Learning how to shred carrots is a simple kitchen skill that comes in handy for all kinds of dishes—sweet and savory alike. From carrot cake and muffins to stir-fries, salads, cucumber slaw, and soups, shredded carrots add texture, color, and nutrients to every bite. In this post, we’ll show you best way to shred carrots using three easy methods so you can choose the best technique for your recipe and tools on hand.
Wondering about the best way to shred carrots? That depends on the dish you’re preparing and the equipment you have. Some prefer to use a box grater for quick, fine shredding, while others love the speed of a food processor with a shredding blade. There’s also a third method using a vegetable peeler to create thin ribbons—perfect for garnishes or slaws. All three techniques work well depending on whether you’re going for texture or uniformity.
If you’re looking for an easy way to grate carrots, using a food processor is often the quickest and most efficient. Just peel your full-sized carrots, trim the ends, and let the machine do the work! A box grater is ideal for smaller amounts, and it’s a great kitchen tool to have on hand for prepping raw carrots. No matter the method, using a sharp knife to prep your carrots beforehand makes everything easier. Plus, you can toss your freshly shredded carrots with lemon juice to keep them bright and fresh, especially if you’re making salads or storing extras for later use.
Why We Love This Best Way to Shred Carrots
- They’re easy to hide in other foods. We see you, picky veggie eaters.
Shredding tones down the flavor and disguises the texture, making them more difficult to identify. This way, you can add them to kid-friendly foods for a boost of healthy vitamins and minerals. - Great for meal prep. Instead of shredding veggies for just one meal, save time by learning how to shred carrots in bulk. This way, they’ll be ready to use whenever you need them!
- Ensure that they’re fresh. If you have ever opened a bag of ready-to-use, grated veggies only to realize that they were slimy and spoiled, you get us.
Things to Know Before Starting
- It’s important to wash and scrub your veggies.
As a root vegetable, the outer layer of carrots may have debris and/or pesticides that can cause illness. Scrub the exterior of the carrot, and/or peel it to remove this external residue. - Medium sized carrots are easiest to work with.
Both baby-sized and very large specimens are especially difficult to shred. Cut larger ones down to a size that is easy to grip yet large enough to get through the holes of a peeler or box grater. - A whole raw carrot will last for about one month in the fridge.
They will become mushy and display dark spots and lines when they’ve gone bad. Baby carrots, on the other hand, become slimy when they spoil.
Calculating the Amount to Use
Shredded carrot recipes typically show the amount needed by either volume (in cups), weight (in pounds, ounces, or grams), or number of vegetables.
1 pound of store-bought carrots yields about 2 to 3 cups shredded. The total amount can vary, depending on the size of the pieces.
5 medium-sized carrots equals 1 pound. These are roughly 6 inches long and 1 inch wide. Keep an eye on the pre-bagged vegetables to see if they match what you need, or purchase them individually.
Packages of baby carrots are marked with the total weight, which is convenient. But, they’re not as easy to shred.
Equipment Used
- Vegetable peeler
- Fork
- Box grater
- Food processor
- Paring knife
Easy Way to Grate Carrots in 3 Different Methods
There are probably more than three ways to get the job done, but we’re going to cover the most popular methods. Using a peeler, a box grater, and a food processor.
- By hand, using a vegetable peeler.
This method is ideal when you need less than ¼ cup, or when you’d like to use them for a simple garnish
To make the job easier and safer, especially for kids in the kitchen, some people find it helpful to use a fork to hold down the carrot. This option keeps fingers out of the way from a sharp peeler blade.
The most common method involves a simple forward stroking motion. Starting at the root end of the carrot, push the peeler away from yourself, making long, lengthwise strokes, from stem to tip.
Repeat this motion until you have several thin strips. At this point, you can stack them together, then use a knife to chop the strips into shreds of whatever size you want.
- Making shredded carrots with a box grater.
This method is ideal for recipes requiring less than one cup of grated veggies.
Place the box grater onto a cutting board. Holding the carrot at its base (the stem end), bring the carrot down tip-first against the grater.
Once you reach the bottom of the grater, bring the carrot upward again. Repeat the up-and-down motion until only 1 to 2 inches of carrot remains.
You can also hold the grater firmly over a mixing bowl while shredding if desired. This brings out the fresh flavor.
- Shredding carrots with a food processor.
Finally, use a food processor if you need more than one cup total. Learning how to shred carrots this way will save you the most time with your food prep! It also extracts juices and its natural sweetness that gives you the best flavor.
You’ll need to use the shredding disk for your make/model. Most units that are 6-cups or larger include this disc in the box.
First, chop each carrot into 2-inch pieces. Turn on the food processor, then add a piece to the feed tube. Push the carrot against the disc with the plunger until fully shredded, then repeat with the additional veggies.
Serving Suggestions
Once you’ve shredded your carrots, there are so many ways to enjoy them! Add them to baked treats like carrot loaf cake or muffins, or toss into your favorite salad for a fresh crunch. Shredded carrots make a delicious side dish when mixed into a carrot salad with a splash of lemon and a pinch of spices. They’re also great in main dishes—stir them into chicken soups, rice dishes, casseroles, or even meatloaf. Want to boost the protein in your meal? Combine shredded carrots with apples, chickpeas, or nuts for a balanced, colorful plate!
Frequently Asked Questions
Shredding creates strips of the vegetable, that vary in length, while grating results in very small pieces, like a dice or crumb.
Using a food processor is certainly the fastest method for shredding. It takes less than a minute to make a large amount.
Although the process isn’t as quick, using a peeler requires very little prep and much less clean up, and allows you to control the size of the pieces a little bit more.
Ultimately, which tool to use depends on the amount you need, and the recipe you are making.
You can, but there are a few benefits to doing it yourself at home.
First, it’s more cost-effective, as ready-to-use vegetables are more expensive. Also, you’ll have better moisture and flavor, and shredding them yourself allows you to control the size of the pieces.
Shredded carrots will last for 2 weeks or so in the refrigerator, as long as they’re kept in an airtight container. We like to use freezer storage bags.
Speaking of which, they can also be frozen for up to a year! Take time to label the containers to know how much is in each, and portion appropriately for your meal planning.
Here Are My Favorite Carrot Recipes…
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