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This crunchy grated carrot salad is the perfect snack or side dish to use up any extra carrots or boost the amount of fiber you eat in a day. The carrots and healthy fats give you a nice afternoon burst of energy. The lemon and orange also brighten it up because we could all use a little extra sunshine in our lives.
The beta carotene found in carrots makes them orange and is great for eye health. They are naturally sweet yet low in natural sugar. The nutrients in carrots may help protect the body from several kinds of cancer.
Carrot Salad Tips
I created this salad for my Plant-Based Cleanse as a nourishing snack recipe. It’s not really main event material yet it works perfectly as a snack.
- If you decide to buy whole carrots, you can grate them yourself. This adds more carrot flavor to the dish (store-bought shredded carrots save time, but you’ll lose out on some of the flavor).
- Up the protein in this salad by adding chickpeas or extra sunflower seeds.
- Toast the sunflower seeds for a richer flavor
- Top with fresh fruit if you want more of a classic French carrot salad.
QUick Tip
Make multiple servings of this Carrot Salad and store in small snack-size containers to grab and go all week when you’re feeling hungry in between meals.
More Healthy 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:
Don’t forget to rate + review this recipe once you’ve made it. I can’t wait to read how yours turned out!
Crunchy Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- ¼ cup cilantro stems removed and chopped
- ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
- dash ground black pepper
- dash sea salt
Dressing
- 2 tbsp orange juiced
- 2 tbsp lemon juiced
- 2 tbsp 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 use whole carrots and grate them for stronger flavor.
- 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 Plant-Based Cleanse, I used rainbow carrots because they’re fun!Â
Nutrition
Carrot Salad FAQs
Carrots contain beta carotene, fiber, potassium and antioxidants. Talk about nutrient-loaded!
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!
While this salad is at its best eaten right away, you can refrigerate it for a few days and have as a quick snack.
Swapped the cilantro for some parsley and some lemon balm. I’m not sure I would eat it just by itself as a meal but it makes a pleasant side dish and is nicely sweet.
Enjoyed this salad alone but loved it as a “slaw” on top of a sandwich. I will definitely be adding this to my condiment spread. It was super easy to make and added a great crunch. I look forward to trying it as a afternoon snack as well.
Great idea using this salad as a sandwich topping!
WOW!! Love, love, love! So easy and colourful and tasty!!! Colourful carrots make this even more beautiful. We eat with our eyes first 😉
I love that!
A very good salad.
I was pleasantly surprised. I really wasn’t sure what to expect. My husband’s interest was peaked when I was prepping this and he wanted to try it. He liked it too. We are going to have the remaining salad as a side dish for dinner tonight. It seems like more of a side dish than a full entree to me.
I agree!
Glad you both enjoyed!
I love the citrus juices in this dressing. I switched the sunflower seeds for sliced almonds, which are lower in omega-6s and a bit more nutritious. I also added some red pepper flakes for a little heat.
Nice touch with the crushed red pepper!
I added a few bits as it looked like a side salad and I was having it for my lunch. It wasn’t my favourite though. I might have cut the carrots too thick!
Fixing this salad for my lunch today and had to sneak a bite. Yum! Can’t wait till lunch.
Love it! Love at first bite!
Made it yesterday as not a fan of cold pasta. Made it more crunchy with the addition of cucumbers & celery – delicious
Delicious and simple salad for an easy side dish.
Surprisingly delicious.
Oh man. Who knew this would be this good? Simple yet delicious.
It was a lotta carrot. I added other veggies to add to the flavor. I like the dressing–I added garlic which added to the flavor. An option for the olive oil is Udo Oil.
This one was a big hit at our house. Just a couple minor changes for the next time we do it. 1) make sure to dig out the mandolin to do the carrots
2) use the multi-colored carrots to give it some added color
3) put some of the cracked black pepper into the dressing itself.
Multi-colored carrots would be perfect!
I really enjoyed this salad. Nice crunch and flavor.
So glad you enjoyed it. It’s def one of my favorites as well.
This will be the perfect edition to our dinner tonight! Thanks for the simple recipe.
I love that you are using the Crunchy Carrot Salad as a side dish for dinner! Talk about perfect timing!
Tasty salad but definitely a side dish, not filling enough on its own.