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May 05, 2023

The 13 Best Canned Carrot Brands You Can Buy

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Few people have any sort of quarrel with carrots. Gourmet chefs adore them for their irresistible sweetness, pleasant crunch, and impressive versatility — they're as good in a long-simmered stew as they are shaved into vibrant strips atop a salad. Snack-seeking adults without much time on their hands know carrots are a healthy, flavorful, and a simple option requiring little to no preparation. Even the pickiest kids, who eschew all manner of veggies, smile when presented with a crunchy bag of baby carrots.

It makes sense, then, that carrots come in so many configurations, from sticks to chips to frozen medleys. Among this dizzying array are canned carrots, which bring versatility and wiggle room to any home cook's pantry. Their long shelf lives make them available at a moment's notice for a long period of time, while modern canning techniques keep them preserved at the peak of flavor. They can go into chicken pot pies, be roasted with fresh herbs, and even eaten straight out of the can. It's no wonder so many brands offer canned carrots, really — but how's a shopper to know which brands to trust? That's where we come in. We're taking a look at the 13 best canned carrot brands you can buy, from Del Monte to Green Giant.

Canned vegetables tend to taste, well, canned. Metallic flavors don't pair well with any produce, but carrots are hit especially hard by this unfortunate side effect. Their crisp, fresh sweetness is easily overcome by the taste of steel. This industrial flavor isn't easily obscured by other ingredients, either — tossing an afflicted can of carrots into a smoothie, for example, often leads to a weirdly metallic drink, no matter what other liquids, fruits, or veggies you throw into the blender.

It's a delight, then, to encounter canned carrots like Del Monte's. These bright orange slices of heaven taste fresh from the garden and entirely untouched by the can that preserves them, no matter how long it's been sitting in your pantry. They also hold up well in terms of texture, remaining firm and distinct enough to work well in light salads. Notably, they're available in a wide range of sizes, including petite single-serving cans. This makes them a particularly great choice for solo diners, whether they be lunchbox-toting kids or health-conscious adults.

Happy Belly, an Amazon brand, offers a huge array of canned produce. You might assume, then, that these goods are subpar, due to cut corners — what brand could possibly offer canned carrots, peas, sweet corn, peaches, pears, green beans, and pineapple at their absolute best? While we can't speak to the quality of all those products, we can report on Happy Belly's canned carrots. And if they're anything to go by, you should consider making Happy Belly your go-to brand for canned produce.

These carrots are cut into vivid orange coins. Notably, they contain less salt than many other offerings on this list — just 140 milligrams per serving. This lighter touch has no unpleasant effect on their taste or texture; if anything, these carrots are a little bit crisper and fresher-tasting than many competitors. Customers have taken notice: As one Amazon reviewer put it in a review titled "Better than some big name brands," "Definitely a good buy. Far better tasting than some big name brands we have tried. Surprisingly sweet and fresh taste ... On our buy it now list for canned veggies." Indeed, while these carrots serve as an excellent ingredient in all manner of dishes, they're good enough to eat on their own. Another customer attested to this, writing, "I just open the can and eat without heating them ... they are GOOD."

Le Sueur takes canned veggies seriously. The brand doesn't just sell preserved produce — it specifically offers very young sweet peas, shoepeg corn, and whole baby carrots. Most canned carrots come sliced, diced, or otherwise processed — just look at the rest of this list. Not so with Le Sueur: These are baby carrots in their entirety, making them uniquely versatile and an excellent choice for side dishes. Glazed carrots, roasted carrots, and delicate carrot salads can all use sliced carrots, but there's something undeniably elegant about seeing them presented in their unadulterated form. As one Amazon customer put it, "They give a nice 'upscale restaurant' look to dishes, especially when entertaining." Being able to bring that sort of class to dinnertime without having to shop for fresh carrots that might spoil in the crisper is a genuine delight.

Taste-wise, Le Sueur's canned carrots are terrific. They're sweet and mild, and lack any sort of metallic flavor. These carrots are also, well, carrot-y. Canned veggies that tilt towards the sweeter end of the taste spectrum, like carrots, corn, beets, and green beans, often taste generically sugary. This can be a big problem if they're used together in a smoothie or a classic medley like peas and carrots — all you get is an undifferentiated experience of faintly vegetal sweetness. But Le Sueur's carrots burst with the orange veggie's uniquely earthy flavor. These are carrots in full force.

Good & Gather's carrots make a major impression the moment they're out of the can: These slices are big. Where other brands offer small slivers of limp, pale carrots, Good & Gather offers bright, juicy coins of vivid orange goodness. They're remarkably firm, even though they've been cooked, but stop short of being truly crunchy. What results is a delicious balance of freshness, sweetness, and toothsome tenderness. You can eat any of the carrots on this list right out of the can, but Good & Gather's are the ones you'll actively seek out for the experience in the future. You might even prefer them over tried-and-true baby carrots for your snacking needs.

And then there's the price. One 14.5-ounce can of sliced carrots will only set you back $0.99. That's right — not even a full dollar. This is seriously impressive, given their tastiness; you'd be a lot more likely to assume they cost more than average if you were to eat them without glancing at the price tag. One reviewer put it perfectly when they titled their five-star review, "Money saved and flavor gained." It really doesn't get any better than that, as any experienced grocery shopper knows.

Libby's canned carrots are up for pretty much anything. One Amazon reviewer summed their versatility up perfectly, writing, "These carrots are so rich in color ... Great taste, wonderful for soups and any other dish you would like to create. Cooking can be such fun and the color and taste of these carrots will add delight to any meal." Indeed, these carrots are as excellent in a soup as they are in a salad. Aesthetically, their vibrant hue pops off the plate, which is sure to wow guests. They also taste divinely carrot-y, even when paired with many other ingredients. You won't confuse them with chunks of potato, parsnip, or beet, even in a complex stew or casserole.

While all of this is impressive, Libby's carrots are most notable for their texture: They remain springily firm, whether they're eaten on their own or used to make a more complicated dish. While long cooking times will make them softer, they never become squishy or unpleasantly limp. This adds a wonderful contrast to liquid-heavy dishes like soup, or veggie medleys bursting with beans, onions, and starches. Carrots are a culinary workhorse, and Libby's makes sure that fact remains true, even after months in a can.

The first thing you notice about Great Value's canned carrots is their price. These sweet little morsels will only cost you $0.88. That's impressively low, even by Great Value's thrifty standards. Anyone looking to keep to a tight budget already has their ears pricked up, but they might also be wary of quality concerns. Something that cheap can't be all that great, right? Visions of mushiness, discoloration, and weak flavor are likely already dancing in your head. You've probably been burned before, after all.

But in fact, Great Value's carrots are, well, great. They're a tad bit softer than other carrots on this list, but not in an unpleasant way. This tenderness makes them an excellent choice for glazing, as well as pureeing, which should interest all the smoothie aficionados out there. It's particularly easy to toss a can of these carrots into a soup or stew for a little extra flavor, texture, and nutrition. They're also remarkably consistent — you won't crack a tooth on any randomly tough chunks, or find yourself swallowing a bizarrely tasteless carrot coin. Great Value's canned carrots are just plain yummy and seriously cheap. What more could a cook ask for?

La Costeña's carrots are a little different from the other entries on this list. Yes, they're sliced and come ready to eat in a can, but that's not all that's waiting for you under that shiny metal lid. There are also jalapeno pepper chunks, a tangy glug of vinegar, pungent onions, and a variety of piquant spices. Don't go thinking this is a vegetable medley — the can advertises sliced carrots, not carrots, jalapenos, and onions. The carrots are, without question, front and center, and the added ingredients serve them. But there's no denying this product stands out from the pack.

La Costeña advertises its carrots as a zesty garnish for Latin dishes and just the thing to top off a taco. They do indeed serve these purposes, bringing brightness, tanginess, and just a hint of spice to all manner of dishes. They are particularly good when served with pork or red meat — they simultaneously lighten all that rich, heavy flavor and bring it into greater focus. Don't assume they only fit Latin dishes, either; Asian stir-fries, British stews, and even simple salads all benefit from a scattering of La Costeña's carrots. They're even delicious when eaten out of hand. As one Amazon customer wrote in a review evocatively titled "Bunnies would be jealous," "These are such a nice healthy and satisfying snack."

People love carrots for all sorts of reasons. Some can't resist their refreshing crunchiness, which enlivens many a crudité platter. Some appreciate how long they last in the crisper. But pretty much everyone, from kids who turn their noses up at most veggies to health-conscious adults, agrees that their sweetness is their greatest asset. Many of the most beloved carrot-based dishes around lean into this — there's nothing quite like glazed carrots at the dinner table — but few canned carrots bump their sweetness up. Glory bucks this trend with their sumptuous honey carrots.

These Southern-style carrots are absolutely luscious, thanks to a long simmer in honey and butter. This makes them quite a bit softer than most other entries on this list, but that's definitely not a bad thing; they melt in your mouth just as a slow-cooked carrot should. Given how long it can take to roast, simmer, or bake carrots to this level of tenderness on your own, this product feels a little like a miracle. With nothing more than a quick spin in the microwave, you've got a Thanksgiving-caliber side ready to serve.

From the moment you open the can, you'll notice that Goya's carrots are a tad bit bigger than other brands'. They're also vividly orange — perhaps the most boldly colored on this list. Texturally, they're on the firmer side, to the point that they retain some genuine crunch. Taste is where they really shine, though: These carrots are sweet, refreshing, and pleasantly earthy.

All of these aspects make these carrots a solid buy; but their greatest virtue is in their consistency. Every single carrot is of uniform size, color, texture, and taste. Once you've had one can, you know what you're in for from every other one you might buy — the Goya factory seems to turn out no subpar batches. This kind of tried-and-true goodness is a boon to any home cook, especially those with little wiggle room in their schedules. Moreover, while they're fantastic when eaten straight out of the can, these carrots' heartiness makes them a wonderful choice for slow-cooked dishes. Even after a long stretch of simmering, they retain their shape, color, taste, and texture. If you want carrots that stay carrot-y, you really can't do better than Goya.

Embasa's bright red cans proudly announce its carrots as being "in escabeche." What's escabeche, the less Spanish-savvy among you might be asking? In essence, it's an umbrella term for a wide range of Spanish and Latin foods made with a vinegar-forward marinade, brine, or sauce. Embasa is referring to the Mexico-specific meaning of escabeche, which basically means these carrots come with onions, jalapenos, vinegar, a sprinkling of salt and sugar, and a variety of flavorful spices.

This panoply of ingredients makes itself known from the very first bite. The carrots are sweet and mild, which offers a wonderful contrast to the spicy bite of the jalapenos. The onions are sweet and tangy, their eye-watering intensity toned down by the briny vinegar. Top notes of salt and garlic set the whole mixture off perfectly. Compared to La Costeña's medley, the other jalapeno-carrot-onion product on this list, Embasa's is a bit less carrot-heavy, though they're definitely still center stage. This means each can packs a bit more jalapeno-based heat than you might expect. Those who are sensitive to spice might want to opt for another brand, as a result — but those who love all things spicy should definitely make trying these carrots a priority. Their zingy mixture of sweetness, tanginess, and heat makes them a wonderful snack, garnish, or topping for all manner of dishes. Mexican food, as you might expect, is particularly well-served by Embasa's carrots; they're simply heavenly sprinkled atop tacos al pastor.

Naming a brand "Chef's Quality" is a pretty gutsy move. "Chef" has elite connotations, after all, especially when compared to more workaday terms like "cook." You hear "chef," and you think of the kind of food that comes with fussy little garnishes. Can a tin of carrots truly live up to this image? Yep. Chef's Quality's carrots are just as suited to a hoity-toity Parisian restaurant as they are to your own home kitchen.

These carrots are on the thinner side, especially when compared to the hearty carrot coins offered by brands like Goya. But this isn't a strike against them — in fact, it's a virtue. Chef's Quality's carrots are delicate, flexible, and capable of soaking up a ton of intense flavor. Somehow, despite their relative wispiness, they don't fall apart with one chew, or melt away to nothing in a soup. They do soften, of course, after an hour or two in the pot, but they retain their distinct shape and flavor. This makes them an interesting addition to any dish, and a particularly delightful ingredient in a salad. Unlike shredded carrots — the form in which they appear in so many salads — Chef's Quality's carrot coins aren't overwhelmed by a thick Ranch dressing or an avalanche of sliced almonds. This allows them to bring their distinct sweetness and robust crunch to the proceedings in full, which suits pretty much any salad you can think of.

Buying fresh carrots, like any unprocessed produce, is a bit of a gamble. If you don't have a solid plan for what you're going to make with them and when you're going to put it into action, it's easy to forget them in the crisper until they're a soggy, spoiled mess. Yet even the best-laid plans can get interrupted by life's unpredictability. Sure, you might have grand plans for rosemary roasted carrots on a bed of greens — but then your car breaks down, throwing your whole schedule out of whack. No wonder home cooks turn to canned produce.

Because most canned carrots are sliced, you might assume recipes that require them to be whole can only be made with fresh carrots. Not so. Gefen's whole canned carrots are the solution to this issue, and they're absolutely delicious. These baby carrots are refreshingly sweet, impressively firm, and altogether excellent. Their time in the can does nothing to diminish them — there's no mushiness, saltiness, or unpleasantly metallic flavor to be found here. This allows home cooks a fabulous degree of flexibility. As one Amazon reviewer put it, "Perfect for my chicken pot pies. I've since ordered them 3 times and will continue." As that same customer goes on to point out, Gefen's canned carrots are admittedly a bit pricier than other brands, but the quality and versatility they bring to the pantry makes them more than worth the cost.

Green Giant is indeed a giant in the world of preserved vegetables. Their canned carrots are among their lesser-known products, however. Whether you're rummaging through a third-party retailer or the brand's own website, you're a lot likelier to stumble across canned corn, green beans, and mushrooms than you are to discover its canned carrots. But indeed, Green Giant canned carrots exist. And once you've tried them, you'll be surprised they were so hard to find.

These canned carrots are pretty much everything canned carrots should be. They're full of bright carrot flavor, tending towards the sweeter side of things. Texturally, they're of medium thickness, and pleasantly tender. They truly shine when it comes to cooking, however; they soak up marinades, dressings, and brines like little orange sponges. But unlike tofu, potatoes, or other potential flavor bombs, they don't lose their distinct character. Underneath the spices, oils, or vinegars you add, these carrots retain their uniquely vegetal sweetness. Take note, Green Giant — these carrots deserve a better spot on the brand website.