Shredded Carrots: 3 Uses for Shredded Carrots

Shredded carrots are carrots that you cut or grate into sliver-like, small pieces. You can adapt the length and width of the carrot slices to your recipe. Common uses for shredded carrots include as toppings or mix-ins for salads, slaws, stir-fries, and baked goods like carrot cake and carrot muffins. Like whole carrots, their nutrition profile includes calcium, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin A, and vitamin C.

You can take some preparatory steps that will make your carrots easier to shred and more uniform in size and shape.

1. 1. Choose the carrots. Decide on the carrots you want to shred. Baby carrots might fit the bill if you don’t need that much for your recipe and want to avoid peeling them, since so many of these smaller carrots are sold pre-peeled. Large carrots are more likely to need peeling, but they will give you much more bang for your buck. Keep in mind that baby carrots or small carrots might be more difficult to handle while you’re grating or shredding them.
2. 2. Clean the carrots. Wash your carrots after you bring them home from the grocery store. Thoroughly rinse your carrots until they’re bright orange and all the brownish, rootsy remnants are washed away. You can also cut the green tops down low at this time if they are still attached.
3. 3. Peel the carrots. If you wish, you can use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to cut off the outer skin of the carrots to get down to the flesh itself. Keep in mind that peeling carrots is not necessary—the skin is edible. Many people don’t mind or even prefer to eat carrots with the skin still intact, but peeled carrots can be slightly easier to shred.

How you shred your carrots will depend on your own personal preference and your access to certain kitchen tools. Always use caution to avoid injuries regardless of the method you choose. Here are four of the most common ways to shred carrots:

1. 1. With a box grater: Place the bottom of a carrot on the ridged side of a box or cheese grater. Scrape the carrot back and forth along the grater until you get close to the top portion with the stem. Stop prior to getting too close to the small blades to prevent cutting your fingers. Store the grated carrot remnants and repeat the process with the rest of your carrots.
2. 2. With a food processor: Cut your carrots widthwise into smaller, more manageable pieces. Take out your food processor and lift the lid. Add in as many of these smaller pieces as you can right above the shredder. Replace the lid and turn on the food processor to allow the shredding blade to cut the carrots.
3. 3. With the Julienne method: The Julienne method is a hands-on, classic approach to shredding carrots manually. Place your carrots on a cutting board or other hard, flat surface. With a chef’s knife, use your dominant hand to chop your carrots into progressively smaller portions. Eventually, you want to be swiftly rocking your hand back and forth to produce carrot pieces the size of matchsticks. Taking the time to Julienne carrots might add to your total time prepping, but it also gives you a great deal of control in creating precisely sized pieces.
4. 4. With a mandoline slicer: A specific kitchen gadget, a mandoline slicer looks like a cross between a grater and a guillotine. Chop your carrots so that you can place them under the moving portion of this device lengthwise. Sandwich them between this section and the bladed portion of your mandoline. Move the slicer up and back until the carrot is completely shredded.

You can use shredded carrots for multiple purposes. Here are just three dishes you can try:

1. 1. Carrot cake: Use tiny portions of carrots to create this brunch or dessert fixture bearing their name. Combine with nuts and spices for the best effect.
2. 2. Carrot salad: Add shredded carrots to a large bowl of veggies like beets, Brussels sprouts, and green onions. Once you drizzle in a dressing, you’ll have a crispy, gluten-free salad on your hands.
3. 3. Coleslaw: Shredded carrots are one of the most recognizable aspects of this green and red cabbage side dish. Serve the slaw in small bowls.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Gordon Ramsay, Gabriela Cámara, Chef Thomas Keller, Dominique Ansel, Yotam Ottolenghi, Alice Waters, and more.