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What are Baby Carrots?

Question:
What are baby carrots?

Answer:
Baby carrots aren’t actually babies, “baby” carrots are nuggets cut from full sized carrots!

That’s right, those cute little snack sized carrots called “baby carrots” are actually just bits that were machine cut from full grown larger carrots.

What are Baby Carrots?

What's a Baby Carrot?

What we buy in bags as baby carrots are actually nuggets that were machine cut from full sized carrots.

True baby carrots, which are smaller carrots picked before they have matured, are less desirable as a product because they would have to be picked before their natural sugars have developed.

The carrots grown specifically to be made into “baby carrots” have been bred to be longer, yet smaller in diameter, sweeter and basically coreless.

The process of making baby carrots (actually called “carrot cuts” in the industry) was invented by a California farmer in the late 1980’s as a way to salvage carrots that grew outside of the “normal” shape. Always good to hear another food waste solution.

What are Baby Carrots?

Additional Information

Baby carrots have a shorter shelf life than regular carrots, mainly because their protective outer skin has been removed.

To find the shelf life of carrots, see our carrot page.

For everything you ever wanted to know about making baby carrots, check out the informative carrot museum website.

To find out how long other foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.