Carrots offer a lot of benefits for your health. They grow underneath the ground and are thus, considered root vegetables. You can use them in different recipes such as salads, cakes, and stews or you can eat them raw. But – can you eat expired carrots if they go bad?
Fresh carrots are available throughout the year these days. Sometimes, you may end up buying more carrots than you need. The only thing you can do now is to store them for later use. Carrots, just like any other vegetable or food, have a shelf life. You can eat them beyond that shelf life but ensure they have not gone bad.
Do Carrots Go Bad?
Carrots are not only delicious but very healthy for the eyes as well. Apart from the eyes, they are generally good for your health. Therefore, you must make them a part of your diet.
Fresh carrots don’t have any expiry date. But – they can spoil just like any other organic food. It means they will go bad over time and start rotting. Bad vegetables lose most of their nutritional value and taste. Therefore, eating rotten carrots can be harmful to your health.
You can increase the life of your carrots by storing them properly. It is the only way to preserve their taste and flavor for a long time.
How Long Do Carrots Last?
Well, it depends on the storage condition. They can last for weeks if you store them properly or spoil in a day in case of inappropriate storage. For example, they will go bad quickly if you place them near bananas, apples, and other fruits rich in ethylene.
The following chart shows how long carrots remain fresh in different types of storage.
| Types of Carrots | Pantry | Fridge | Freezer |
| Raw whole | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 5 weeks | 6 to 9 months |
| Sliced in water | Unsafe | 6 to 8 weeks | Not recommended |
| Dehydrated | Up to a year | Unsafe | Not recommended |
| Cooked | Unsafe | 1 week | 6 to 9 months |
| Baby carrots | 3 to 5 days | 3 to 4 weeks | 6 to 9 months |
As you can see, the shelf life of raw, cooked, and baby carrots is different in different conditions. For example, you can place raw carrots in a kitchen or countertop for up to 5 days. You have to eat them within this period if you don’t want to refrigerate or freeze them. However, they can remain fresh in the freezer for up to 9 months.
Cooked carrots, on the other hand, spoil rather quickly. They can only last for a week in a freezer and leaving them in the pantry is unsafe. They will simply go bad in a few hours.
How to Tell if Carrots have Gone Bad?
Baby carrots spoil earlier than larger carrots. Larger pieces have a peel that prevents moisture from escaping. However, moisture does escape over time leaving your carrots slacky and gluey.
The following are some telltale signs that carrots are no longer edible.
Foul Smell
The biggest indication is, of course, the foul smell. Fresh carrots don’t have any smell. Rotten carrots have a rancid and sour odor. Bacteria have grown on your carrots and you should discard them immediately if this is the case.
Dried Leaves
Carrot leaves start drying and withering in case of rotten carrots. Leaves also extract all the moisture from the roots if you don’t remove them. As a result, carrots become hard and unedible.
The solution is to boil carrots and let them cool before peeling. Only then, you should use them in your recipes.
Change in Texture
Carrots also change in texture once they start going bad. They become gummy, loose, and bendable. The appearance of the peel also changes. It becomes difficult to peel carrots with a knife. Those carrots are simply useless and should be discarded.
Mold
Mold grows on all rotten vegetables including carrots. In this case, it appears in the form of black spots on the surface. Some people simply cut the affected parts of the carrot and use the remaining in their dishes. However, it can be quite harmful to you. It is better to completely get rid of moldy carrots.
White Spots
White spots appear when carrots start losing their moisture. You must eat such carrots as early as possible if you don’t want to throw them in the dustbin. They have no taste or nutritional value even though they are not rotten.
What if I Eat Expired Carrots?
I have already answered the question can you eat expired carrots. Carrots do not go bad in a day. They spoil gradually and may take weeks to get unsafe to eat depending on the storage conditions.
Eating rotten carrots can have severe consequences for you. You can suffer from food poisoning with symptoms like fever, diarrhea, and vomiting. Or, you may simply have mild digestive problems.
Sometimes, you can contract certain diseases such as carotenemia by eating excessive amounts of fresh carrots. The extreme change in skin color is the biggest symptom of this disease. For example, your skin color can change to orange or yellow. People with allergies should also avoid eating carrots because they have allergens.
How to Store Carrots Properly?
You can store carrots in many different ways such as:
Pantry
Fresh carrots can stay fresh in a pantry for 3 to 5 days. However, try to put them in a dry and dark place such as a kitchen cabinet. You must also place them away from other fresh foods.
Remove Green Parts
It is better to remove the green parts of carrots as soon as you get home. Carrots leaves can absorb all the moisture leaving them dry and hard if you don’t remove them. You can use these green parts in different recipes as well because they are rich in vitamins.
Cellar
People have been storing vegetables in cellars and basements for time immemorial. It was the most common method to preserve vegetables before the invention of the fridge. Fill a wooden box with sand and put your carrots in it. Now, place the box in the cellar if you have any. This will help you keep your carrots fresh and tasty for up to 6 months.
Canning
It is also a very common method of storing different kinds of foods. It is not that difficult as well. Put peeled and sliced carrots in a clean and hot jar. Now pour boiling water into the jar and use a pressure canner to process the vegetables. The whole process should take about 30 minutes.
Dehydration
Dehydrating carrots allows you to store them for up to twelve months. It is quite easy to dehydrate carrots but you do need a food dehydrator. Put sliced carrots in the food dehydrator with its temperature set at 125°F. Carrots will dehydrate in a few hours. Simply put the dehydrated carrots in a jar and store them in the kitchen cabinet.
Storing Carrots in a Fridge?
You can preserve carrots for months by putting them in a fridge. However, you need to keep a few things in mind while refrigerating carrots.
Use Platic Bags for Baby Carrots
You must always store baby carrots in plastic bags because this is what farmers do. A plastic bag prevents moisture from escaping keeping vegetables soft and moist.
Wrap Carrots
You can also keep vegetables moist for a long time by wrapping them in a damp cloth. This method extends carrots’ life by at least a week.
Store in Water
Sometimes, you want to store sliced pieces of carrots. You must put those pieces in a bowl full of water before refrigerating them. If you don’t, they will lose most of their moisture and become dry within days. However, they can also become cloudy if they stay in the water for a long time. The solution is to change the water regularly.
Can You Freeze Carrots?
You can freeze carrots to prolong their life. However, fresh or raw carrots will start cracking and lose their texture because of low temperatures. Blanching the carrots before putting them in the freezer can help you resolve this problem.
Vegetables including carrots can become saggy and soft after defrosting. What you can do is throw peeled carrots in the boiling water. Let them boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Now let them cool in a bowl of cold water. Wait for the carrots to dry before freezing them. You can store carrots processed like this in the freezer for up to 9 months.
Also Read: Can You Eat Pizza Rolls With Braces?
Frequently Asked Questions
Do carrots expire in the fridge?
Every vegetable including carrots expires even if you store it in the fridge. However, carrots can last for 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge if stored properly. Chopped or sliced carrots only remain fresh for 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge.
Why do carrots go soft in the fridge?
Carrots can lose moisture if not properly stored resulting in wilting. This happens mostly because people forget to remove green parts before refrigerating them. Green parts absorb moisture making carrots dry and hard.
Is it OK to eat expired carrots?
No, you cannot eat expired carrots. Eating rotten or expired carrots can lead to problems like digestive malfunction or food poisoning.
Final Thoughts
You can eat carrots in many different ways. They are extremely beneficial for your health as well. However, eating rotten or expired carrots is unsafe and thus, not recommended. You must also store them properly if you want to fully enjoy and avail the taste and all the benefits carrots have to offer.