9 Colorful Carrot Varieties to Plant This Season

Carrots bring a sweet flavor to pair with their fresh, crisp crunch or cooked into savory dishes. Their antioxidant, vitamin, and beta-carotene-packed benefits make them a worthy addition to the vegetable garden, and their array of colors makes them all the more fun.

Depending on the variety, carrots range from red-orange to fuschia to deep purple to white. Colorful carrot varieties are seeing a surge in popularity, though they predate orange carrots, some with origins nearly a thousand years old. They heighten the crudite platter and delight the senses through their visual panache and tasty goodness.

From rustic to refined, gourmand to the kids’ table, colorful carrots enliven the culinary experience. In growing them from seed, we can pick our favorites to mix and match for successional rounds of seasonal vibrance. Carrots are easy growers wherever you have space in the garden. Delight in adding richness to the plate with uniquely colorful carrot varieties to plant this spring.

Carnival Blend

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Carnival Blend Carrot Seeds

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Atomic Red

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Atomic Red Carrot Seeds

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Cosmic Purple

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Cosmic Purple Carrot Seeds

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‘Carnival Blend’

	botanical name Daucus carota ‘Carnival Blend’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-10” roots

‘Carnival Blend’ becomes the life of the party tray in magenta red, purple, yellow, orange, and white. Cultivated for a thousand years, these have been favorites in Europe and Asia, and the heirlooms are commercially available again.

‘Carnival Blend’ matures in 65-75 days. Let the festive assortment of colorful carrot varieties grow to their mature length of 8 to 10 inches, or harvest them earlier for flavorful baby carrots at three to four inches. Depending on the color, root ends are tapered (purple, orange, yellow) or rounded (red). 

‘Tendersweet’

	botanical name Daucus carota ‘Tendersweet’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-10” roots

‘Tendersweet’ is a classic carrot – meaning orange with pure carroty appeal – but in a rich, pigmented red-orange. They’re as pretty as they are flavorful, wonderfully sweet and with long, slender roots. Fresh or cooked, they hold their color.

All carrot seeds do best with direct sowing to avoid disturbing the taproot at transplanting. Aim to sow two to four weeks before the final frost, with soil temperatures above 45°F (7°C). Scatter seeds on the soil surface and spread lightly to ensure soil contact, about ¼ inch deep.

‘Atomic Red’

	botanical name Daucus carota ‘Atomic Red’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-10″ roots

‘Atomic Red’ springs into action with a deep red exterior and a sweet, crisp, slender root. ‘Atomic Red’ is an Imperator-type carrot, meaning it’s long and tapered with stocky shoulders and strong tops. Imperator carrots are good for storing and have a long shelf life. Red carrots originated in the 1700s in China, India, and Japan.

When cooked, the orange cores of ‘Atomic Red’ stand out against the red outer layer. Try them steamed, boiled, roasted, or stir-fried for a bright addition, as the color intensifies during cooking. They’re high in the antioxidant lycopene, which gives them their red tone.

‘Atomic Red’ matures at 8 to 10 inches long. Pick them at any point up until they mature for a sweet and colorful culinary experience.

‘Cosmic Purple’

	botanical name Daucus carota ‘Cosmic Purple’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-7″ roots

‘Cosmic Purple’ is a far-out, colorful carrot variety with ancestors that have been around for a millennium. In addition to the vitamin A richness common to the crop is anthocyanin, which is responsible for the purple tones and the same healthy antioxidant found in blueberries.

The purple exterior gives way to an orange interior for the perfect complementary contrast. Conical roots taper at the end and reach six to seven inches long at peak development. ‘Cosmic Purple’ has Imperator qualities in slender tapering and resembles nantes types in its cylindrical form, size, and sweet crunchiness. The novel beauties have large leafy uppers and reach full size in about 70 days.

‘Shin Kuroda’

	botanical name Daucus carota ‘Shin Kuroda’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5″ roots

‘Shin Kuroda’ brings us back to orange, but a deep, vibrant red-orange. The Japanese variety peaks at five inches long with stout, sturdy roots. 

In addition to its saturated pigments, ‘Shin Kuroda’ is heat-tolerant. A high moisture content gives them an exceptionally sweet flavor. Carrots do best in organically rich, sandy loams, but ‘Shin Kuroda’ tolerates lesser compositions. With sturdy taproots, they navigate dense soils as long as they’re well-draining. Give them 75 days to fully develop.

‘Calliope Blend’

	botanical name Daucus carota ‘Calliope Blend’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-10″ roots

‘Calliope Blend’ brings a bundle of color with red, gold, orange, purple, and white selections. The surprise is in the harvest, and the fun array pops on the veggie platter. The white and red shades have rounded ends, while the others taper.

‘Calliope Blend’ matures in 65-75 days. Remember to harvest early for petite gourmets. In climates with mild summers, sow successive rounds every three weeks to keep the colorful rhythm coming. Stop sowing 10 to 12 weeks before fall’s first frost.

‘Rainbow’

	botanical name Daucus carota ‘Rainbow’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 7-9″ roots

‘Rainbow’ is a colorful carrot variety blend with soft, analogous shades from coral to orange to yellow. Seeds are not a blend but a single cultivar derived from a cross between Nantes and imperator types. Uniform roots peak at the same time, maturing at seven to nine inches long. 

The tasty roots are crisp, crunchy, and sugary, and you may pick up on flavor variations according to color. The warm tones are pretty on the plate or pickled in a jar. ‘Rainbow’ reaches full size in 67 days.

‘Red Cored Chantenay’

	botanical name Daucus carota ‘Red Cored Chantenay’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-7” roots

‘Red Cored Chantenay’ brings rich red-orange hues with a deeper core. A Chantenay type, the short, stout roots with blunt ends are a fit for burrowing in dense soils and shallow situations. ‘Red Cored Chantenay’ is a French heirloom from the 1800s and a favorite in juices, soups, and canning.

Because of their sturdy, thick five to seven-inch-long roots, ‘Red Cored Chantenay’ is less prone to root disorders like splitting, cracking, and forking. While carrots do best with a compost amendment in heavy soils like clay, this fiery heirloom is one to try in lesser conditions.

‘Lunar White’

	botanical name Daucus carota ‘Lunar White’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-12” roots

‘Lunar White’ is a creamy white variety brushed with green shoulders. White carrots have been in cultivation since the 1600s, stemming from wild carrots, and growing these incorporates a historical flare into the modern garden. They have a sweet, mild flavor and good crispness.