15 Types Of Carrots (With Photos!)

Did you know there are numerous types of carrots? In this in-depth guide to carrots, we’ll cover all different types of carrots with photos so you can identify them, too!

We believe carrots were first grown in Afghanistan over 1,000 years ago, and were then typically yellow or purple. So why are most carrots orange today?

The color is the result of a 17th-century Dutch patriot agriculturist. He cross-bred all manner of carrots until he developed a cultivar with a distinctive orange color, the Dutch national color. What he developed 400 years ago remains the most popular color of carrots today!

Different Types of Carrots

We’re covering the top 15 most common types of carrots in this guide!

Baby Carrots

Description: Baby carrots are small, slender, already peeled, and pretty much all the same size and shape. They are normal carrots cut and shaped like the baby carrots you buy by the bag. This was an invention of Mike Yurosek in the 1980s. He just wanted something to do with imperfect misshapen carrots. He struck gold. Today over 70% of carrots sold in the USA are baby carrots. 

Best Culinary Uses: Baby carrots are great for snacking as they are or with dips or hummus. They can also be lightly steamed, roasted, or added to salads. They cook quickly due to their small size. Our hands down favorite use of baby carrots isn’t actually on the veggie tray, but in these vegetarian pigs-in-a-blanket. Friends of mine served these at a cookout and waited to see if anybody had a clue that they were not meat hotdogs.  Nope. You might also like them as smashed baby carrots.

Ripening in Home Gardens: Carrots cut into baby carrots are harvested early in their growth, typically around 30 to 60 days after planting, depending on the variety. They can be grown in a home garden and are often ready for harvest within a few months of planting because, as we said, they can be any variety of carrot. So you can certainly grow your own baby carrots, but why try? They are cut by specialized machinery. The rest of us have to use a knife and peeler. If you are looking for some tips on how best to cut them, check out our How to Cut Carrots Tutorial with a short video.

Black Carrots

Description: Black carrots have dark purple skin and either similarly purple inner flesh or just orange flesh. They have been around for at least 1,000 years but have become popular recently, as their color comes from the anthocyanins, an antioxidant, they contain.

Best Culinary Uses: Black carrots can be used in just about any way you would use traditional orange carrots. They can be eaten raw, grated into salads, or used as a garnish.  We think they just look cool on a veggie tray. Cutting them into coins showcases the contrast between their black skin and deep orange core.

Ripening in Home Gardens: Black carrots typically mature in a home garden in 70 to 90 days. They can be sown directly into the soil after the last frost and thrive in well-drained soil with regular watering.

Bolero Carrots

Description: Bolero carrots were developed in France in the 19th Century, and are medium-sized carrots with a fairly cylindrical shape that doesn’t taper to a small end like most carrots. They are bright orange, sweet, and crisp.

Best Culinary Uses: Their nice color makes them a good candidate to coin or grate and put in a salad, or use as a dipping carrot. Bolero’s fairly uniform diameter also makes them perfect for this somewhat controversial carrot hot dog recipe. Skeptical? We understand, but open the recipe and see what you think. The liquid smoke and smoked paprika in this recipe really make a well-softened carrot taste like a hog dog. At the very minimum your vegetarian or vegan friends will appreciate that you made these for them at your next cookout.

Ripening in Home Gardens: Bolero carrots typically mature in 65 to 75 days when grown in a home garden. They do best in well-drained soil with full sun exposure.

Chantenay Carrots

Description: Chantenay carrots were developed in France in the town of Chantenay. They are an unusual-looking carrot as they are broad-shouldered and taper to a fine point, almost looking like a top. They have a deep orange color and a crisp, crunchy texture. 

Best Culinary Uses: This sweet carrot has a dense texture that holds up to heat, making it a good choice for cooking. However, its odd shape does not favor it for dipping.

Ripening in Home Gardens: Chantenay carrots typically mature in around 70 to 75 days when grown in a home garden. They prefer full sun exposure but can tolerate some shade.

Danvers Carrots

Description: Danvers carrots were developed in Danvers, MA, in the 19th Century. They have the common carrot shape—a broad top tapering to a point shape. They are deep orange, sweet, and slightly earthy in taste. 

Best Culinary Uses: These sweet, dense carrots hold up well when cooked, making them excellent for roasting, grilling, soups, and stir-frying. They are a good option for slow cooker carrots.

Ripening in Home Gardens: Danvers carrots usually take about 70-80 days to reach maturity. Depending on the specific growing conditions, they are usually ready for harvest in late summer or early fall.

Enterprise Carrots

Description: Enterprise carrots are bright orange and have an almost cylindrical shape. This makes sense, as they were developed in the Netherlands, the people who first brought us orange carrots in the 17th Century. 

Best Culinary Uses: Their shape makes them easy to slice and dice, and they are great for use in salads, slaws, or as dipping veggies. They also work well in casseroles, stir-fries, and soups. Try them in this vegetarian wedge salad.

Ripening in Home Gardens: Enterprise carrots typically mature in about 60-70 days when grown in a home garden. They are often ready for harvest in mid-summer to early fall.

Hercules Carrots

Description: Hercules carrots are a hybrid of the Chantenay carrot that was developed in the UK. As the photo shows, they are short and stout. They can range from deep orange to reddish-orange and are fairly sweet and crisp.

Best Culinary Uses: These are great for roasting whole or slicing into thick rounds for sautéing. Their sweetness makes them perfect for glazing and caramelizing. They can also be grated and added to cakes, muffins, and other baked goods which is a good match to their sweetness. How about trying them in this quick and easy carrot ginger smoothie recipe.

Ripening in Home Gardens: Hercules will mature in 65-75 days when grown at home. They are usually ready for harvesting in late summer and are a good option if you have rocky or harder clay soil. 

Imperator Carrots

Description: Imperator carrots were developed from Nantes and Chantenay carrots about 100 years ago, and today there are numerous sub-varieties of imperators. They are firm, long and slender with a tapered tip, classically orange. Or, pretty much your traditional carrot.

Best Culinary Uses: They are good for slicing into sticks for dipping or adding to salads and sandwiches. They are also great roasted, grilled, or steamed and can be pureed into soups or sauces. How about trying these healthy oven baked carrot chips. Or, try them as air fryer carrot chips with the same recipe.

Ripening in Home Gardens: When grown in home gardens, imperator carrots typically mature in about 75-85 days. 

Musico Carrots

Description: Musico carrots were recently developed in Italy. These sweet carrots grow to 6-8 inches long in an aesthetic uniform shape.

Best Culinary Uses: This carrot is good for using with dips, cutting into salads, or including on your veggie trays. It is also good for roasting, as its uniform shape allows it to cook more evenly than highly tapered carrots.

Ripening In Home Gardens: Musico carrots mature in 60 to 70 days when grown in a home garden. They are a fast-growing variety, making them great for gardeners looking for a relatively quick harvest or with a short growing season.

Nantes Carrots

Description: Nantes carrots were developed in the Nantes region of France, hence their name. They grow to 6-7 inches long and are only moderately tapered.

Best Culinary Uses: Nantes carrots are mildly sweet and crunchy, making them perfect for both eating raw and cooking. They are a good option for chewing on raw carrots, dipping, or grating into salads. Their sweetness intensifies when cooked, making them a good cooking carrot.

Ripening In Home Gardens: Nantes carrots usually reach maturity in 65 to 75 days. This classifies them as a relatively quick-growing variety, making them popular among gardeners.

Olympus Carrots

Description: Olympus carrots are a 20th-century hybrid developed from imperator carrots. They have a uniform cylindrical shape and bright orange color and get bigger than many other carrots, growing to 8-10 inches long. 

Best Culinary Uses: These firm, crunchy carrots are sweet and have a firm texture, making them great for dipping or grating into salads and slaws. Olympus are also good for cooking carrots, as they maintain their shape well when roasted, grilled, or braised and caramelize beautifully.

Ripening In Home Gardens: Olympus carrots mature in 70 to 80 days which is a little longer than most other varieties. 

Purple Carrots

Description: Purple carrots originated in Persia (modern Iran) thousands of years ago before orange carrots were even a thing. Purple isn’t really a variety, but just a term based on the color of several varieties. They can be very dark purple or fade to a lighter hue. They all have a bit of an earthy flavor similar to orange carrots and the same mild sweetness.

Best Culinary Uses: While they can be eaten raw, their color intensifies when cooked, making them a visually stunning addition to your cooking. Purple carrots are excellent for roasting, steaming, or sautéing when you want to showcase their color. Like most purple veggies, they are antioxidant-rich, giving them an added nutritional boost.

Ripening In Home Gardens: Purple carrots mature in 70 to 80 days when grown in a home garden.

Red Carrots

Description: Red carrots originated in Central Asia millennia ago. As the photo shows, they have a reddish-orange hue, which is due to their high level of lycopene, a healthy antioxidant. They are shaped, again, like a typical carrot, tapering dramatically to the end.

Best Culinary Uses: If you can find them, red carrots are great raw in salads, sliced into sticks for dipping, or grated into slaws to showcase their unusual color. You can also use them in your soups, stews, and stir-fries to add both color and flavor.

Ripening In Home Gardens: Red carrots typically take around 70 to 80 days to mature from seed to harvest in a home garden.

White Carrots

Description: White carrots originated in Central Asia. They are also called lunar carrots, and as either name suggests, have a creamy white color both inside and out. The color is due to a lack of carotenoid pigments, which are responsible for the orange and red colors found in other carrot varieties. Instead, white carrots contain other compounds such as flavonoids and polyphenols, which contribute to their nutritional health benefits. White carrots typically have a similar shape to traditional orange carrots, with a tapered, cylindrical root.

Best Culinary Uses: White carrots have a mildly sweet flavor and a crispy crunch. They can be used in recipes like other carrots, but we think their best use is to cut them into dipping-sized strips for a veggie tray alongside traditional orange carrots.

Ripening In Home Gardens: White carrots typically take around 65 to 75 days to mature when grown in a home garden. 

Yellow Carrots

Description: Yellow carrots originated in Afghanistan and Western China. They get their unique yellow color from the presence of xanthophylls, natural and healthy pigments found in some fruits and vegetables. These pigments give yellow carrots their distinctive hue and amp up their nutritional content. Yellow carrots have a similar shape to traditional orange carrots.

Best Culinary Uses: Yellow carrots have a sweet, slightly fruity flavor, and aren’t quite as hard as other carrots. This makes them good raw in salads, coleslaws, and vegetable platters, adding color and sweetness. Their sweet flavor intensifies when cooked, making them a cooking carrot and an ingredient in soups, stews, and stir-fries.

Ripening In Home Gardens: Yellow carrots typically mature in 65 to 75 days when grown in a home garden. 

So if you’re headed to the market this weekend or have fresh carrots growing, we hope you found some inspiration for what type of carrots to buy or grow and what to make with them! As always, happy cooking from your friends at Live Eat Learn!