This fermented carrots recipe is a delicious way to eat probiotics. The classic carrot flavor and crunch you love, plus a little bit of sour tang that fermentation brings. The process couldn’t be any easier, and the results are a gut healthy, probiotic rich superfood.
Fermented Vegetables
Fermented VegetablesFermented vegetables are the perfect addition to any simple meal. All the prep work is done ahead of time, so when the meal is ready they can go straight from the fridge to the table.
That’s one less side dish to worry about. And you can almost always find some kind of vegetable or culture fermenting away on our counter.
Although you may think the process is cumbersome, it is actually a very simple equation of salt + liquid + time = crunchy, delicious, probiotic-rich superfood.
Sure, there are a lot of fancy ways to do it with elaborate equipment and starter cultures, but the basic premise isn’t complicated at all.
Create a brine with salt. Submerge veggies. Give it a little time, and the natural process of fermentation occurs.
Virtually any vegetable can be fermented.
But this fermented carrot recipe is one of our favorites.
Fermented Vegetables can be an easy addition to your regular kitchen routine
Once you start getting comfortable with fermenting, you can play around with different flavors and combinations.
Cucumbers with peppercorns, garlic, and dill, or perhaps my sister’s favorite: carrots, cabbage, and ginger.
The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.
Salt Prevents Harmful Bacteria Growth
Salt is a special little mineral that prevents the growth of harmful bacteria. When ferments are submerged in a salty brine, the good bacteria present on the fresh vegetables, namely Lactobacillus, can proliferate and grow uninhibited by bad bacteria.
It also keeps the veggies crisp and adds flavor.
Benefits Of Fermented Foods:
Eating fermented foods is a super healthy way to increase your probiotic intake. Not only are you getting a serving of vegetables, but since they have been fermented, they now contain live probiotics. Probiotics help improve healthy gut bacteria.
Having healthy gut bacteria has been shown to help a variety of things: from boosting your immune system to decreasing inflammation – and it may even help decrease certain diseases. (source)
Tips For Making Fermented Carrots:
- Slice carrots into long strips to make them easy to remove from the jar.
- Make a big batch at one time and then you can enjoy them for months. They make such a great snack or side.
- Add your favorite flavorings to spice them up. We love to add garlic, dill, mustard seed, and some peppercorns to give them a classic pickle taste.
- The carrots need to be submerged in the salt water brine to prevent mold or spoilage; I love using the glass weights linked below.
- If your family members are skeptical about fermented carrots, try serving them with some Homemade Kefir Ranch. Double probiotic punch.
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Tools you will need:
Fermentation weights – I love these glass weights.
Jars – you can use any size of wide mouth jar. Since we have a big family and go through a lot of ferments, I usually use 1/2 gallon mason jars.
Salt
Filtered water- I love my Berkey Water Filter
Knife
Cutting board
How to Make Fermented Carrots: Ingredients
1 pound of whole carrots
4 tablespoons salt
How to Make Fermented Carrots: Instructions
-
- Bring 2 cups of water to a light simmer on stove. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, until dissolved.
- Add the salt water to a half gallon glass mason jar. Fill the jar the rest of the way with filtered water.
- Slice the carrots into long thin sticks. Put them in another half gallon mason jar.
- Pour the prepared brine over them until they are fully submerged. Leave one to two inches headspace.
- Add some kind of fermenting weight to keep the carrots underneath the liquid. This could be a folded up cabbage leaf or a rock in a ziplock bag. If you plan to ferment often, I really like these glass weights specifically made for fermenting.
- Cover with fermenting lid, a loose lid, or a tea towel and rubber band.
- Allow the carrots to sit in an undisturbed place for 2-10 days. The amount of time will depend on the temperature in the house and your preferences. You can give the veggies a little taste each day to see if the desired taste and texture is reached.
- Once the carrots are done fermenting, cover them with a tight lid and move the jar to the refrigerator.
How Long Do Fermented Carrots Last?
Most fermented vegetables will stay in the fridge for 3-5 months. If you see any mold, or it smells ‘off’, then pitch it.
How much salt to do you need to ferment carrots?
4 tablespoons of salt dissolved in 1/2 gallon will create the perfect brine to ferment carrots in.
What do fermented carrots taste like?
They have a traditional carrot flavor with the addition of a salty, tangy, and slightly sour kick. You can also give them a more classic pickle flavor by adding pickling spices like garlic, onion, and dill.
Other fermented vegetable recipes from our farmhouse kitchen:
- Fermented Cucumbers- The Easiest Way to Make Homemade Pickles
- Homemade Cabbage- How to Make Homemade Sauerkraut
- Homemade Kimchi
- Lacto Fermented Salsa Recipe
- How To Make Fermented Jalapeños
Print the Fermented Carrots Recipes
Fermented Carrots
Learn how to make fermented carrots with just a few simple steps and ingredients. The process couldn't be any easier, and the results are a gut healthy, probiotic rich superfood.
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole carrots
- 4 tablespoons salt
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups of water to a light simmer. Remove it from the heat and stir in the salt, until dissolved.
- Add the salt water to a half gallon glass mason jar. Fill the jar the rest of the way with filtered water.
- Slice the carrots into long thin sticks. Put them in another half gallon mason jar, and pour the prepared brine over them until they are fully submerged. Leave one to two inches headspace.
- Add some kind of fermenting weight to keep the carrots underneath the liquid. This could be a folded up cabbage leaf or a rock in a ziplock bag. If you plan to ferment often, you could even buy weights specifically made for fermenting.
- Cover with a loose lid, or a tea towel and rubber band.
- Allow the carrots to sit in an undisturbed place for 2-10 days. The amount of time will depend on the temperature in the house and your preferences. You can give the veggies a little taste each day to see if the desired taste and texture is reached.
- Once the carrots are done fermenting, cover them with a tight lid and move the jar to the refrigerator.
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Lauren says
These are so delicious! I am so happy I still have some leftover in my fridge!
Lindsay Cotter says
I love the health benefits of fermented foods! These are so colorful and very delicious!
Sophia says
Once you have fermented the veggies for the desired amount of time do you leave the fermenting weight in the jar when you store the product in the fridge or do you take it out? Thank you for your help!
Helen says
No, you can remove the fermenting weights, and seal bottle with it’s regular cap or lid, then put away in the fridge. Make sure jar is properly closed.
Jim Mullner says
thank you for asking this question I was thinking the same thing!
wilhelmina says
I just love how colorful and delicious these carrots are. Fermented foods are so tasty. Thanks for making it so accessible!
Carmen says
What if you use quart jars? Is the salt to water (plus additional water) ratio the same? Our carrots are short. 😊
David Kapral says
I make up a gallon of brine @ a ratio of 8 tbsp per gallon pickling salt, Kosher salt or pink himalyan salt. I use a purchased gallon of spring water as the water source. I put the vegetables, spices and dill into the jar and then top with the pre-made Brine. I keep any extra brine in the container in the refrigerator and use it to top off the pickled vegetables as I remove them for consumption. In reality I try to be precise: I use a kitchen sale to measure out 136.7 grams of salt which is equiv to 8 tbsp of salt depending on the density of the particluar kind of salt. This means that the fine ground pickling salt weighs more per tbsp than does coarse grind Kosher salt. Both are very pure but if you want a consistent brine strength of 3.48% it is best to weigh out the salt and add that to a gallon of water.
Jenna says
Do you peel the carrots?
George J says
I usually peel them, but I don’t think it’s required – as long as you clean them well to remove any dirt, etc. I’ve read that a lot of the naturally occurring good bacteria is on the peel.
Helen says
Hi Lisa,
Should I peel the carrots?
Is it okay if I cut carrots in half so I can use a smaller bottle?
Thanks
Maureen says
Hello Lisa! Thanks so very much for sharing all of your recipes. I’ve made so many of them, and their all delicious! I’m going to make you zucchini lasagne this weekend, and today I wanted to start making fermented green beans, and then the salsa. I havE a question about the brine solution please Niall wanted to know if there’s a basic brine recipe that I can use for any vegetables. I would like to brine green beans; cucumbers; carrots; and onions. I noticed that you have posted differenT brine recipes for different vegetables. Is there a reason for the different brine recipes, please? I love kimchee, and I will make that also. Same with the sauerkraut. I know that they make their own brine. Thank you!
Tiara says
Yum! Question about the salt: is pink Himalayan salt ok? Or does this require the very specific brining salt used by butchers?
AncientMother says
(I noticed this question has not been answered. It’s a great question!) ANY *NON-IODIZED* salt will do! Pickling salt, real salt, pink salt. Avoid common, commercial, iodized salt as it will cause your brine to look CLOUDY.
Danielle says
I’ve been wanting to try fermented veggies for a while now to help with our gut health! I’ve been intimidated because we live in Hawaii, and the average temp in my kitchen is 78 degrees (even in the winter!). Would my fermentation process just be shortened because of this?
Tim says
The pickling spices float around the glass weight, should I bury them with a cabbage leaf or something?
David Kapral says
keeping the vegetables submerged is the important thing. (Some of) the pickling spices will tend to rise above the glass weight.
juline says
Hi,can I use pickling salt in this
David Kapral says
Here is a comment from Mortons: “Also known as canning salt or preserving salt, pickling salt is simply pure granulated salt (sodium chloride), without any anti-caking agents or additives that are traditionally added to table salt. These additives can add a cloudy and/or darkened look to the pickle brine, which is why it’s left out of pickling salt.”
So, yes, pickling salt is a good choice. I also use Kosher salt and Himalyan Pink salt w good results. It is ideal to target a % Brine strength to have repeatable results. 8 Tbsp. Salt per gallon = 136.56 grams + 3785 grams Water (1 gallon) = 3921.56 grams total weight. So salt concentration is (136.56/3921.56 total sol’n wght) x 100= 3.48% brine strength. Kosher salt weighs less/tbsp than does pickling salt, so you end up using a little more than 8 tbsp / gallon to get the same brine concentration. I use a kitchen scale for the salt weight and I always make up a gallon of brine. I use spring water as the base, not distilled water, to retain the minerals.
Cheryl reese says
I am making these now thank you. I love the fermented cabbage I did it a couple of weeks ago
Thank you for the time you take I stared doing sourdough and we love your recipes that I’ve done so far
Debra Maginn says
Hi there! I have 2 questions. 1. once my carrots are done and in the refrigerator, do I need to keep the glass weight on top of the carrots to hold them down in the brine? Because as we eat the carrots, the lack of carrots are displacing the water and now I have carrots above the brine level. I don’t want them to go bad, they taste so good. 2. Do I take the pickle pipe off the jar when I place them in the fridge?
Thanks for your help,
Debra
Lisa says
You can take the weight out and replace the pickle pipe with an airtight lid once you move them to cold storage!
Janet says
I have carrots in the brine as we speak, today is day 3. I have noticed foamy bubbles on the top of the brine…is that normal? This is my first time to try fermenting vegetables so I wasn’t sure. Thank you!
Rebecca Cox says
We had to throw them away. Sooooooooo salty! Used pink Himalayan salt. Followed the recipe. I wonder if I used the wrong salt?
Laura Borsa says
Love all your shared experiences and learned knowledge!
What kind of ceramic weights are in your pictures? Ive tried looking for some just like the ones you have but cannot find them. I like how they are less bulky 🙂
Lisa says
I bought them so long ago I don’t remember. Now I mostly use glass ones I order from Amazon.
David Kapral says
Do you peel the carrots or just rinse them? {Would peeling them remove the lactobacillus needed for the fermentation} I do make half sour pickles and enjoy them almost daily, though I am still struggling with getting the spices right.
Lisa says
Either way works! I usually don’t peel mine.
Paula says
If they are fermented why refrigerate before opening?
Lisa says
After the fermentation process has happened to the desired level you want to slow down the fermentation.