Carrot

← EncyclopediaFoods A-Z

By the Nutriveda editorial team · Updated 5 November 2026

The carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a sweet, crunchy root vegetable, eaten raw, grated, boiled, roasted, juiced and in almost every soup and stew base. 100 g of raw carrot has 41 kcal, 2.8 g of fibre and 835 µg of vitamin A (RAE), almost all of it from 8,280 µg of beta-carotene. One medium carrot (61 g) gives about 509 µg of vitamin A, more than half of what NIH recommends for an adult man in a day. Carrots are available all year, keep well in the fridge and are among the cheapest vegetables in the shop, which makes them an easy daily habit.

Carrot nutrition per 100 g and per portion

Nutrient	Raw, 100 g	Boiled, 100 g	Portion: 1 medium raw carrot (61 g)
Energy	41 kcal	35 kcal	25 kcal
Protein	0.9 g	0.8 g	0.6 g
Fat	0.2 g	0.2 g	0.1 g
Carbohydrate	9.6 g	8.2 g	5.8 g
of which sugars	4.7 g	3.5 g	2.9 g
Fibre	2.8 g	3.0 g	1.7 g
Vitamin A (RAE)	835 µg	852 µg	509 µg
Beta-carotene	8,280 µg	8,330 µg	5,051 µg
Vitamin K	13.2 µg	13.7 µg	8.1 µg
Vitamin C	5.9 mg	3.6 mg	3.6 mg
Vitamin B6	0.14 mg	0.15 mg	0.08 mg
Potassium	320 mg	235 mg	195 mg
Sodium	69 mg	58 mg	42 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: “Carrots, raw” (FDC 170393) and “Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt” (FDC 170394), checked 5 November 2026. The portion column is calculated from the raw record’s measure “medium” = 61 g. Values rounded.

Notice that boiling hardly touches the vitamin A and beta-carotene values, while vitamin C drops from 5.9 to 3.6 mg. Carrots are not an important vitamin C food anyway; their strength is beta-carotene, and that survives cooking well.

Glycemic index

Boiled carrots have a glycemic index of 39 ± 4 (glucose = 100) in the international GI tables (Atkinson 2008). That is low compared with many starchy foods; boiled pumpkin, for example, is 64 ± 7 in the same table. Carrots taste sweet, but a medium raw carrot carries only about 5.8 g of carbohydrate, of which 1.7 g is fibre. Carrot juice is a different case: it removes the chewing and most of the volume, so it is easy to drink the carbohydrate of several carrots in a minute. More on GI in What is the glycemic index.

Health benefits: what the evidence says

• Vitamin A for normal vision. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A. NIH sets the adult RDA at 900 µg RAE a day for men and 700 µg for women, and lists half a cup of raw carrots at 459 µg. Vitamin A is needed for the retina to work in low light, and NIH describes night blindness as the first sign of deficiency.
• Cooked carrots count too. NIH notes that cooking and heat treatment can increase the bioavailability of beta-carotene from foods. Raw carrot sticks and a carrot stew are both good sources.
• Food, not supplements. High-dose beta-carotene supplements are a separate matter. In the ATBC trial they increased lung cancer risk by 18% in male smokers, and the US Food and Nutrition Board advises against beta-carotene supplements for the general population. Carrots in normal amounts are not the same as pills.
• Fibre. 2.8 g of fibre per 100 g. EFSA considers 25 g a day adequate for normal bowel function in adults; two carrots a day give about 3.4 g of that.
• Potassium. 320 mg per 100 g raw. NIH gives an adequate intake of 3,400 mg a day for men and 2,600 mg for women and states that higher potassium intakes may help decrease blood pressure.

How to eat carrots

• Raw: sticks with hummus made from chickpeas, or grated into a salad with apple, lemon juice and a little olive oil. Grated carrot with shredded cabbage makes a fast autumn slaw.
• Roasted: halve lengthwise, toss with oil, salt and cumin or thyme, and roast at about 200 °C for 25-35 minutes. Roasting brings out the sweetness.
• Soup and stews: carrot, onion and celery are the base of countless soups and sauces. A smooth carrot soup with ginger and red lentils is cheap and filling.
• Baking: grated carrot adds moisture to muffins, breads and cakes. Carrot cake is still cake, so treat it as a dessert.
• Do not peel too much: young carrots only need a good scrub. Older ones can be peeled thinly.
• Storage: cut off the green tops and keep the carrots in a bag in the vegetable drawer. They stay firm for weeks. Soft, bendy carrots are still fine for soup.

Who should be careful

• Orange skin from very large amounts. NIH explains that long-term high intake of beta-carotene can cause carotenodermia, a harmless condition in which the skin turns yellow-orange. It goes away when intake drops.
• Beta-carotene supplements and smoking. Smokers and former smokers should not take high-dose beta-carotene supplements without medical advice, for the reasons above. Carrots themselves are not the concern.
• Kidney disease. If you have been told to limit potassium, note that carrot juice concentrates the potassium of several carrots. NIH notes that people with impaired potassium excretion can develop high blood potassium even below normal intakes; ask your doctor or dietitian.

Traditional view (Ayurveda)

In Usha and Vasant Lad’s food guidelines carrots are favourable for Vata and Kapha. For Pitta, cooked carrots are favourable and raw carrots are fine in moderation. This is a traditional view, not a clinical finding.

Recipes with carrot

• Warm lentil salad with roasted carrots and feta
• Autumn minestrone with pumpkin and cabbage
• Baked salmon with root vegetables
• Bob chorba: Bulgarian white bean soup
• Fasolada: Greek white bean soup
• Red lentil soup with lemon
• Roasted root vegetables with thyme and honey

Related entries and articles

• Pumpkin and sweet potato – other orange vegetables rich in beta-carotene
• Beets – the other sweet root for salads
• Cabbage – carrot’s partner in slaws and soups
• Kale – a leafy source of carotenoids and vitamin K
• What is the glycemic index
• 7 healthy foods for breakfast

FAQ

Do carrots improve your eyesight?

They help you get enough vitamin A, which the eye needs to see in low light. NIH lists night blindness as the first sign of vitamin A deficiency. If your vitamin A intake is already adequate, carrots will not sharpen your vision or correct short-sightedness.

Are carrots healthier raw or cooked?

Both are good. NIH notes that cooking can increase how much beta-carotene the body takes up, and the USDA values show boiled carrots keep their vitamin A. Raw carrots keep a bit more vitamin C and give more crunch, so mixing both is the easiest answer.

Can eating too many carrots turn your skin orange?

Yes. Large amounts of beta-carotene over a long time can cause carotenodermia, a yellow-orange tint of the skin. NIH describes it as harmless and reversible once intake goes down.

Sources

1. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Carrots, raw (FDC 170393). fdc.nal.usda.gov
2. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 170394). fdc.nal.usda.gov
3. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin A and Carotenoids, Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
4. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Potassium, Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
5. EFSA NDA Panel (2010). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre. EFSA Journal 8(3):1462. efsa.europa.eu
6. Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values: 2008. Diabetes Care 2008;31(12):2281-2283. PMC
7. Lad U, Lad V. Food Guidelines for Basic Constitutional Types, from Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing, 2nd ed. The Ayurvedic Institute. ayurveda.com

This page is for information only and is not medical or dietary advice.