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Home » Healthy Salads

Crunchy Carrot Salad

Published on 3.8.2022 by Jen Hansard

RECIPE CARD LEAVE REVIEW
easy grated carrot salad

The salad recipe I'm sharing today is small but mighty. It's not loaded with leafy greens. In fact, it's quite a simple salad. My crunchy grated carrot salad is the perfect snack or side dish.

I created this salad for my Autumn Cleanse as a snack recipe since the healthy fats give you an afternoon refresh. The lemon and orange also brighten it up because we could all use a little extra sunshine in our lives.

grating vegetables for a healthy snack

Simple Carrot Salad Tips

The hardest part of this recipe is deciding whether to peel the carrots or grate them thinly. You do you!

I turn to this salad for an afternoon pick-me-up instead of veggies and dip because, well, it's healthier. But the dressing does elevate this dish to more than just peeled carrots and some greens.

Extra Topping Options

Feel free to up the protein in this salad with chickpeas or black beans. Use toasted sunflower seeds for a different flavor and feel free to add in some spices of your choice. The classic French carrot salad also includes fruit, so add that as a topping.

fresh garden carrots

Carrot Nutrition

Everyone knows that carrots are healthy. The beta carotene that makes them orange is great for eye health. They are naturally sweet yet low in natural sugar. The nutrients in carrots have been shown to protect the body from several kinds of cancer.

Carrot Salad FAQs

What are the health benefits of carrots?

Carrots contain beta carotene, fiber, potassium and antioxidants. Talk about nutrient-loaded!

Who invented carrot salad?

The carrot salad you knew as a child is probably a French Carrot salad. It often includes fruit and is used as a side dish. Feel free to add fresh apples or raisins to my version!

How long will carrot salad stay fresh?

While this salad is at its best eaten right away, you can refrigerate it for a day or two without the dressing on it.

plant based recipes using carrots

More Carrot Recipes

If you love this grated carrot salad, use the rest of the bag in your fridge or pull some more from the garden to use in these recipes:

  • Honey Turmeric Smoothie
  • Potato Curry
  • Vegetable Noodle Soup
  • Carrot Top Smoothie
  • Thai Coconut Soup
  • Vegetarian Noodle Salad
  • Creamy Tomato Soup
  • Thai Lettuce Wraps
  • Strawberry Carrot Smoothie
  • Savory Zoodles in a Jar

Crunchy Carrot Salad

4.19 from 162 votes
Rate this Recipe Print Recipe
This is my plant-powered take on a classic recipe. It is lighter, brighter, and not weighed down by mayo. Serve as-is for a wonderful side dish or double and enjoy as the main event.
Total Time10 minutes
Servings2

Ingredients

  • 2 carrots (peeled into strips)
  • ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • dash ground black pepper
  • dash sea salt

Dressing

  • 2 tablespoon orange (juiced)
  • 2 tablespoon lemon (juiced)
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  • Whisk together orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.
  • Combine carrot strips, cilantro and sunflower seeds on a plate.
  • Drizzle dressing over salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

  • You can grate the carrots for this salad instead of peeling them into strips.
  • Swap out the sunflower seeds with hemp hearts (still nut-free) or sliced almonds.
  • Does cilantro taste like soap to you? If so, use parsley instead.
  • Feel free to use the carrots of your choice. When I created this salad for my Autumn Cleanse, I used rainbow carrots because they're fun! 

Nutrition (estimated)

Calories: 257kcal (13%) Carbohydrates: 12g (4%) Protein: 4g (8%) Fat: 23g (35%) Saturated Fat: 3g (19%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g Monounsaturated Fat: 13g Sodium: 45mg (2%) Potassium: 356mg (10%) Fiber: 4g (17%) Sugar: 5g (6%) Vitamin A: 10368IU (207%) Vitamin C: 18mg (22%) Calcium: 41mg (4%) Iron: 1mg (6%)
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Regina

    March 30, 2022 at 9:03 pm

    4 stars
    Loving this crunch of the carrots and the sunflower seeds. Very good dressing too.

    Reply
  2. Mandie

    March 30, 2022 at 8:49 pm

    5 stars
    Loved it. I thought because of the flavors, esp the cilantro, that it would be a perfect side for our taco night...and it was! Both hubby and I give it five stars.

    Reply
  3. Regina

    March 30, 2022 at 8:13 pm

    4 stars
    This is tonight's and it's so simple and such few ingredients, I made it a side salad with a baked skinless chicken thigh. It's good though and I love the simple dressing.

    Reply
  4. Lynn

    March 30, 2022 at 7:53 pm

    5 stars
    I loved this simple carrot salad; cool, crunchy and sweet! I grated the carrots and added hemp seeds.

    Reply
  5. Justina

    March 30, 2022 at 4:50 pm

    5 stars
    Very yummy. Will be making again.

    Reply
  6. Heather Ford

    March 30, 2022 at 2:48 pm

    5 stars
    Another very good salad. I really loved having the cilantro and sunflower seeds in here an the dressing brought it all together.

    Reply
  7. Tina S

    March 30, 2022 at 12:40 pm

    5 stars
    I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this salad! Of course you'd have to be a person that loves cilantro. I feel that really makes it special. The citrus dressing really made it bright-tasting!

    Reply
  8. Karyn

    March 30, 2022 at 10:37 am

    3 stars
    Tasty. I think I would like pepitas better than sunflower seeds.

    Reply
  9. Dukh Niwaran

    March 30, 2022 at 4:21 am

    3 stars
    This is my new least favorite--just sort of blah to us and hard for my husband to eat.

    Reply
  10. Annette

    March 29, 2022 at 10:18 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious, super delicious-excellent side.

    Reply
  11. Shana

    March 29, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    5 stars
    I love love love this! So easy to make and delicious!

    Reply
  12. Carol

    March 29, 2022 at 8:32 pm

    3 stars
    The most unique salad yet I'd have to say ~ very unusual flavor pairings! Probably not my favorite but glad I attempted this.

    Reply
  13. Rosanna

    March 29, 2022 at 7:36 pm

    4 stars
    I've been eating almost all of the salads as a meal. This one is definitely just a side and not a full meal. I like the crunch of the carrots and am really liking the dressings in this challenge. Flavors all go well together.

    Reply
  14. Kathleen

    March 29, 2022 at 7:13 pm

    4 stars
    Yum! All favorite flavors of mine. Love the crunch of the sunflower seeds.

    Reply
  15. Mickey Cunningham

    March 29, 2022 at 3:12 pm

    4 stars
    This salad was crunchy as the title states. Not my favorite of the salad challenge but not bad either. Liked the dressing. Just felt it need more substance. I also used some parsley to make up for not having enough cilantro.

    Reply
  16. Sylvie

    March 29, 2022 at 10:54 am

    5 stars
    I was pleasantly surprised with the flavors in this carrot salad. Thought it would be plain but I enjoyed it very much.

    Reply
  17. Rosie Sanchez

    March 29, 2022 at 10:12 am

    5 stars
    Never thought the combo of cilantro and carrots would taste so good.

    Reply
  18. Patti

    March 29, 2022 at 9:23 am

    4 stars
    not bad I added some mustard to dressing

    Reply
  19. Kimber

    March 29, 2022 at 9:11 am

    3 stars
    Quick and easy. An otherwise bland salad was transformed with this dressing. I made exactly as the recipe calls, but would like to experiment by adding different toppings next time. Was a bit cold and rainy here, so I made this to go with a vegetable barley soup.

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 29, 2022 at 1:34 pm

      Pairing this salad with soup is a perfect idea!

  20. Lynn Komorny

    March 29, 2022 at 7:00 am

    4 stars
    good and crunchy! family loved it. the dressing has a tang . dry toast the sunflower seeds if raw and want more flavor.

    Reply
  21. Jennifer Leinhos

    March 29, 2022 at 5:37 am

    4 stars
    Great salad. Nice flavors. Simple to make. I used it as a side dish to vegan Broccoli soup, from the 10 day soup challenge.

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 29, 2022 at 1:23 pm

      Way to totally RAWK it!

  22. Jean

    March 29, 2022 at 4:30 am

    This was okay but not my favorite. I used hemp seeds and added left over quinoa. Next time I will add some roasted chickpeas and that may make all the difference.

    Reply
  23. Lynn

    March 29, 2022 at 4:03 am

    5 stars
    Pretty good salad. Much easier to make than the pasta salad. I think I would like it even more with raisins as someone else did.

    Reply
  24. Renee Lembcke

    March 29, 2022 at 3:20 am

    5 stars
    Loved it! Simple and delicious

    Reply
  25. Meagan

    March 29, 2022 at 2:20 am

    4 stars
    A delicious little salad. However I feel like it should only be a side or served as a topping to something else -Tacos maybe. Or just roast the carrots and add everything after. Still I very much enjoyed drinking the dressing in the bottom of my bowl. Yum!

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 29, 2022 at 1:24 pm

      Yum, tacos! Gotta love drinking the dressing from the bottom of the bowl!

  26. CATHERINE READ

    March 29, 2022 at 1:03 am

    4 stars
    I liked the citrus flavor the dressing added. This would be a good side dish salad. For one of my servings I added raisins, cause I love raisins and carrots. This was especially nice because I used my own grown carrots.

    Reply
  27. Sara Hester

    March 29, 2022 at 12:38 am

    3 stars
    Tried this recipe on the 10 day salad challenge. I am not a big fan of raw carrots but this was pretty good. I used a vegetable peeler to peel straps of carrot which was a lot of work. Grating them probably would have been easier and faster.

    Reply
  28. Patty

    March 29, 2022 at 12:30 am

    3 stars
    The salad was very simple with delicious flavors. However, I feel like I was missing something.

    Reply
  29. Dani

    March 29, 2022 at 12:29 am

    1 star
    My boyfriend definitely didn't enjoy this salad as much as the rest.

    Reply
  30. HK

    March 29, 2022 at 12:18 am

    3 stars
    I always love eating variations of carrot salad. I got into it after a friend suggest I try it last year. I love peeling the carrots and eating them as salad. The suggestion to try hemp seeds was a cool new idea!

    Reply
  31. Nidia Gago

    March 29, 2022 at 12:17 am

    5 stars
    I love the blend of cilantro and carrot

    Reply
  32. Esther

    March 29, 2022 at 12:13 am

    5 stars
    Tasty! Very easy and quick.

    Reply
  33. Sandy W

    March 29, 2022 at 12:09 am

    4 stars
    Salad Challenge: Day 8. Simple, clean flavours and very tasty.

    Reply
  34. Supreet Jaiswal

    March 28, 2022 at 11:57 pm

    4 stars
    Couldnt have the salad as a whole meal because I didnt think it would fill me up so I added spinach, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, olives and it was a good hearty meal after a workout. Feeling full but light at the same time! Dressing wasnt as good but So i changed it to the pasta salad dressing and it was bomb!

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 29, 2022 at 1:26 pm

      Wow, way to make it your own. Great ideas on adding in more veggies and dressing you already made!

  35. Becky A.

    March 28, 2022 at 11:48 pm

    3 stars
    Not my favorite.

    Reply
  36. Wendy Pegues

    March 28, 2022 at 11:35 pm

    4 stars
    I Loved The Bright Beautiful Color. I Like Carrots Whole, Sliced, Shredded And Diced 🙂 The Orange And Lemon Dressing Was Simple Yet Delicious. I Topped My Salad With Thinly Sliced Almonds And Raisins. I Will Make This Salad Again.

    Reply
  37. Cristina

    March 28, 2022 at 11:34 pm

    3 stars
    I didn’t like this one, the cilantro tasted odd in the dressing and the raw carrot tasted odd

    Reply
  38. Jennifer Alexander

    March 28, 2022 at 11:22 pm

    3 stars
    Not crazy about this one. I served this as a side dish alongside Trader Joe's Thai Sweet Chili Veggie Burgers. I love that it's colorful and easy to make, but my family was not impressed.

    Reply
    • Tammy Uyeda

      March 29, 2022 at 3:52 am

      5 stars
      So fresh and crunchy indeed! The simplicity of this salad allowed the bright fresh flavours to shine. A quick and easy side salad for any day of the week!

  39. Teresa Hurley

    March 28, 2022 at 11:21 pm

    4 stars
    Salad was good and orange in dressing nice. We thought was missing something and added strawberries about 1/2 way thru. Good not in top 3 but good

    Reply
  40. Kari Thom

    March 28, 2022 at 11:17 pm

    5 stars
    Crunchy Carrot Salad was so simple and delicious! Perfect side for everything! The dressing was bright and flavorful.

    Reply
  41. Stefanie

    March 28, 2022 at 11:05 pm

    3 stars
    I like that this salad was super simple to make and had a great crunchy texture. It is a little bland on flavor, so I added some extra veggies and spices to give it more flavor.

    Reply
  42. Dawn

    March 28, 2022 at 10:57 pm

    3 stars
    This salad was called simple with 3 ingredients, but it is definitely missing something. Swapped parsley for cilantro. The dressing was light and zippy.

    Reply
  43. Lynne L

    March 28, 2022 at 10:54 pm

    4 stars
    i enjoyed this. its a good substitution for cole slaw

    Reply
  44. J.R. Pollnow

    March 28, 2022 at 10:38 pm

    5 stars
    Enjoyed how simple this was and overall refreshing. We shared this with a friend who enjoyed it as well.

    Reply
  45. Allison Schalck

    March 28, 2022 at 10:34 pm

    3 stars
    I love carrots but this isn’t a dish I would make again. The dressing was just too acidic for my liking.

    Reply
  46. Amanda

    March 28, 2022 at 10:30 pm

    2 stars
    Unfortunately was not a fan of this one. Don’t like cilantro so it was really just carrots and sunflower seeds. The dressing was good and refreshing. Think this would be better as a “coleslaw” type dish or added to a sandwich or something.

    Reply
    • Liz

      March 28, 2022 at 11:35 pm

      4 stars
      Substituted butternut squash instead of using carrots due to allergy. Very simple salad to make and dressing is good. Just didn't seem to have the appeal as yesterday's salad with so much variety in it.

    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 29, 2022 at 1:12 pm

      Adding it to a sandwich or wrap even is a great idea!

  47. Barbara

    March 28, 2022 at 10:30 pm

    3 stars
    This salad was just ok. Hubby didn’t care for it at all. Said too many carrots. Just ok for me.

    Reply
  48. Lisa Van Diest

    March 28, 2022 at 10:27 pm

    5 stars
    Another great salad! The orange lemon dressing mixed with cilantro is wonderful! This would be great to serve for Easter any spring time potluck!

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 29, 2022 at 1:21 pm

      Easter would be a perfect time to serve this for a potluck!

  49. Jeanette Weir

    March 28, 2022 at 10:24 pm

    3 stars
    This one wasn’t my favorite. I grated the carrots but I think the cilantro was too much for me. If I make this again I’d probably try the parsley switch or even just lessen the cilantro added in.

    Reply
  50. Debi Watanabe

    March 28, 2022 at 10:19 pm

    5 stars
    Ok. This salad surprised me. Simple and short list of ingredients. I thought this salad would be plain and just a side dish. It turned out really delicious!

    Reply
  51. Patricia Brooks

    March 28, 2022 at 10:09 pm

    5 stars
    I really liked this one. Even though it was simple it was so full of flavor. The combination of sweet orange and sour lemon was so good together; and I especially am a fan of cilantro. I used roasted pumpkin seeds cause I didn’t have any sunflower seeds.

    Reply
  52. Sally Blair

    March 28, 2022 at 10:09 pm

    5 stars
    Sally Blair March 28, 2022 at 10:03 pm. I’m reposting this review because my email was entered incorrectly.
    5 stars My hubby and I both enjoyed the crunchy carrot salad with the lemon orange dressing. It was refreshing and a taste treat not quite like any salad I had eaten before. The sunflower seeds gave it some extra bite which we also both enjoyed. We agreed it was a side salad, not a full dinner but would definitely try it again.

    Reply
  53. Martha Silbaugh

    March 28, 2022 at 10:05 pm

    The Crunchy Carrot Salad is not my favorite but colorful and good as a topping to a green saladI think. As suggested fruit would be good like pineapple chunks added to it.

    Reply
  54. Jennifer Magsig

    March 28, 2022 at 10:04 pm

    4 stars
    A nice alternative to traditional slaw recipes. I used cashews instead of sunflower seeds, because that sounded best to me of what I had on hand. I doubt I will make it very often, but I really liked it!

    Reply
  55. Sally Blair

    March 28, 2022 at 10:03 pm

    5 stars
    My hubby and I both enjoyed the crunchy carrot salad with the lemon orange dressing. It was refreshing and a taste treat not quite like any salad I had eaten before. The sunflower seeds gave it some extra bite which we also both enjoyed. We agreed it was a side salad, not a full dinner but would definitely try it again.

    Reply
  56. Judy

    March 28, 2022 at 10:01 pm

    5 stars
    Easy, simple but oh so tasty!

    Reply
  57. Shari Heal

    March 28, 2022 at 9:59 pm

    5 stars
    Simple (once I switched from peeling to grating!) and tasty. Probably doesn't need quite as much dressing.

    Reply
  58. Rose

    March 28, 2022 at 9:52 pm

    Simple and delicious. We enjoyed it!

    Reply
  59. Maggie Golding

    March 28, 2022 at 9:52 pm

    3 stars
    Simple, Light and refreshing. Toasted sunflower seeds kept it interesting. I used parsley as cilantro tastes tinny to me.

    Reply
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Jen hansard blogger at Simple Green Smoothies About

I'm Jen Hansard, mom of two, plant-based foodie, adventure junkie + cookbook author.

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