Purpose This work was undertaken to evaluate the impact of different drying methods (convective, microwave and freeze drying) on color, selected secondary metabolites (total phenolic substances, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene and antioxidant capacity), texture (hardness), sensory properties and microstructure of carrot slices.Design/methodology/approachConvective drying at three different temperatures (55, 65 and 75 °C), microwave drying at two different power levels (100 and 200 W) and freeze drying were applied.FindingsSignificant differences were found among fresh and dried-carrot slices. Convective-dried carrots showed better quality characteristics in comparison with microwave-dried carrots. The convective-dried carrots at 65 °C exhibited the highest retention of bioactive compounds and best color among all convective drying conditions. The microwave-dried carrot slices at lower power (100 W) showed higher quality characteristics compared to the dried carrots at 200 W. The freeze-dried carrots exhibited the highest retention of secondary metabolites, sensory properties and best color among all drying methods.Originality/value The results from this study are significant for the processing of dried carrots by optimizing the conditions to obtain a high-quality product. Overall, freeze drying is a promising application as shown in the present study by its capability to better retention carrot quality underlying color, sensory, texture, microstructure and secondary metabolites.