Carrot (Daucus carota L.), which is one of the top-ten ranking vegetable crops in the world, is an important source of vitamin A in human diets. China is a major producer of carrot and has rich carrot landraces with colors (i.e. orange, red, yellow and purple). The carrot germplasm resources with diverse root colors enabled deciphering the regulation mechanisms of the synthesis and metabolism of carotenoids and anthocyanins, and the origin and domestication of carrot. This article outlined the domestication history and major pigment components of carrot with different root colors, reviewed the research progress of genetic loci and functional genes modulating the accumulation of carotenoids and anthocyanins in carrot roots, introduced the uses and breeding methods of varieties with different root colors, as well as provided prospects in future research of carrot root color traits, thus serving as a basis for understanding the regulation mechanisms of carrot root color and breeding with colorful varieties.