One of the easiest ways to create a soft, natural yellows to soft orange soap is with something many of us already have in the kitchen: carrots.
Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, a natural pigment responsible for their vibrant color. When added to cold process soap as a purée, that pigment can produce colors ranging from light yellow to a fabulous orange, depending on the carrots and the amount used.
Carrot purée is one of several ingredients that can produce natural soap colors. In this article I’m looking specifically at how carrots behave in cold process soap.
This is part of my Year of the Rainbow series at Soapy Friends, where I’m demonstrating how to create every color of the rainbow using botanical soap colorants.
Can Carrot Purée Color Soap Naturally?
Yes. Carrot purée can create colors ranging from light yellow to a rich orange in cold process soap. The color comes primarily from beta-carotene, a fat-soluble pigment that survives the soapmaking process well enough to tint the finished bar.
In most cases, carrots create soft, natural yellows in cold process soap, with deeper orange tones showing up depending on concentration and formulation. The exact shade depends on several factors:
• how much carrot is added
• the beta-carotene content of the carrots themselves
• the oils in your soap recipe
• whether the soap goes through gel phase during saponification
Because carrots naturally vary in pigment, you won’t necessarily get the exact same shade every time you make carrot soap. That variation is normal when working with botanical soap colorants. Working with natural colorants like carrots is less about forcing a specific color and more about understanding how each ingredient behaves in soap.
And as a bonus… Carrot purée does more than add color! Because carrots contain natural sugars, they can also contribute to extra creamy lather, which many soapmakers enjoy.
Want more practical soapmaking resources?
Get the free Soapy Friends Starter Kit, including the Botanical Color Chart, Batch Breakdown Spreadsheet, Soap Mold Capacity Worksheet, printable labels, the Beginner Soapmaking Class, and more.
Why Carrots Work Well as a Soap Colorant
Carrots are a beginner-friendly botanical colorant for several reasons.
• They are inexpensive and easy to find
• They blend smoothly into soap batter
• They can produce charming yellow to mellow orange tones
• They add a small lather boost from natural sugars
Unlike some plant pigments that fade dramatically in high-pH environments, carrot purée tends to produce a reliable warm tone that survives saponification well.
Because carrots are already a common food ingredient, many soapmakers find them an approachable way to begin experimenting with botanical soap colorants.
If you’re interested in other ways to add fruits, vegetables, and many other food-stuff to soap, I also cover several techniques in this article: 👉 https://soapyfriends.com/adding-food-to-soap/
How I Prepare Carrot Purée for Soap
For soapmaking, I keep carrot purée very simple.
- Cook the carrots until they are soft.
- Blend them with a small amount of water until completely smooth.
- Measure the purée and add it to the soap batter.
A smooth purée helps prevent fibers or chunks in the finished soap. Some soapmakers also strain their purée if they want an especially silky texture.
Because purées contain natural sugars, they can sometimes cause the soap to warm more during saponification. I usually soap at moderate temperatures and keep an eye on the mold to prevent overheating.
Here’s a quick video showing how I prepare carrot purée for soap.
Can You Infuse Carrots in Oil?
Yes, you can also work with carrots as an oil infusion. Because the color compounds in carrots are oil-soluble, infusing them into your oils can create soft yellow tones that behave a little differently than purée.
If you want to go deeper into oil infusions and how to use them in soap, I teach that in detail inside my Extracting Color from Nature series.
Carrots Are Just One Way to Create Yellow to Orange Soap
Carrots are one of my favorite ways to create soft yellow to warm orange tones in cold process soap, but they’re definitely not the only option.
There are quite a few natural colorants that fall into this yellow-to-orange range, and each one behaves a little differently depending on how it’s used.
Other botanical options include:
• annatto seed oil infusions
• paprika oil infusions
• pumpkin purée
• certain yellow clays
In my Year of the Rainbow series, I’m exploring many different botanical ingredients that can produce a full range of yellow and orange soap colors so soapmakers can see how each behaves in real recipes.
Come make soap with us!
Inside Soapy Friends, members get exclusive tutorials, tested recipes, live soapmaking classes, troubleshooting help, special discounts, and a supportive community to learn alongside.
Quick Summary on Carrot Soaps
• Carrot purée or a carrot infusion can produce natural soap colors ranging from light yellow to glowing orange.
• The color comes from fat-soluble beta-carotene pigments.
• The exact shade varies because carrots naturally contain different amounts of pigment.
• Carrots also adds sugars that can help boost lather.
Explore More Natural Soap Colors
Carrots are just one of the ingredients I’m experimenting with in my Year of the Rainbow series, where I’m working through the entire spectrum of botanical soap colors.
Inside the course, members can watch the live soapmaking sessions, see the results of each experiment, and follow along as we test different natural colorants month by month.
⭐ Want more soapmaking help like this?
Soapy Friends is where soapmakers come to learn, experiment, and grow through exclusive tutorials, tested recipes, live classes, and a supportive community. Get the free Starter Kit for practical classes, charts, worksheets, labels, and more—and stay in the loop about everything happening inside Soapy Friends.
