There are not many vegetables that are tasty and as nutritious as carrots. They are common root vegetables that I love to use in many of my salads, soup, and stews, much to the dismay of my kids.
But what if you run out of carrots? What should you do? Why not save yourself some time by checking out the best substitute for carrots below and learn a bit more about this common vegetable.
What Do Carrots Taste Like?
Carrots are a popular vegetable in our daily meals. You can find carrots in salads, soups, stews, and even desserts. Yum to carrot cake!
Many types of carrots are available, like white carrots, purple carrots, orange and yellow carrots. For each type, their flavor can be slightly different.
The most popular one we usually have is orange carrots, which have been around since the 17th century. The reason they are preferable is because of their fresh flavor.
In terms of flavor, orange carrots have a sweet, fruity, earthy yet slightly bitter flavor. The taste is bitter in the outside rings and becoming sweeter in the inside part.
Raw carrots can be firm to the touch with a crunchy texture. When cooked, carrots become tender and soft with a sour and earthy taste.
Having cooked carrots inside your dish can give you enough vitamin A supplements for a day. They are also a great source of fiber, antioxidants, and beta-carotene. These nutrients are beneficial to your cholesterol level and eye health.
Carrots are a versatile food that you can use in many dishes. They are great to use as a dipping snack in hummus or ranch. Or added to coleslaw, salads, soup, and stews. You can even make a carrot cake for your sweet tooth, which is my favorite way of eating carrots.
Scroll on down to find out some substitutes you can use in place of carrots if you run out.
9 Vegetables To Use As A Substitute For Carrots
If you run out of carrots, you can always use these substitutes for carrots below.
1. Baby Carrot
If you run out of carrots, you can always substitute them with another alternative carrots version, like baby carrots.
Baby carrots are another variety of regular carrots, just smaller. Their flavors are quite the same. Baby carrots come prewashed and peeled, so you don’t have to do as much work to get them ready to eat.
The flavor of baby carrots can be sweeter than regular carrots, making them a great ingredient for carrot cakes and sweets. As they are practically the same, you can substitute baby carrots for carrots in any recipe.
2. Squash
If you look for that sweet and fresh taste of carrots, you can use squash as a great carrot substitute. Similar to carrots, butternut squash is often used in savory dishes as well as in dessert recipes.
Raw squash is yellow-orange flesh, which bears a great resemblance to carrots. When cooked, they have a creamy and buttery texture with a flavor combination of nutty, moist, and distinct sweet notes that can be similar to sweet potatoes or butterscotch.
Not only is it delicious, but squash is also a nutritious vegetable with an abundance of vitamin, fiber, antioxidants, and mineral content.
You can use butternut squash effectively in cooking stews and soups. Just peel the skin and cut it into small cubes or slices and enjoy.
3. Parsnips
Parsnip are commonly mistaken for white carrots because it is a vegetable that looks like carrots. It is quite understandable, as parsnips are related to carrots, making them a great carrot alternative.
Besides their similar shape, parsnips also have a crunchy and firm texture. However, their flavor is slightly different. Unlike carrots, parsnips are sweeter with a nutty and earthy undertone.
Some people also find them as sweet as sweet potatoes. Moreover, they are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and many antioxidants similar to carrots.
When substituting carrot dishes, you can apply the same ratio to parsnips. However, their cooking time is less than carrots, as they become super soft if you cook them too long.
When your soups or stews are almost finished, you can put them inside to blend out the sweet flavor and keep their crunchiness.
4. Beets
Another ideal substitute for carrots is beet. They can easily work well as a carrot substitution. In the market, you can find different colors of beets, from orange to dark purple shade.
Overall, beets have a round shape instead of long and slender like carrots. When cooked properly, you can find beets have a sweet, slightly bitter taste with some earthy notes like carrots. They are also quite nutritious with a pack of fiber, folate, vitamin C, and minerals suitable for your calorie diet.
Because of their deep flavor, beets are used widely in boiled, steamed, and roasted recipes. They are amazing carrot substitutes in salads, smoothies, and soups as well.
5. Cucumber
Cucumbers are one of the most common vegetables globally, with many health benefits that can be a potential carrot substitute.
This green vegetable has green skin and brighter color inside. It is super juicy, with a mildly sweet taste that you can use raw. When taking a bite, the cucumbers are crispy and crunchy like carrots.
You can use cucumber to substitute carrots in salads and soups. You can also use it in smoothies as well.
6. Zucchini
Another great alternative for carrots, especially in carrot cake, is Zucchini.
Like cucumbers, Zucchini has a similar texture to carrots. You will find a crunchy and firm texture with a juicy, fresh, and mildly sweet taste when taking a bite. They also contain a high concentration of vitamin A, water content, and low-calorie.
People tend to use Zucchini in place of carrots in smoothies, baking, and salads. When substituting for carrots, you can use a ratio of 1 large zucchini for three regular carrots.
7. Daikon
Although Daikon is not a popular vegetable in the U.S, it is a great carrot substitute and an excellent substitute for celery in many Asian countries because of its texture and mild flavor.
From the outside, Daikons are long and slender-shaped vegetables that look like carrots. In terms of flavor, Daikon can be described as fresh, tangy, and mildly peppery when in the raw state. Its texture is crispy and mildly juicy. When cooked, it is as sweet as carrots with a soft and tender consistency.
Because of the lovely flavor, Daikon can be used in a wide range of carrot-based recipes like baked, steamed, and boiled dishes.
8. Turnips
Turnips are amazing root vegetables that you can find as a great substitute for carrots in soup. The lovely flavor of turnips can be described as a combination of potatoes and carrots.
These white vegetables are sweet, fresh, nutty, and earthy that can be roasted, fried, steamed, and boiled in many dishes. You can use it for any recipes asking for carrots as a side dish, like braised lamb and veal dishes.
9. Celery
Lastly, you can use celery root, as a good carrot replacement because of its texture and nutritional content. Celery has a white round bulb with a firm and crunchy texture.
You can find a distinctly earthy and fresh flavor that can replicate carrots in many soups and stews recipes. People tend to use this carrot-like vegetable raw for salads or cook them in carrot soup, stews, and side dishes.
