Carrot salads make a great addition to any meal and if like me, you have an abundance of carrots to use up, then salads are a tasty option. In this article, I have 19 delicious recipes for carrot salad to share with you that you can try out for yourself. So let’s get started – read on to find your new favorite carrot salad recipe.
Related: Are Carrots a Fruit or a Vegetable? | Can You Eat Carrots That Have Sprouted?
Table of Contents
- What I Put in Carrot Salads
- What to Serve With Carrot Salad
- Preparing a Carrot Salad
- 1. Carrot Salad with Sesame Maple Vinaigrette
- 2. Pecan Carrot Feta Salad
- 3. Festive Beet and Carrot Salad
- 4. Carrot Apple Salad
- 5. Armenian-Style Eggplant and Carrot Salad
- 6. Moroccan Carrot Salad with Lemon Dressing
- 7. Zucchini Carrot Salad with Catalina Dressing
- 8. Healthy Carrot Salad
- 9. Carrot, Chickpea and Raisin Salad
- 10. Moroccan Raw Carrot Salad
- 11. Korean Carrot Salad
- 12. Carrot Citrus Salad
- 13. Carrot Salad
- 14. Multicolored Shredded Carrot Salad
- 15. Roasted Carrot and Goats Cheese Salad
- 16. Cucumber Carrot and Radish Salad
- 17. Carrot Raisin Salad
- 18. Carrot Slaw with Apples and Pecans
- Some of My Favorite Kitchen Items:
What I Put in Carrot Salads
Most of us probably know what a carrot salad is but you’re probably looking for different ways to prepare carrots to make them interesting and delicious in salads. Well, carrot salads can be really, really versatile. I love that they can be made with raw or cooked carrots, and creatively paired with other ingredients and such as classic sultanas or raisins, nuts, herbs, and different dressings.
I like to get a bit more creative with carrot salads and include other yummy vegetables such as peppers, cucumbers, zucchinis, onions, cabbage, celery, beets, eggplant, radishes, and fruit such as apples, pear, citrus and even berries like blueberries. But not all at once! You’re really only limited by your imagination.
The below recipes included in this article will help inspire you to explore different flavor options for carrot salads to help make them super delicious.
By the way, did you know you can eat the leafy tops of carrots? If you’re lucky enough to find a bunch with their tops intact, or you grow your own carrots, you can check out our article: Eating Carrot Tops With Recipe Ideas.
What to Serve With Carrot Salad
Carrot salad is usually a side dish but it can also be the main dish for a healthy and delicious lunch.
Carrot Salad as a Main Dish
As a main dish option, you can serve carrot salad alone or try some crusty bread or some other form of carbs or protein. For a heartier meal, add some cooked quinoa or brown rice. Top your carrot salad with diced tofu or grilled chicken.
I really love carrot salad with white rice and tofu but you can also top your carrot salad with feta cheese and some chopped nuts.
Carrot Salad as a Side Dish
As a side dish, carrot salad can be served with any number of main dishes. You can serve carrot salad with quiche, grilled chicken, salmon, steak, lentil stew, pasta salad, quinoa bowls, falafel patties, burgers, and fried rice, or added to a sandwich or wrap. These are just a few ideas, carrot salad goes with many main dishes.
Preparing a Carrot Salad
Different recipes require various equipment for making carrot salad but many grate or shred the carrots. This calls for a simple box grater, mandolin, or food processor to make light work of grating carrots.
Because carrot salads are often served cold or at room temperature, you can prep your carrots by shredding them ahead of time. Shredded carrots can be kept in a container of cold water in the fridge for around a week. Make sure the container is airtight.
1. Carrot Salad with Sesame Maple Vinaigrette
This dish starts with freshly grated carrots which provide delicious crunch and sweetness. You can make this carrot salad really pop with color by selecting different colored carrots, after all, carrots are the hero of this salad. I love the purple and yellow carrot colors mixed with traditional orange carrots.
The addition of pistachios and sesame seeds gives extra crunch while cilantro brightens the whole salad. And who wouldn’t enjoy the maple flavor of this vinaigrette? Along with the nutty flavor from the sesame oil to help balance the sweetness. The end result is a flavorful carrot salad that will satisfy your taste buds!
2. Pecan Carrot Feta Salad
This vibrant carrot salad combines the sweetness of carrots, cranberries, and pecans with the savory flavors of feta and cilantro. And the honey lime dressing ties everything together for a slightly tart and citrusy-tasting salad.
This recipe calls for peeling carrots into long ribbons which I think is such pretty touch and makes a nice change from grating them. Serve this salad as a starter or pack it for a yummy work lunch – your work friends will find it hard not to be envious.
3. Festive Beet and Carrot Salad
This festive beet and carrot salad is colorful and flavorful. Cooked beets are combined with fresh carrots, and layered with the crunch of celery, and walnuts. Parsley, mint, and optional shallots add freshness and the lemon agave nectar dressing provides just the right amount of tang and sweetness for this side dish to be a stand-out salad.
Due to its vibrant festive color, this beet and carrot salad makes a wonderful addition to your holiday table but it can of course be eaten any time. And if you change out traditional colored beets, you can also make this dish with golden, orange, or purple beets along with different colored carrots. Look out for these options at farmers’ markets.
4. Carrot Apple Salad
This carrot apple salad combines the sweetness of apples with the crunchy texture of carrots for a delicious and very healthy salad. The addition of cilantro brightens the flavor while the simple dressing of fresh lemon juice and olive oil is complemented by the earthy flavor of ground coriander.
This is one of those simple salads you can whip up in minutes, well 15 minutes, and really enjoy the results of a flavorful carrot salad served up with your favorite main course. The apples in this salad will make it a winner with kids too, so if you’re looking for a way to add more vegetables, and fruit, into your children’s meals, give this salad a go.
5. Armenian-Style Eggplant and Carrot Salad
The earthy flavors of the roasted eggplant combined with the sweetness of carrots pair well with the creamy texture of the sour cream. Other ingredients include cilantro, walnuts, garlic and optional shelled edamame for added crunch and protein.
You can easily make this salad the day before so you have time to roast the eggplant and allow for chill time in the refrigerator. This very hearty eggplant and carrot salad can be served as a side dish or is an excellent meal in itself.
6. Moroccan Carrot Salad with Lemon Dressing
For this recipe, the carrots are chopped into match sticks, but if you are feeling time-poor, you can purchase them already prepared from the grocery store. Along with the match stick carrots – currants, slivered almonds, scallions and cilantro make up the rest of the salad.
The flavors of Morocco are found in the dressing, which along with classic lemon juice and olive oil, includes orange blossom water, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon and ras el hanout. A delicious Moroccan-style salad you can serve as a side dish and pairs perfectly with grilled chicken, or you can enjoy this salad on its own and top with crumbled feta for a light lunch.
7. Zucchini Carrot Salad with Catalina Dressing
This zucchini carrot salad makes great use of your spiralizer. Simply make your spiralized vegetable zucchini and carrot noodles, then simply dress with the creamy Catalina dressing and finish with toasted almonds and fresh mint.
If you think ketchup in your salad dressing is a bit unusual, you would be correct, but don’t let this stop you from trying this surprisingly delicious dressing – it’s the secret sauce! This salad is delicious as a side dish or enjoy it on its own for a healthy and nutritious lunch.
8. Healthy Carrot Salad
For this healthy carrot salad, julienne heirloom rainbow carrots are tossed with sweet and delicious caramelized onions. They pair perfectly with the garlicky, tangy dressing made from garlic, apple cider vinegar, coriander, and cumin. The sweet and crunchy carrots and softened onions are topped with fresh cilantro as the finishing touch.
With flavors inspired by Russian cuisine, this salad is a wonderful side dish to any main or serve it up in a gorgeous glass or small bowl as an impressive starter.
9. Carrot, Chickpea and Raisin Salad
Crunchy carrots provide texture and sweetness along with the raisins while the chickpeas add protein for a really fulfilling salad. Almonds and cilantro help finish off this salad along with the citrusy-ginger vinaigrette.
The dressing is made up of both orange and lemon juice and zest along with olive oil, vinegar and honey to help balance out the tang.
Feta cheese is an optional extra and would be a delicious addition, especially if you would like to have this salad as a healthy main dish or serve it up as a yummy side.
10. Moroccan Raw Carrot Salad
This incredibly simple raw carrot salad is made up of grated carrot and chopped cilantro. The delicious fresh flavors of the carrot and cilantro are brought out in the Moroccan-inspired dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, garlic and salt.
This carrot salad goes well served with other salads as a starter or served with mains. And best of all, it takes only 10 minutes to make. So if you’re ever looking to make a really quick salad to add to your meal and you’re running out of time, give this one a try!
11. Korean Carrot Salad
As Korean carrot salads go, this one is really interesting because it originates from Russia. The carrots are cut into thin strips while the onion and coriander seeds are cooked until caramelized. The dressing is made up of red wine vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt for a yummy combination of tangy and sweet flavors.
This Korean carrot salad is a wonderful and unique salad addition to BBQs, grilled meats, brought along to a picnic, or a sandwich filling. The choices are endless for this very tasty carrot salad!
12. Carrot Citrus Salad
This very pretty citrus carrot salad combines the sweet flavors of roasted rainbow carrots with blood orange and lemon citrus goodness. Lettuce, parsley, and mint bring freshness and the whole salad is dressed with a citrus mustard vinaigrette.
Make it a meal on its own or serve it as a delicious side dish. The flavors of this salad are a real celebration of winter and a clever use of abundant citrus and carrots.
13. Carrot Salad
Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most delicious. And that’s so true of this carrot salad recipe. The carrots shine in this quick 10-minute recipe.
Simply peel the carrots into ribbons, mince your garlic and chop your spring onions. Then bring this carrot salad together with a yummy dressing, add optional walnuts and raisins and you have a delicious summery salad ready in no time at all.
14. Multicolored Shredded Carrot Salad
Dried cranberries along with dried blueberries give this carrot salad some delicious pops of sweetness. The simple dressing of olive oil and lemon juice adds a light tanginess and complements the sweet carrots and dried fruit. Parsley is the finishing touch that lifts this yummy salad.
The perfect quick carrot salad that can be made in minutes with a food processor. Or cheat a little and pick up some already prepared shredded carrots from the grocery store for nights when you need a healthy salad in a hurry!
15. Roasted Carrot and Goats Cheese Salad
I love a salad that can be prepared ahead of time and this roasted carrot and goats cheese salad can easily be prepped the day before. Sweet roasted carrots pair well with the salty goodness of the goats cheese and pistachios while the herbs add freshness.
After arranging the ingredients on a platter, the salad is dressed in a honey lemon vinaigrette and finished with chives and mint. Serve this salad warm or at room temperature, either way will be delicious as a side dish to a roast or grilled meats, and perfect for entertaining.
16. Cucumber Carrot and Radish Salad
Loading up a variety of healthy salad ingredients of cucumber, carrot, radish and onions, this salad is quick to make and delicious to eat!
Prepping the ingredients includes removing the cucumber seeds and slicing them, grating the carrot (or use pre-grated from the store), slicing the radish and dicing the onion. The salad comes together with a dressing of lemon and the zest, olive oil, sugar, garlic powder and salt and pepper.
A simple side dish that brings a lot of flavor. Serve with your favorite meats, including chicken and fish dishes – yum.
17. Carrot Raisin Salad
A similar version of the now discontinued Chick-Fil-A carrot salad, this simple side dish carrot salad is super quick to make in as little as 5 minutes. The salad ingredients are shredded carrots and raisins – that’s it!
The equally simple dressing has just a few more ingredients and is made up of mayonnaise, honey, lemon juice, water and salt.
Best served chilled with your choice of main dish or take it to a bbq or picnic.
18. Carrot Slaw with Apples and Pecans
As an alternative to coleslaw, this carrot slaw is a delicious and healthier option. Shredded carrots are combined with apple, cilantro, zest of lime, and dried cranberries. The salad is dressed in a sweet and tangy vinaigrette of olive oil, garlic, lime juice and maple syrup and topped with toasted pecans.
Take this yummy carrot slaw on your next picnic, serve it at a bbq, or enjoy it as a dish side for any weeknight dinner, because this recipe is also kid approved!
Some of My Favorite Kitchen Items:
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