How Many Carrots Does It Take To Fill Up One Glass Of Juice?

Carrots come in all shapes and sizes, so asking how many it takes to make a single glass of juice is like asking how many dogs it takes to fill up a bed. (Although in the latter case, the answer can be a single chihuahua, if they're determined to grab the center spot.) As a general rule, you may need between 9 and 11 medium-sized supermarket carrots to yield a single cup of juice. A more accurate way to determine the number of carrots needed to produce eight ounces of liquid, however, would be to weigh them. Eighteen ounces of carrots is necessary to fill up an 8-ounce glass. Yep, that's a lot, but carrots are much denser and less juicy than apples (you only need 14 ounces of those) or watermelon (a mere four ounces will work).

If you don't have a juicer and are using your blender to extract the juice from chopped carrots, you'll need to add liquid to facilitate the process. While this will dilute the carrot juice, a complementary flavor such as orange juice can add some much-needed sweetness and tang, while coconut water will supply nutrients of its own. In this case, you can get by with as few as three carrots as long as you use a sufficient amount of fluid to make up the difference.

However many carrots it takes to make your juice, even one is too many to waste. Carrot pulp is not only edible but retains many of the carrot's nutrients. It's also a great source of fiber. Instead of tossing or even composting the pulp, put it to good use in a recipe. If you use it in a carrot cake, carrot muffins, or similar baked goods, ½ cup of carrot pulp can replace a single grated carrot. You can also use the carrot pulp to sneak some extra veggies into another dish such as stew or meatloaf. In fact, it would be perfect for fixing too-acidic tomato sauce since the carrots provide a subtler sweetness than honey or sugar. 

If you've juiced your carrots with the skins still on and as a result, find that the pulp tastes too bitter, you can still repurpose it in a hydrating face mask. Mix equal parts of carrot pulp, olive oil, and honey, then apply it to your face for 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing. Rather than turning your skin orange, the antioxidant-rich carrots will help  nourish and moisten your skin.