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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 extra-virgin 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!
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.
This is a great side salad. I would not have thought to add sunflower seeds to carrots if I hadn’t tried this recipe, but they go great together! I added some parsnip in with the carrots and it gave it a nice bite. I think the carrots alone might be a bit too sweet or one tone for me. The dressing was nice and light and I added just enough to wet all the ingredients. I did peel/shave my carrots so I’m not sure if that affects taste or texture compared to shredding, but I really liked the peels and will keep making it that way. I’m only giving it 4 stars (I’d say 4.5) because I really think it needs the parsnips for me, but it is really good!
I loved the carrots with pumpkin seeds!!
Loved the freshness, SO GOOD
What’s not to love about carrots? Today I had carrot/apple juice, carrot slices with hummus and this fabulous carrot salad. My husband said I’m going to turn orange.
Loved it!
Shaving carrots is not a fun thing. I am sure if I had children it might be fun for them. It IS a CRUNCY salad though!
Not my favorite but I don’t mind eating like arugula one.
I really struggled with this salad. I love carrots and sunflower seeds, but when mixed with the cilantro, I did not care for the flavour. I also did not like the texture of the peeled carrots. This being said, I have enjoyed trying out new salads with the challenge
Pretty good – just a little too simple for our tastes & slow to eat with the shaved carrot slices (kinda awkward). The light dressing was nice and easy to put together. I added garbanzos & used parsley for husbands. I kept wanting too add more ingredients to it lol!
Nice fresh taste!
Simple, yet looked elegant on the plate. Perfect snack or side salad. Enjoyed this much more than expected. I poured the orange juice and squeezed fresh lemon on top. I skipped the oil because it feels like I’ve been using a lot of oil lately. Tasted light and fresh.
I’ve skipped it from the start as well.
I’m glad it worked out for you without the oil!
Really liked the dressing I will normally used orange juice or lemon juice but never the combination of the two and I really like that. I had to settle and arugula to my salad excellent talon
I’m excited you got to pair the lemon and orange together for something new!
We liked the carrot salad, but soaked the raw sunflower seeds to make them softer to chew. Also added a bit of parsley, this one is mostly a side dish where the other salads could be used a the main course for a meal.
I agree. I paired mine with a cup of soup!
The Crunchy Carrot Salad is a perfect colorfull, light and healthy lunch. I love that I can eat this, feel perfectly full, and still go for a run!!
Whoo hoo! Salads and running! Great combination for this challenge!
Wow the simplicity but flavor of this dressing, yum! This was a super simple salad to make, I replaced the cilantro with tarragon though.
This makes a very simple, but tasty snack or side salad. The citrus dressing did not overpower the carrots and cilantro. I like that it had no added sugar or salt. The sunflower seeds added extra crunch and flavor.
This was a nice little salad with a lot of crunch. I liked the sunflower seeds, and the citrus dressing was delicious.