Dilly Carrots

By : | 30 Comments | On : June 27, 2015 | Category : Fermentation, Food, Lacto-fermentation, Probiotic, Recipes

Learn to make fermented probiotic rich dilly carrots without whey. Great in salads, & with meals, if you resist eating them all straight from the jar first.

I’m not sure what it is about fermented foods that has me so enthralled. The probiotic aspect is great – and the flavors are like nothing else – but I think more than any of that, it’s just so dang cool to see these things work! I get like silly excited every single time! What can I say – I’m a food geek.

no whey lacto fermented dilly carrots

My latest ferment, known in certain circles as dilly carrots, was so simple to put together and by day 2 it was bubbling away doing all kinds of healthy sciency stuff in the jar.

I am not going to bore you with the same facts that are on about 350 thousand other websites (according to Google:)). But yes, they are extra good for you, aid digestion, and are rich in probiotic goodness. As you know if you’ve read my blog at all – I am really into that whole probiotic thing.:)

(Also, it makes bubbles.;)


Day 3 Dilly Carrot Ferment.

If you’re new to the world of fermenting, this dilly carrots recipe is an easy one to get started with. All you need is carrots, water and (non-iodized) salt.
Dill is a perfect compliment, but you can experiment quite a bit by adding cloves of garlic, onion, and other herbs and seeds.

The magic of lacto-fermentation does all the work. Lacto refers to Lactobacillus, a lactic acid bacteria (probiotic) and has nothing to do with dairy. Although some people use whey to speed up the fermentation process, it can sometimes lead to a rather icky slimy texture which I’d prefer to avoid.


These digital scalesdigital scale are perfect around the kitchen. I love the flat design – it makes it super simple to store.

Just measure out the salt and dissolve it in water. Dechlorinate your water first so it won’t interfere with fermentation. To dechlorinate water, just leave a jug of water on the kitchen counter overnight (12 – 24 hours).

The salt ratio is important for a safe ferment. If you change the recipe, keep the brine ratio at 4 cups water:19 grams of non-iodized salt.

I also stirred in some dry mustard powder (I thought we had mustard seeds when I started and wasn’t about to change my mind about adding it!).

If you use dry ingredients, they have a tendency to float upward, that includes dry mustard powder. So there will be a harmless scum from the powder rising with the gases. Don’t panic.:) Just remove it when you burp the jar (I only had to do it once, on day 2.)

Wash carrots well but don’t peel them. Slice ’em up however you like. You could even shred them if you’re so inclined.

I made my dilly carrots using tall thin slices for grabbing and eating straight out of the jar.

The smaller the carrot slices, the faster they will inherit all the yummy pickle-y flavor of the ferment. Make sure to leave room at the top of the jar to fully immerse the carrots in brine.

Throw some other flavorings like caraway seeds and peppercorns in a sterilized jar and pack everything in. If you don’t have an ideal way to weight the carrots down to stay under the brine (like a fermentation weightfermentation weight), just pack the jar extra full to keep the carrots submerged.

Cover the jar with a lid and leave it at room temperature a few days. Open the jar daily to release excess off-gases (or your jar could explode from excess pressure). Once the bubbling stops (between 5 – 10 days depending on room temperature) it can be stored in the fridge for at least 6 months (but it probably won’t last that long:)).

You can start taste testing around day 4, some people wait as long as 6 weeks. It’s totally up to your taste preference. The carrots will stay crispy, and develop into a tangy probiotic treat that even Kevin will eat.:)

no whey lacto fermented dilly carrots

Dilly Carrots

Wash and sterilize a 1 quart jar.

Mix 4 cups dechlorinated water with 19 grams coarse sea salt (or other non-iodized salt).
I used 4 tsps. dry mustard powder, but if you have mustard seeds, add 1 tsp. of them to your fermenting jar instead!

Wash and cut about 6 carrots, enough to pack jar well.

To bottom of jar, add:

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. peppercorns
1/2 tsp. caraway seed
1/4 tsp. fennel seed
2 sprigs of fresh dill

Pack carrots over dill and seed mixture.

Add brine to cover carrots completely. Cover with a lid and leave at room temperature.

Open jar daily to release gases. When your Dilly Carrots stop bubbling (between 5 – 10 days depending on temperature), store in fridge until ready to eat. Carrots will last in fridge 6 months.

Marvel over the simple and yet wondrous fermentability of so many good things!

no whey lacto fermented dilly carrots

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Comments (30)

  1. posted by Kim Hampton on June 27, 2015

    Very cool!

      Reply
    • posted by YogurtHydro on June 28, 2015

      Thanks Kim.:) Let me know if you try it!

        Reply
  2. posted by Starla B on June 27, 2015

    These sound so good and how interesting! My goodness your recipes are divine!

      Reply
    • posted by YogurtHydro on June 28, 2015

      Thanks Starla.:) I’ve been trying to let the carrots ferment for a couple more weeks, but I keep sneaking snacks from the jar lol. I think I will do 2 jars next time and hide one in the back of the fridge!

        Reply
  3. posted by Alina Conn on June 28, 2015

    I know it’s awful and geeky but this is extremely cool! Probiotics are it baby!

      Reply
    • posted by YogurtHydro on June 28, 2015

      LOL, I agree! With all these odd jars of ferments, foraged foods, and kefir around, Kevin thinks I’m in the kitchen doing Voodoo lol.

        Reply
  4. posted by Mai Tran on June 28, 2015

    A very interesting recipe! I’ve never heard of this fermented before. Gotta try!

      Reply
    • posted by YogurtHydro on June 28, 2015

      Let me know how it works for you Mai!

        Reply
  5. posted by Linda Manns Linneman on June 28, 2015

    I have never heard of this before. It sounds like a great, healthy idea. I really enjoyed reading about this. Thak you so much for sharing

      Reply
    • posted by YogurtHydro on July 22, 2015

      Thanks Linda, I hope you’ll try it!

        Reply
  6. posted by denise low on June 28, 2015

    Thank you for the recipe. We all love carrots at our house.

      Reply
    • posted by YogurtHydro on July 22, 2015

      You’re welcome. We eat a lot of carrots as well, but this recipe definitely changes their character. I’ve even used the dilly carrots in place of pickles on sandwiches.:)

        Reply
  7. posted by Ashley Perez on June 30, 2015

    Yum!

      Reply
  8. posted by dian on July 2, 2015

    waw

      Reply
  9. posted by Ashley Perez on July 3, 2015

    Looks so good. :)

      Reply
  10. posted by Ashley Perez on July 6, 2015

    nice :)

      Reply
  11. posted by Ardiansyah on July 7, 2015

    Very interesting web
    :)

    certainly tasty

      Reply
  12. posted by laure damrose on July 9, 2015

    Nice recipe,thank you.

      Reply
  13. posted by denise low on July 9, 2015

    Thank you for the recipe. My husband loves carrots.

      Reply
  14. posted by Jaclyn Reynolds on July 12, 2015

    Never tried carrots like this! Sounds super healthy!!

      Reply
    • posted by YogurtHydro on July 22, 2015

      This is what I really love about fermenting foods, it increases the nutrients and bio-availability…so it makes the carrots even more nutritious while adding an interesting complex flavor. Let me know if you try it.:)

        Reply
  15. posted by Kristin K on July 18, 2015

    I am definitely not a foodie! And, this was very interesting to read…but, I must admit, I don’t think that I will be making the “dilly carrots”. But, thanks for sharing!!!

      Reply
    • posted by YogurtHydro on July 22, 2015

      If you are ever feeling adventurous and happen to have a surplus of carrots, you’ll know what to do! Thanks for reading Kristin.:)

        Reply
  16. posted by Devin Septiandi on July 18, 2015

    nice, thx

      Reply
  17. posted by Deborah Caudill on July 19, 2015

    Thank you for posting how to make Dilly Carrots. I am going to try to make these because I have heard that they are good for you and taste good too.

      Reply
    • posted by YogurtHydro on July 22, 2015

      Awesome, I hope you’ll tell me how it goes for you.:)

        Reply
  18. posted by johnhutchens1 on August 11, 2015

    I think I will give this a shot and see how it goes. It sounds really good.

      Reply
    • posted by YogurtHydro on August 11, 2015

      I hope you enjoy them, come back and let me know!:)

        Reply
  19. posted by Augustina on November 8, 2017

    The first fermented veg I ever made was Sally Fallon’s ginger carrots which were delicious but grated. I love the idea of these chunky carrot sticks to snack on or eat with a meal. And carrots are good at keeping unwanted guests out of our gut – apparently all parasites loath raw carrot!
    I’ve just found you as I have so much horseradish in my garden here in North Wales, UK and I was about to compost it but thought maybe I could spice up some fermented cabbage etc. And there was your recipe! I can’t take caraway so I usually use star anise and cumin seed among other spices. Thank you for sharing the recipe. And the grated horseradish certainly cleared my sinuses well and truly!

      Reply

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