How To Julienne Carrots

If you’ve ever eaten a carrot slaw or carrot salad, then you’ve likely experienced “julienned” carrots. Julienne, a thin, match-like cut, is also known as the “French cut” and is regularly taught to culinary students at French-style cooking schools, though plenty of home cooks like to julienne their carrots, too. We consulted a group of professional chefs who regularly work with this cut to find out exactly how to julienne carrots, how to keep your fingers safe in the process, and how to best use julienned carrots in your cooking.

Why Should You Julienne Carrots?

Julienning isn’t just for professional restaurant chefs; Marta Rivera Diaz, the chef and author of Sense and Edibility, tells us that “julienned carrots are a busy cook’s dream. Not only do they look better in salads and slaws, but their thin size allows them to be cooked quickly in recipes like stir-fries. Cubed or diced carrots take longer to soften and are more difficult to pierce with a fork when served raw.”

Knife Safety When Julienning

According to private chef Tiffani Janelle, the two most important kitchen tools to keep with you when julienning carrots are “a sharp knife and a safe cutting surface.” For a safe cutting surface, seek out a cutting board with enough space to maneuver and that has the weight and the grip to stay in one place during the process.

It may seem like a very sharp knife would put you at a higher risk of nicks and cuts, but the opposite is true. Using a dull blade is more dangerous than a sharp knife because the dull blade needs more pressure to cut through food, increasing the chances that the knife will slip. By contrast, a sharp knife cuts the surface more easily. Sharp knives also make cleaner cuts, which is important for smooth, even slices. A dull knife tends to crush the food.

The best knife for julienning is “a sharp, non-serrated knife. A chopping knife works well, but is not required. It’s important to only use a sharp knife so you can make clean cuts,” explains Hugo Saavedra, executive sous chef of ATRIO Wine Bar & Restaurant at the Conrad Downtown in New York City.

Also, while you’re slicing, be sure to “maintain good knife discipline,” recommends Chad Brown, executive chef of Hunt & Fish Club in New York City. “Knife discipline” involves “using your knuckles as a guard, ensuring that you stand comfortably, and staying focused [on the task].” Curling your knuckles inward helps protect them from the sharp knife blade.

How To Julienne Carrots With A Knife

Follow these simple and careful steps to master this technique.

Step 1: Prep The Carrots

Julienned carrots (which are often served raw) should be peeled first. Also, you should “start out by choosing the right carrot. Look for a large, uniform and firm carrot, then peel it with a vegetable peeler. This step guarantees that it is clean and free from dirt and impurities,” explains Jeff Shields, chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.

Step 2: Cut Into Rectangle Shapes

After the carrot is peeled and rinsed, cut the carrot into rectangular shapes. “Cut off the stems and bottoms and slice off one side at a time so you are left with a rectangular chunk of carrot,” Saavedra tells us. For a zero-waste angle, “you can slice [the scraps] up and mix them in with the uniform pieces you’ll cut later.”

Step 3: Cut Shorter Lengths

Cut the desired length. The length of a julienne “stick” can certainly span the entire length of the carrot, but if you’d rather work with shorter sticks, you can accomplish that easily by “chopping the carrot into chunks that are 2-3 inches long,” says Saavedra.

Step 4: Slice Carrots Lengthwise

Julienne cuts are, by nature, long and thin. Thus, once you’ve sectioned your carrot into chunks of the length that you prefer, slice the carrot pieces lengthwise into planks. Because you’ve cut the ends off of the carrot chunks, you can do this slicing by propping the carrot on one end and cutting down lengthwise.

Step 5: Stack Planks And Cut Into Sticks

To finish the julienne process, place the planks on top of each other and cut the stacked planks lengthwise into sticks that are 1/8 inch to 1/16 inch thick, says Saavedra.

Step 6: Measure Cuts For Consistency

We’ve included a number of specific widths and lengths in these instructions, and you may be wondering just how important it is to abide by those measurements. Saavedra argues that, because “the goal with juliennes is to get them all to a fairly uniform size,” measuring shouldn’t be avoided.

But the ruler-averse home cooks among us will be glad to know that, according to Matt Cockrell, chef of Josephine Brasserie and Bar in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, experience will allow you to grow out of the measuring phase of julienning. “In culinary school, I had to measure each cut to ensure it was the right size. [I found that] this will help you identify the correct size until it becomes muscle memory,” he says.

How To Julienne Carrots With Other Tools

A knife isn’t the only way to julienne carrots, but it’s the most accurate. Other kitchen tools can also be used for less precise cuts.

Mandoline

A mandoline can do more than cut consistent planks. A model with a julienne blade can also make quick work of cutting the carrots into matchsticks. “A mandoline is an amazing tool for precision slicing. It has been my experience that the best way to even think about julienning a carrot or any type of root vegetable is to begin with a mandoline,” says Massachusetts-based private chef and caterer Carlos Montoya. Montoya likes julienning with the mandoline because it “will give you even, thin slices for you to be able to then lay out on your cutting board and then be able to julienne.”

Julienne Peeler

A special julienne peeler makes the task quick and efficient. Lay a carrot lengthwise on a work surface and, holding the top, carefully drag the peeler lengthwise from top to bottom on the carrot to produce several long sticks at once. Repeat until the carrot is too thin to slice, and cut the rest by hand.

Food Processor

Some food processors also have julienne blades. Just follow the instructions for your food processor and let it do the hard work for you.

How To Cook With Julienned Carrots

Two categories of recipes call for julienned carrots more than any other: salads and stir-fries. The cut is the same, and there are endless recipes to try.

Use For Salads And Slaws

Sam Fore, the Kentucky-based chef and owner of Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites, says that she likes to use julienned carrots “in salads for a textural swap.” The thin matchsticks offer a solid crunch without overwhelming the other textures in a salad, which allows them to integrate in a pleasant and refreshing way. 

Fore also tells us that she enjoys using pickled julienned carrots to top a pulled pork sandwich. Julienned carrots have long been a staple ingredient for slaws of all stripes, since they absorb dressing well and have a firmer bite to them than other popular slaw ingredients (like cabbage). 

Add julienned carrots to these salad and slaw recipes:

Add To Stir-Fry Recipes

The thinner texture of julienned carrots makes them easy and quick to cook through, which is why cooking methods like stir-frying, which rely on high heat and speedy stirring, are an ideal match for this cut.

Although Chef Montoya tells us that he prefers to use julienned carrots raw in salads and slaws, “if I am going to cook with [julienned carrots], I use them in a stir fry.” To help maintain the crisp bite of the carrots, Montoya adds them to his stir fries at the very end and gives them just enough time to warm up, but not enough to soften. 

Try adding julienned carrots to these stir-fry recipes: