Currently in season

Carrots in the Thermomix®

We have matched 60 English Thermomix® recipes with carrots. Here is the season window, buying advice and the best MixMyDay recipe links.

Seasonal calendar by month

When are carrots in season?

Outdoor crop from June to October, with stored European carrots available regionally into April.

Outdoor crop: fresh European harvest. Protected crop: greenhouse or covered cultivation. Stored: European harvest kept in storage.

Buying and storing carrots

You will find three kinds in the shops: bunched carrots with their leafy tops still on, washed carrots sold without tops, and stored carrots that have been kept firm and dry. Recognise bunched carrots by crisp, deep green leaves that are not wilted, because the tops are the clearest sign of freshness. The root itself should feel taut and hard. Leave behind any that are soft, bendy or spotted. Young, slim carrots taste more tender and sweeter than very thick roots.

Remove the leafy tops from bunched carrots straight away, because the greenery draws water and nutrients out of the root and makes it shrivel. Kept like this in the vegetable drawer of the fridge, carrots stay fresh for up to ten days. For longer storage, pack the carrots in slightly damp sand in a cool cellar: they stay cool and moist without rotting. Freezing works too, but blanch them briefly first.

Preparing carrots in the Thermomix®

For our Apple and Carrot Raw Salad and the Raw Carrot Salad, we grate the carrots in the Thermomix® at speed 4 to 5 for 3 to 5 seconds, depending on how coarse or fine you want them. Always keep it to a few seconds and check before you carry on. For soups such as the Carrot and Tomato Cream Soup or the Parsnip and Carrot Soup, we drop the pieces into the mixing bowl, cook them at around 100°C on speed 1, then blend at the end on speed 10 for 10 seconds into a velvety cream soup. We prepare the Carrot Spread the same way: cook first, then blend briefly on speed 8.

The most common mistakes with carrots

Grating too fine at speed 8 or higher. At very high speeds a raw salad turns to fine mush instead of even shreds. Better: work at speed 4 to 5 in short pulses of 2 to 3 seconds and check in between.
Leaving the tops on bunched carrots. Carrot tops actively pull moisture out of the root. If you only cut the greenery off when you come to cook, you will already have shrivelled carrots in the fridge by the next day.
Cooking too long at a high speed. Carrots left to simmer too long on speed 2 to 3 lose their bite and colour. For steamed carrots in the Varoma, 15 to 20 minutes is plenty, depending on the size of the pieces.

Complete list

All 60 Thermomix® recipes with carrots

Carrots as the main ingredient (9 recipes)

Carrots in more recipes (51 recipes)

Show all 51 recipes ↓Show fewer ↑

Goes well with carrots

These seasonal ingredients are in season at the same time, ideal for combining:

Carrots in the monthly calendar:

FAQ

Good to know

Is there a difference between carrots and rounder "early" carrots?

In everyday use the terms are treated as the same vegetable. Strictly speaking, short round roots are often called carrots and the long slim ones are called by the same name too, so in the shops both types are simply sold as carrots.

Can you freeze carrots?

Yes. It is best to wash and peel the carrots, cut them into slices or batons and then blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes. After cooling in iced water and draining, freeze them in bags. Stored like this they keep for up to 12 months.

Why are some carrots bitter?

Bitter carrots often come from stress: drought, strong heat or very intense sunshine during growth all raise the level of terpenes. Fresh carrots harvested in season taste noticeably sweeter than stored carrots from the previous year.

Should you peel carrots?

Fresh bunched carrots from the garden or with an organic label do not need peeling, just a good scrub. For washed carrots from the supermarket a thin peel is worth it, because the outer layer is often rough or slightly dried out from the machine washing.

How many Thermomix® recipes with carrots are there?

There are currently 60 recipes in our collection. You will find them above, sorted by main ingredient and supporting ingredient.