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Highlights • Misshapen carrots were upgraded to Ca2+ gelling pectin enriched fractions (PEFs). • PEFs were orange colored because of carotenes, lutein and α-tocopherol antioxidants. • Sustainable ultrasound-pretreatment (US) and enzyme assisted extraction was used. • US-hemicellulase led to the highest PEF yield (27.1%), extracting the whole pectins. • US fell methylation degree and molecular weight, but gave the best yields and gelling. Abstract Carrot residues were upgraded as pectin-enriched fractions (PEFs) useful for functional food formulation due to co-extracted antioxidants (α- and β-carotenes, lutein, α-tocopherol), and gelling effect. High power ultrasound (US)-enzyme assisted extraction was applied for efficiency and sustainability. Carrot powder (CP) in citrate-buffer (pH 5.20) was submitted to US-pretreatment (12.27 W/cm2: 20 kHz, 80% amplitude, 20 min) and a subsequent digestion (5 h-40 °C) without or with hemicellulase or cellulase. US-hemicellulase led to the highest PEF yield (27.1%), and extracted almost the whole pectin content of CP. US-pretreatment increased the extraction yield of all PEFs, but the existence of an additional positive effect of the following step depended on the enzyme used. PEFs contained 40–47% of UA with low DM (24–49.9%), and co-extracted antioxidants. US decreased the antioxidant contents, DM, and molecular weight, but allowed obtaining calcium crosslinked true gels, also with higher elastic modulus than non-US-extracted PEFs, being promising as food additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]