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Carrot Salad

ByRestauFeed

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: Carrot salad is a simple side dish that pairs crisp carrots with crunchy nuts and a zippy honey Dijon lemon vinaigrette. Pair it with just about anything or use it as a topping for other dishes.

How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, whisk
Servings: 4

Bowl of shredded carrot salad with cilantro and cashews, next to a small bowl of cashews, salt, and lemon wedges.

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Sometimes you just need a simple salad to round out a meal and if you’re looking to switch things up from your standard house salad recipe, this carrot salad delivers. It’s just as easy as tossing together a bag of greens with balsamic vinaigrette but it’s something a little bit different.

Rather than playing second fiddle to lettuce, carrots are the star of this salad recipe, with fresh cilantro and roasted nuts as key supporting players. It all comes together with a bright, sweet-and-tangy vinaigrette, which brings out the best in humble carrots.

This is definitely a recipe that’s greater than the sum of its parts—it seems so simple looking at the ingredient list, but it’s absolutely delicious!

Easy Carrot Salad

Fantastic texture. Salads are about flavor, yes, but they are just as much about texture. I love how this salad BRINGS IT with the crisp carrots and nuts. If wilted lettuce absolutely ruins a salad for you, you’ll appreciate this carrot salad especially because you can make it ahead without affecting the quality of the salad.

Practically effortless. Once you’ve julienned the carrots, all the hard work is done—just whisk together the dressing and let the salad marinate a bit to bring together all the flavors.

Versatile. You can serve this carrot salad as a side dish, but I also love using it as a topping to add crunch to turkey burgers or fancy up savory corn cakes.

A close-up of a carrot salad with chopped herbs and nuts, with a black fork in the dish.

Ingredient Notes

  • Carrots: Don’t use baby carrots! Regular carrots have much more flavor. I like to look for extra large carrots because they’re easier to julienne or grate. We tested the recipe with packaged julienned or matchstick carrots but found that they weren’t as flavorful and didn’t absorb the dressing as well.
  • Fresh cilantro: Cilantro haters, fear not! You can swap in parsley or fresh mint leaves. 
  • Roasted nuts: I love cashews in this salad but peanuts or pistachios would also work well.
  • Lemon juice: For the vinaigrette dressing, you’ll want to use freshly squeezed juice, which has a more vibrant flavor than bottled.
  • Olive oil: This is a recipe where you can put that fancy extra-virgin olive oil to use if you have it.
  • Honey: Adding honey to the dressing is a nice way to accentuate the natural sweetness of the carrots, and it also adds balance to the acidity and tartness of the lemon juice.
  • Dijon mustard: Mustard packs a lot of punch in a small package, giving the dressing depth and oomph. It also acts as a emulsifier, so that the lemon juice and olive oil blend together.
  • Seasonings: Ground cumin, salt, and pepper.
Ingredients flat lay: two carrots, bowls of mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro, sugar, cashews, ground spice, salt, pepper, and honey on a light background.

How to Make Carrot Salad

Make the dressing. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, mustard, and seasonings together in a large bowl. Choose a bowl that’s large enough for the whole salad so you don’t have to get another bowl dirty.

Glass bowl with olive oil, Dijon mustard, black pepper, salt, and lemon juice.
A clear glass bowl filled with a yellowish, speckled salad dressing.

Prep the carrots. Peel and rinse the carrots first. Use a mandoline to julienne the carrots or a box grater to grate the carrots. Some food processors come equipped with a mandoline blade; if you have one, that would work well, too.

Cooking Tip

If you grate the carrots, the carrots will be softer; julienned carrots will be more crisp and crunchy. It’s a matter of personal preference.

Sliced carrots arranged next to a mandoline slicer on a white surface.
A pile of thinly julienned orange carrot strips on a white background.

Assemble. Add the carrots to the bowl with the dressing, then add the cilantro and toss to coat. Don’t add the nuts until you’re ready to serve the salad so they stay crisp.

Marinate and serve. Let the salad marinate for 15 minutes, then stir in the nuts and serve.

Easy Recipe Variations

  • Add an apple. Choose a firm apple—either tart like Granny Smith or one with a sweet-tart balance like Pink Lady—and julienne or chop it.
  • Chik-Fil-A copycat. Stir in crushed pineapple (well-drained) and raisins to mimic the popular salad. Their salad is made with mayonnaise and lots of sugar so your salad won’t be exactly the same but I think this recipe is actually much better!
  • Give it a protein boost. Rinsed and drained canned chickpeas pair well with the flavors in this salad and make it a more substantive side or even a light main course. You could also add feta cheese, finely diced sharp provolone, or another cheese you enjoy.
  • Fold in fruit. Dried fruit such as raisins, golden raisins, currants, dates, or dried cranberries add extra flavor to this carrot salad.

Serving Ideas

Store this carrot salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The texture of the carrots will soften during storage. Toss everything together again before serving and add more nuts, if desired, to restore some of the crunchiness.

  • In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, cumin, salt, and pepper until well combined.

    2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

  • Peel and julienne (or coarsely grate) the carrots and place in the same large bowl.

    4 to 5 large carrots, about 1 pound

  • Add the cilantro, and toss everything together until evenly coated.

    ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

  • Let the salad sit for at least 15 minutes in the fridge to marinate the carrots in the dressing. Add nuts immediately prior to serving; stir well. Taste the salad and add more salt or pepper, if desired.

    ¼ cup chopped roasted nuts

  • Serve chilled or at room temperature.

  • Adjust seasoning: If you use salted nuts, you may want to omit the salt in the recipe. Check the seasoning after you add the nuts and adjust as necessary.
  • Add fruit: Apple is a tasty addition. Use 1 firm apple, julienned or finely chopped. Dried fruits such as raisins, golden raisin, currents, dried cranberries or dates can be added, if desired. A small can of crushed pineapple, well drained, is good, too.
  • Add protein: Stir in 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained. You could also add crumbled feta cheese or finely diced cheese of your choice.
  • Storage: Cover and refrigerate the salad for up to 3 days. The nuts will get softer. If you know you’re going to reserve some of the salad for later, store the nuts separately. 

Serving: 0.75cup, Calories: 141kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Sodium: 172mg, Potassium: 126mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 2622IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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