What to do with carrot tops + 12 Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What can you do with the tops of carrots? ›

Carrot tops are high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium. Use them as you would parsley, or in place of parsley in recipes. Strip the leaves from the tough stems, add them to stock or soup, put them in salads, or make chimichurri. Or make this carrot top pesto.

As soon as you get a bunch of carrots with bright green tops, clip off the greens. Wrap them up and store them in the crisper drawer in your fridge until you're ready to use them, or freeze them to make vegetable stock. Wash and dry them well. It's no secret that carrots grow in dirt, so wash the leaves well!

Carrot tops can be used in a variety of ways. You can stir them into soups, toss them with salad greens, use them in place of herbs, add them to veggie burgers, or blend them into smoothies or green juice.

Freezing carrot greens is a great option because they'll stay fresh, and you won't need to rehydrate them before using them. After thoroughly washing the greens and drying them with paper towels, remove the leaves and chop them up. Then, put them on a baking sheet in a single layer and place them in the freezer.

They are a good source of dietary fiber, which promotes digestive health and helps regulate blood sugar levels. In addition, carrot tops contain several vitamins and minerals essential to overall health, including vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium.

A: Yes, you are correct that you can cut off the top of the carrot and regrow the leaves only. Once the taproot (carrot) is removed it cannot grow another. When cut from the top, the growing point for the taproot is removed, however the growing tip for new leaves is not removed.

You can store carrot tops in the fridge for up to around 5 days if you wash and dry them well before storing them in an air-tight container. Be sure to use them before they start turning brown.

Like most vegetables, if frozen raw, the texture, taste, colour and nutritional value of carrots deteriorates. Make sure you blanch the veg to preserve these elements. Always use carrots that are at the peak of their freshness.

Store your carrots in the crisper drawer with high humidity. The tops should be stored in a separate bag and wrapped with a paper towel to prevent them from becoming soggy. Change out the paper towel every few days to maximize how long you can store your carrot tops.

Carrots that have spoiled or gone bad will usually have an odor, a slimy texture, or dark discoloration. They may also be wilted or soft. If you see mold growing on carrots, throw them out. The white blush that forms on carrots signals that your carrots are drying out.

Are carrot tops edible for humans? ›

And the carrot tops (AKA greens, AKA leaves) have a similar nutritional profile to carrots; they are rich in vitamin A, C, K, and potassium. Don't toss those greens. Reduce food waste by using the whole carrots and their leafy tops. Carrot tops can be used in soups, salads, and pesto, and you can also saute them.

Carrot greens can be used to add flavor when making soup. You can store the carrot greens in a bag in the freezer.

Put a couple of inches (5 cm) of potting soil or marbles into your container and then place the root tops into the soil, cut side down. Trim the greens until they are only about half an inch (1.5 cm) long, and place the potted carrot tops in a sunny window.

Use carrot tops anywhere you would normally use parsley. Carrots, parsley, cilantro, and dill are all in the same botanical family, so they make easy substitutes for each other. Try using carrot tops in a familiar recipe if you are uncertain about their flavor.

Cut the green tops off your carrots to lock in nutrients. The leaves of root veggies steal their nutrients - even after they've been picked!

Those carrot greens aren't just for looks, you know. Those bunches of carrots you see in the grocery store with the fluffy bright greens are the freshest carrots in the store.