This article includes everything you need to know about how to quickly and easily grate carrots for baking carrot cake.
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Carrots are obviously a key ingredient in carrot cake, but did you know that they add both flavor AND moisture to baked goods? Choosing fresh carrots and grating them properly is the secret to truly delicious carrot cake (or cupcakes!). Keep reading to learn how to choose the right carrots for baking, the best way to grate carrots for carrot cake, and whether or not they can be grated ahead of time.
Selecting Carrots for Carrot Cake
Fresh carrots are the best choice for baking carrot cake that is full of flavor and perfectly moist. When choosing carrots, be sure that they are free of any dark spots or mold, which would indicate that they have gone bad. Also, check the freshness of the carrots by trying to bend them. Carrots should be firm and should snap instead of bending. You may be able to bend a fresh carrot very slightly, but if you can bend the carrot more than 45 degrees, it is not fresh enough to use for baking.
Fresh baby carrots can be grated and used in baking. Just know that they can be more difficult to grate since there's less carrot to hold onto, so you'll need to be extra careful when grating them.
Whatever you do, avoid buying pre-shredded carrots. Carrots that have been pre-shredded don't contain nearly the same amount of flavor and moisture as fresh carrots. If your carrots are flavorless and dry, your cake will be, too.
Grated Carrots vs Shredded Carrots
What's the difference between grated carrots and shredded carrots? Both shredding and grating involve slicing foods - like carrots or cheese - into small pieces. Shredding creates thin strips, while grating creates tiny pieces that looks a bit like couscous. While most people (myself included) refer to "grated carrots" when baking carrot cake, we're technically shredding the carrots rather than grating them.
The Best Way to Grate Carrots for Carrot Cake
The best way to grate carrots for carrot cake is using the small shredding side of a box grater. This will produce small shreds of carrot, which is perfect for baking. Bonus: this method uses basic kitchen tools that you probably already have on hand and doesn't require you to wash a ton of equipment.
You can use a food processor's shredding disc to produce a similar result, which is a great option if you're baking lots of cakes and need to grate lots of carrots. However, the food processor doesn't shred the carrots quite as finely as the box grater, doesn't save much time if you're just grating carrots for one cake, and is a pain to wash.
I definitely prefer the easier box grater method, but I've included instructions for using a food processor so that you can decide which method works best for you.
Equipment & Ingredients
Fresh Carrots - Of course we'll need fresh carrots for grating! If you skipped it, scroll back up to read about how to select the best carrots for baking.
Sharp Knife or Kitchen Scissors - A sharp knife or kitchen scissors come in handy for removing the carrots stems (if they have them) or removing a tiny bit off the bottom of the carrot to give them a blunt end.
Vegetable Peeler - We'll use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots, removing their outer layer, before grating them.
Box Grater or Food Processor - This is what we'll use to actually grate the carrots. You'll need either a box grater or a food processor with a grating attachment. You'll find instructions for using both of these tools below!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Begin by washing the carrots with water and patting them dry.
- If the carrots have stems or roots, use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to remove them. (Note that it can be helpful to leave just a bit of the stems remaining to help you hold the carrot when using a box grater.)
Tip: I find it helpful to cut just a bit off of the end of the carrot to create a blunt end, which gives me an easier starting point for grating.
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots to remove their outermost layer.
Now continue on using one of the two following methods...
Box Grater Method (My Preference)
- Place the box grater on a cutting board or other firm surface.
- Holding the box grater with your non-dominant hand and the carrot with your dominant hand, place the pointed end of the carrot against the small shredder side of the box grater. (The small shredder side is the side with rows of small, smooth holes.)
- Rub the end of the carrot against the box grater in a downward motion. The grater's holes will shred the end of the carrot. Repeatedly shred the carrot on the side of the grater until you near the other end of the carrot.
Safety Tip: Be sure to use caution when grating carrots on a box grater. Keep your knuckles and nails away from the blades. No one wants shreds of skin or fingernails in their carrot cake!
Food Processor Method (aka How to Grate Carrots Without a Grater)
Important Safety Note: The following instructions should be used as a general guideline. Be sure to follow the instruction manual and any safety guidelines for your specific food processor.
- Secure the work bowl onto the food processor.
- Install the shredding disc onto the food processor with the small shredding holes facing up.
- Secure the cover over the work bowl and shredding disc.
- Place peeled carrots into the feed tube. (Note that it can be helpful to cut the carrots into smaller lengths so that the entire piece fits inside the feed tube).
- With one hand, hold the food pusher over the carrots in the feed tube. With the other hand, turn the food processor on low.
- Allow the food processor to shred the carrots while pushing them down into the machine using the food pusher. When the carrots in the feed tube are shredded, turn off the food processor.
FAQs
Carrots should be finely shredded for baking carrot cake. They should appear as small, thin, short strands of carrot. Large shreds of carrot will add noticeable bits of firm carrot within the cake. Finely grated or zested carrot will disappear into the cake. Finely shredded carrots allow for visible shreds of carrot without adding a chunky texture to the cake.
A standard box grater includes 4 sides: slicer (long slits), large shredder (rows of larger holes), small shredder (rows of smaller holes), and zester (lots of tiny, spiky holes). The small shredder side of the box grater shreds carrots into very small strands, which is ideal for baking.
It's best to use freshly grated carrots for baking, since grating fresh carrots just before baking will help to ensure that they retain their flavor and don't dry out. If you must grate the carrots in advance, do so no more than 3 days ahead of time and store the grated carrots in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to bake.
Recipes Using Grated Carrots
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Recipe
How to Grate Carrots for Carrot Cake
Special Equipment
- 1 sharp knife or pair of kitchen scissors
- 1 vegetable peeler
- 1 box grater or food processor with grating attachment
Ingredients
- 2 large raw carrots
Instructions
- Begin by washing the carrots with water and patting them dry.
- If the carrots have stems or roots, use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to remove them. (Note that it can be helpful to leave just a bit of the stems remaining to help you hold the carrot when using a box grater.)
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots to remove their outermost layer.Continue with one of the following methods.
Box Grater Method
- Place the box grater on a cutting board or other firm surface.
- Holding the box grater with your non-dominant hand and the carrot with your dominant hand, place the pointed end of the carrot against the small shredder side of the box grater. (The small shredder side is the side with rows of small, smooth holes.)
- Rub the end of the carrot against the box grater in a downward motion. The grater's holes will shred the end of the carrot. Repeatedly shred the carrot on the side of the grater until you near the other end of the carrot.
Food Processor Method
- Secure the work bowl onto the food processor.
- Install the shredding disc onto the food processor with the small shredding holes facing up.
- Secure the cover over the work bowl and shredding disc.
- Place peeled carrots into the feed tube. (Note that it can be helpful to cut the carrots into smaller lengths so that the entire piece fits inside the feed tube).
- With one hand, hold the food pusher over the carrots in the feed tube. With the other hand, turn the food processor on low.
- Allow the food processor to shred the carrots while pushing them down into the machine using the food pusher. When the carrots in the feed tube are shredded, turn off the food processor.
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