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 21-Day Cleanse as a nourishing snack recipe. The fresh 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.

easy grated carrot salad

This bright salad is not really main event material yet it works perfectly as a side dish or snack. It’ll definitely add vibrancy to your tablescape.

Table of Contents
  1. Simple Carrot Salad Tips
  2. Extra Topping Options
  3. Carrot Nutrition
  4. Carrot Salad FAQs
  5. More Recipes that use Carrots
  6. Crunchy Carrot Salad Recipe

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.

grating vegetables for a healthy snack

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.

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.

fresh garden carrots

Carrot Salad FAQs

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.

More Recipes that use Carrots

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!

4.19 from 162 votes

Crunchy Carrot Salad

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.
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Author: Jen Hansard
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Plant-Based
Serves: 2

Ingredients  

  • 2 carrots peeled into strips
  • ¼ cup cilantro chopped
  • ¼ cup 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 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

Calories: 257kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Sodium: 45mg, Potassium: 356mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 10368IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Show me!Mention @SimpleGreenSmoothies or tag #SimpleGreenSmoothies!

About the Author

Jen Hansard

I went from exhausted mama to running across the Grand Canyon, riding & hiking to the top of the tallest waterfall in North America with my kids. How? I fell in love with the smoothies and plant-based meals you can find on my blog.

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Rating




Comments

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 5 stars
    I was pleasantly surprised with the flavors in this carrot salad. Thought it would be plain but I enjoyed it very much.

  5. 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.

  6. 4 stars
    good and crunchy! family loved it. the dressing has a tang . dry toast the sunflower seeds if raw and want more flavor.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.