Carrots
Peak season in the Midwest · down 60% this week
This vegetable is at its local-harvest peak from September through November, and is sold in stores year-round. This week it's peak season in the Midwest — buying it in season usually means better quality and, as the regional prices below show, a lower price.
Per a typical 128g serving, scaled from the per-100g figures in USDA FoodData Central (Carrots, raw).
Buying carrots in the Northeast saves about 50% versus the Southcentral this week.
- How to pick a good one
- Firm, deeply coloured, and smooth-skinned. If the greens are attached they should look fresh — but cut them off before storing. Avoid limp carrots and any with fine white hairs, which signal age and a woody core.
- What a good price looks like
- A 2 lb bag of whole carrots is commonly $1.50 to $2.50, which makes them one of the cheapest vegetables available all year. Under a dollar a pound is normal and not worth waiting for a better price. They keep for a month in the fridge, so there is little reason to buy small quantities.
- What you actually get
- A pound of whole carrots gives about 3 cups sliced and serves four as a side. Bagged baby carrots are whittled-down mature carrots rather than a separate vegetable; they cost roughly twice as much per pound and dry out faster once opened.
- How to store it
- Refrigerate in a bag or a container of water in the crisper, where they last three to four weeks — one of the longest-lasting vegetables in the store. Remove the tops immediately or they pull moisture out of the root.
- In the kitchen
- Scrubbing is usually enough; peeling is habit rather than necessity and takes a tenth of the weight with it. Cut them on a steep bias if you want them to cook fast and look like something, and keep the pieces genuinely even, because a carrot thick at one end will be raw there when the tip is soft. For roasting, do not crowd the tray — carrots steam readily and will not caramelise stacked.
- Getting the most out of it
- Carrots are cheap year-round and hold their value: raw for crunch, roasted for sweetness, or as the backbone of nearly every stock and braise. Limp ones are not spoiled, only dehydrated, and an hour in cold water largely revives them.
- Shuba with Salmon, a twist on Herring SaladRecipe by Natasha's Kitchen~$0.26 / serving 4 in-season
- Torta di Carote (Italian Carrot Cake)Recipe by The Mediterranean Dish~$0.41 / serving 2 in-season
- Carrot Cake Coffee CakeRecipe by Pinch of Yum~$0.41 / serving 1 in-season
- Shrimp Fried RiceRecipe by The Recipe Critic~$0.45 / serving 2 in-season
- Spam Fried RiceRecipe by The Recipe Critic~$0.47 / serving 2 in-season
- Apple & Carrot "Superhero" MuffinsRecipe by Cookie + Kate~$0.50 / serving 2 in-season
See all 1360 recipes with carrots →Filter by diet, time, budget, and macros.
Price from the USDA National Retail Report. Nutrition per typical serving, computed from USDA FoodData Central.
Carrots — FAQ
When can you buy carrots in season?
This vegetable is at its local-harvest peak from September through November, and is sold in stores year-round. This week the Midwest has carrots marked peak season.
What's the price of carrots right now?
As of the week of September 4, 2026, the price of carrots in the Midwest is $1.00/lb, down 60% from last week. It's cheapest in the Northeast at $1.00/lb.
How many calories and how much protein are in carrots?
A typical 128g serving of carrots has about 52 calories, 1.2g protein, 12.3g carbohydrates, 0.3g fat, and 3.6g fiber, per USDA FoodData Central.
What can I make with carrots?
SeasonSort indexes 1360 recipes that use carrots, each with its cost per serving computed from this week's prices — starting from about $0.09 a serving. The cheapest are listed on this page, with a link to the full filtered list.