8 Surprising Ways to Add Carrots to Your Diet Brought to you by:

8 Surprising Ways to Add Carrots to Your Meals

Even Bugs Bunny would be delighted by these tasty innovations and transformations

Maren Caruso Our favorite rascally rabbit was right to munch on his favorite snack: Carrots are packed with healthy nutrients that are . They're rich in vitamin A, which the retina needs to function. They also contain vitamin C — which is associated with a lower risk of cataracts and age-related — and lutein, a carotenoid that may help protect the retina and lens from sunlight, smoke and air pollution. If you're ready to go beyond baby carrots as a snack, here are some delicious ways to use them in recipes.

1 Bacon

Use a vegetable peeler to create long, thin slices. Mix soy sauce, garlic powder, smoked paprika, olive oil and a little maple syrup; brush on. Air fry at 350ºF for 10 minutes.

2 Hummus

Roast chopped carrots with cumin, then blend in a food processor with tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil.

3 Noodles

Spiralize carrots. Boil briefly or sauté until tender, then toss with butter, Parmesan, lemon zest and pepper.

4 Energy bites

In a food processor, combine dates, carrots, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and a pinch of salt until well blended. Roll into balls; no cooking needed.

5 Waffles

Add ½ to 1 cup shredded carrots to your favorite waffle recipe (or mix).

6 Salad dressing

Blend carrots with ginger, rice vinegar, olive oil, garlic and toasted sesame oil for a zesty salad topper.

7 Mashed Potatoes

Replace some of the spuds in your favorite mashed potato recipe with carrots for sweetness and a vitamin boost.

8 Tacos

Toss chopped carrots with oil and chile powder; roast until caramelized. Pile into tacos with avocado, radishes, cilantro and sour cream. Beth Lipton is a contributing writer who covers food, recipes and nutrition for AARP. She is the former food director at Healthmagazine, and her recipes and writing have appeared on FoodNetwork.com and in Clean Eating; Well+Good; Eat This, Not That!; Epicurious and other publications. She's the author of three cookbooks.

More on Healthy Eating

Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.