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This crunchy grated carrot salad is one of those simple recipes I come back to again and again. It’s bright, fresh, and incredibly nourishing—perfect as a quick snack or a vibrant side when your meals need a little lift.
I created this for my 21-Day Cleanse because it’s an easy way to boost fiber, support digestion, and give your body steady energy in the middle of the day. The natural sweetness of carrots paired with citrus makes it feel light and refreshing, while still being satisfying.
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What is a Carrot Salad?
A carrot salad is a fresh, crunchy dish made with raw shredded carrots and a simple dressing. The most common version is light and citrusy (like a French carrot salad), while others are creamy with mayo.
What makes this carrot salad recipe special is the balance. Instead of weighing it down with mayo or heavy ingredients, it leans on whole, plant-based foods to create texture and satisfaction. The raw sunflower seeds add a subtle crunch and a boost of protein and healthy fats, while the lemon and orange juice bring a clean, zesty finish that keeps you coming back for another bite.
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Carrot Salad Tips
- If you can, grate whole carrots yourself. It takes a few extra minutes, yet the flavor and texture are noticeably better than pre-shredded.
- Taste as you go. Citrus can vary, so adjust the lemon or orange to get that perfect balance of bright and fresh.
- If you want to make it more filling, add chickpeas or extra sunflower seeds. That little boost turns it into a more satisfying snack. I did that in my Marinated Celery Salad and readers loved it!
- For deeper flavor, lightly toast the sunflower seeds before adding them. It’s a small step that makes a big difference. Use extras in my Upgraded Green Goddess Salad.
- And if you want to lean into a more classic French-style carrot salad, try adding a bit of fresh fruit like apples or raisins.
Serving Suggestion
This carrot salad isn’t meant to be the main event—and that’s the beauty of it. It’s a supportive recipe. One you can prep ahead, portion into small containers, and grab when you need something quick that still aligns with your goals. It’s especially helpful during a reset or cleanse, when having nourishing options ready can make all the difference.
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:
If you make this carrot salad, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you. Little recipes like this may seem simple, yet they’re often the ones that help you stay consistent—and that’s where the real transformation happens.
Crunchy Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cup shredded carrots
- ¼ cup cilantro stems removed and chopped
- ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
- dash black pepper, ground
- dash sea salt, unrefined
Dressing
- 2 tbsp orange juiced
- 2 tbsp lemon juiced
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Whisk together orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.
- Combine shredded carrot, 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!
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
Yes, you can save time with pre-shredded carrots. Just know freshly grated carrots have a sweeter flavor and softer texture, which makes the salad taste even better.
If cilantro isn’t your thing (or tastes like soap), swap it with fresh parsley. It still gives a bright, fresh flavor without overpowering the salad.
Add chickpeas, extra sunflower seeds, or even hemp hearts. These boost protein and healthy fats, helping you stay full longer.
Yes, you can prep it a day or two in advance and store it in the fridge. For best texture, add the dressing right before serving or refresh it with a squeeze of lemon.
Using store-bought shredded carrots makes this super quick and easy. I added fresh diced pineapple for some sweetness, which made all the difference for me. The crunch is satisfying!
Pineapple is a great addition to this one, Jennifer! Yum!
I LOVE LOVE this salad. I juice carrots all the time and now this will be another way to consume carrots. Instead of drinking them I can now eat them as a side salad with my carrot juice, lol! So tasty!
So happy you loved it, Kyla!! Carrot can be a nice sweet treat, in many forms.
The carrot salad I added some mixed greens. I felt like it was missing something.
I hope you liked the way it turned out for you, Phyllis.
I liked the nuttiness that the sunflower seeds added. Overall good salad!
Sunflower seeds are one of my absolute favorite things to add to a salad. Delish! Thanks for trying the recipe, Diana.
Nice and easy salad. Always looking for new ways to use carrots.
Carrots are such an easy and healthy addition to dishes. Thanks for trying the salad, Arlene.
This salad surprised me in how good it was. It looks a little boring and uninspired, but that’s far from the truth. So yummy and definitely crunchy!
Some recipes are surprising, when you get that right mix of flavors. Thanks for commenting!!
Hello healthy feeling for spring! I am usually lazy with my sunflower seeds. Yes toast them like you said it makes a world of difference and I am ok with bitter cilantro. I love the stuff. Stem and all lol This is the best so far!!
Yay. Great to hear you like it the best. It’s one of our favorites too.
This is good, crunchy and fresh. Decent for a change. Probably more of a side. Might make again.
Although this salad is more of a side dish, I had it as a lunch salad. Shredded the carrots in the food processor, grabbed some parsley garden and added some raw sunflower seeds. The citrus dressing had just the right zing to add flavor and smelled delightful! Juiced half an orange and half a lemon. Boom it was done! I wasn’t sure if it would be enough for a meal, however I felt full after so there you go.
Good for what it was but not really my thing. Worth trying!
I love the simplicity of this salad. I didn’t use orange juice – didn’t feel like blending the oranges. The lemon was a refreshing touch. Typically I just cut carrots and celery to bring as snacks when on the go. This was a nice light snack at home and fancier than just pieces of carrot. I skipped salt and pepper. The little crunch from the seeds helped bring this all together. 🙂
I don’t care for the deli carrot/raisin salads, but I love the dressing in this one! I toasted the sunflower seeds as suggested, and it gives more body to the dish. Delicious!
Crunchy carrot salad was surprisingly good. Crunchy and tangy
Another wonderful salad…great to have a salad without mayo!!! This one will be on repeat for sure
It was good, but not outstanding. I used fresh grated rainbow carrots and halved the recipe to make one serving.
Would never have thought of eating as a snack – was intrigued! Quite refreshing and I’ll make again 😉
I have always loved carrot salad with lemon juice dressing. The addition of cilantro and sunflower seeds makes the salad even better. The only reason I did not give this a 5-star rating is because the recipe has you add the salt and pepper after assembling the salad. I did this and found that the salt & pepper were not evenly distributed even though I tossed the salad thoroughly. I would suggest that the salt & pepper be added to the dressing which I will do the next time I make this salad.
I loved that it was super easy, and super quick to put together. It was a bit citrus forward for our preference but that would be easy to adjust.
Another easy to make salad which is what I need right now! Easy! I like how this salad gives me another way to eat carrots. I definitely see this as a side dish or a snack. It could accompany another fruit salad or pasta salad.