6 Colourful Carrot Types and Benefits

Introduction  

We grew up believing that carrots are orange in colour. Most of us find it strange when we notice the rainbow colours of carrots with their varying shades.

Carrots can be purple, red, yellow, or white in addition to orange. Nearly all carrots grown for human consumption were a deep, dark purple until the late 16th century when Dutch farmers created the sweet, plump orange carrot.  

These days, carrots come in a spectrum of colours, including purple, red, white, yellow, and orange.  

Carrots with rainbow colours do not taste like orange carrots. Yellow carrots have a celery and parsley-like flavour that is earthy and sweet. White carrots have a mild flavour. Purple carrots can be quite sweet or have a peppery taste.

Why are carrots different colours?  

Carrots are a type of root vegetable that is usually orange in colour. Carrots also come in a variety of colours, which some people might not be aware of. They are available in white, yellow, red, magenta, and purple colours.

Another fascinating aspect of carrots is that, though most people just eat the root and discard the stems and leaves, these leftover greens are still edible.   

Carrots were once planted more for their seeds and leaves than their roots. After a few thousand years, people started eating the root and discarding the leaves.

Carrots are of different colours owing to the nutritional component present in them. For instance, beta-carotene renders the orange colour of the carrots. In purple and yellow carrots, the major portion of carotenoids is lutein.

Carrot colours  

• Orange carrots  

These are the familiar carrots. They have the highest beta-carotene concentrations and have the true carrot flavour. Several colours and sizes can be found in orange carrots. So, if you want to plant carrots for the first time, opt for orange varieties.

• White carrots  

These carrots are Afghan and Iranian in origin. They are neither exceptionally delicious nor as sweet as other carrots. They also lack a lot of essential nutrients. White carrots are crunchy and offer a lot of fibre, which is excellent for you. White carrots can be used in any recipe that requires extra texture without any additional flavours.  

• Yellow carrots  

Carrots with a bright yellow colour have a delicious crunch and are juicy and fragrant. When raw, they have a light sweetness and don’t lose colour when cooked.

They contain a lot of lutein. Squashes, kiwis, many orange fruits and vegetables, grapes, and various brassica vegetables also contain them. It is connected to vitamin A and beta-carotene.  

Along with fat, lutein has a better chance of being absorbed by the body.  

• Red carrots  

Red carrots have high lycopene content. They have a flavour similar to orange carrots but a little earthier and sweeter. They taste great, both fresh and cooked. Fats are necessary for the absorption of the beneficial components in carrots.  

• Purple carrots   

The flavour of these differs from that of regular orange carrots. They occasionally have an earthy, peppery flavour and can be very sweet. They also lose a significant amount of colour when cooked. However, they make fantastic carrot juice and have a nice raw flavour.  

Additionally, purple carrots contain a lot of anthocyanins. All fruits and vegetables that are purple, blue, or black contain these antioxidants. Purple carrots with red, orange, or white cores are available. They all contain high levels of anthocyanins, together with lycopene and alpha carotene.

• Black carrots  

Carrots that are labelled “black” are very dark purple in colour. They are fantastic because they have even more anthocyanins than their paler cousins. They are the spiciest of the lot and share the same health benefits as purple ones.

How do different coloured carrots taste?  

The flavour differences between orange, purple, red, white, and yellow carrots aren’t noticeable. It isn’t even as varied as differently coloured tomatoes. The flavour primarily exhibits when eating raw carrots and is frequently mild and unnoticeable.  

• Orange carrot  

In Holland, around the 17th century, orange carrots won over and became known as normal carrots. Before this, carrots were available in a wide variety of colours, including green.

Like other coloured carrots, orange carrots are high in beta-carotene and have around four times the recommended amount of vitamin A. These vegetables taste earthy and sweet and are delicious, raw or cooked.  

Carrots can be eaten as a snack with a dip, in salads, or as an entrée with other ingredients such as spicy potatoes, cabbage and carrots.

• Red carrot  

When it comes to flavour, red and orange carrots are very similar. The lauded antioxidant found in tomatoes, lycopene, gives them their red colour. To mention a few advantages, lycopene is good for health and can reduce neuropathic pain, keep the eyes healthy, help prevent cancer, and is good for the brain.

Use red carrots innovatively by incorporating colourful vegetables into dishes like creamy carrot soup or gingered carrot soup.  

• Purple carrot   

Purple carrots are striking and appealing, yet many of them are just coloured purple on the outside. When closely examining the outside, one can frequently see that they have distinctly orange centre cores.

Purple carrots have a very sweet flavour that rarely contains a peppery undertone. This occurs more frequently with purple carrots that maintain their colour on the outside as well as the inside. But the peppery flavour is often undetectable and isn’t always there. Purple carrots taste fantastic raw, in salads or when made into sour pickles.

• White or golden carrot  

White or golden carrots are usually yellow or cream in colour. These vegetables lack the usual earthiness found in carrots of other colours and have a mild flavour.  

These carrots have a sweeter flavour than orange, red, or purple varieties. They are especially delicious when roasted; you can glaze them by frying them in a pan with butter and sugar. They will provide an excellent pale colour and an unexpected burst of sweetness to a stew or soup.

White or golden carrots can be used to produce several easy side dishes, such as golden carrot coins mixed with butter, chicken stock, spices, and fresh herbs. Use this to add some healthy vegetables to a meat and potato dish.

Nutrients of carrots  

The root of carrots, which contains several nutrients, is the component humans consume. They contain beta-carotene, which must be obtained through diet because the body cannot produce it.

White and yellow carrots have less beta-carotene. Lutein makes up over half of the carotenoids in yellow and purple carrots. Beta-carotene, which gives carrots their vibrant orange colour, functions as an antioxidant and is processed by the body into vitamin A.  

A significant portion of vitamin K, vitamin B6, carbs, protein, fibre, and fat are also present in carrots. Sucrose, glucose, and fructose are free sugars in carrots.

In addition to having a high concentration of anthocyanins, the antioxidant molecules that give many blue, purple, and blackberries their vibrant colours and health benefits, purple carrots contain many of the same health advantages as orange carrots. These blue pigments have been shown to help with memory, vision, heart attack prevention, inflammation reduction, and even weight management.

Storing carrots  

Use carrots within three weeks after storing them in plastic bags in the refrigerator. Keep carrots in a cool environment to preserve them for longer. Before storing a bunch of carrots, cut off the leafy green tips because they deprive them of moisture and vitamins, making them wilt and rough.  

Store away from food that produces ethylene gas, which can make carrots bitter, such as apples, pears, potatoes and other fruits and vegetables.

Conclusion  

Carrots vary widely in quality. Each exterior colour has its own description. It is essential to understand that colours on the interior and outside don’t always correspond. Carrots come in a variety of colours due to their pigment.

Yellow and orange colours are caused by anthocyanins and carotenes, respectively. The method used to grow the vegetable also affects the colour. The colour depends on the time of year the seed is sown, the weather, the soil’s quality, and how much sunlight and water the seed gets.