotene may help protect the skin from sunburn and help slow down skin aging by improving elasticity, hydration, texture, wrinkles, and age spots. Vitamin C in carrots is also important for its skin health-promoting benefits.

Eating carrots in excess, however, can cause a condition called carotenemia. This refers to yellowish discoloration of the skin because of the deposition of a substance called beta-carotene that is present in carrots. This change in skin color is more obvious in people with lighter skin tones.

Rinse each peeled carrot before use.