Why Are My Baby Carrots Turning White?

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Have you ever bought baby carrots from the store, placed them in the fridge, and then been surprised when they started to turn white?

Baby carrots can start turning white pretty quickly after the bag has been opened. I’ve even seen unopened bags of carrots start turning white in my fridge not long after I bought them.

It can look really odd and make you wonder what is making my carrots look white and if they are still ok to eat.

Baby carrots start turning white because they are dehydrated. Once their skin has been removed they can no longer hold water in and start to turn white. The carrots are still edible although not pretty to look at.

There are easy things you can do to keep your baby carrots from turning white and to fix the white blush after it appears.

How Are Baby Carrots Made?

When you buy baby carrots from the store these are actually full-sized carrots that have been peeled and cut down in size. This is why some people call them baby-cut carrots.

The process was created by Mike Yurosek a carrot farmer from California. He was frustrated by the waste caused by not being able to sell misshapen carrots for people food.

Today carrots are sorted and cut into sections 2 inches long. They then pass through orbital peelers that remove the skin and cut the carrot down to its well-known shape.

But if you want to grow your own baby carrots you can select varieties that grow shorter and naturally produce small-sized carrots. Homegrown carrots will last longer before developing a white film because they haven’t had their skin removed.

This helps them hold moisture in longer than the store-bought variety.

Why Are My Baby Carrots Turning White?

There has been a long-standing roomer that carrots turn white because they have been washed in a chlorine solution. But a study by McGill University explains that it’s not the process of washing carrots but dehydration.

While it’s true that many prepared carrots are washed in solutions to kill bacteria and help them last longer this isn’t the reason that they turn white.

Even carrots harvested from your own garden and placed into the fridge will start turning white in time. I’ve seen it happen with our own carrots that were not used up quickly.

The commercial process of making baby carrots removes the skin and shaves down the carrot to try and make uniform-shaped carrots. This naturally causes a lot of damage to the carrot.

It’s this process that causes 2 things to happen that make the carrots look white.

Scattered Light

When the full-size carrot is cut or shaved down to form your common baby-sized carrot it leaves the surface ruff. This causes light to bounce off and make it appear whiter.

This is the main reason that baby carrots look like a lighter orange color than full-sized carrots.

Dehydration

Once you remove the skin of the carrot it can no longer hold moisture. This causes the root to start to dry out and a white film starts to form.

Although baby carrots are sold in plastic bags it can’t hold enough moisture to keep the carrots looking good for long.

You can remove the white film from your carrots by placing them in ice-cold water for 15-20 minutes before serving.

But for best results after you buy baby carrots open the bag and place the carrots in a container of water in your fridge. This will help to keep them hydrated and prevent the white film from developing.

If you find that the white spots don’t go away after soaking it could be caused by cuts or other damage to the carrot. When carrots are damaged they produce an enzyme that turns the carrot white. This color can’t be removed but isn’t harmful.

Carrots with a white blush are safe to eat in most cases (as long as it’s not mold) and have not turned bad, and the white part of the carrot is still edible.

Carrots that are starting to turn rubbery can also be eaten but would be best soaked in water and then cooked. If your carrots start to turn slimy this is because bacteria is starting to grow on them and they should not be eaten.

Baby carrots are a common quick snack idea but remember they won’t last as long in your fridge as whole carrots. But it’s easy to freeze, dehydrate, or can carrots for long-term storage.

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