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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 was better than I expected it to be, the flavors are very bright. This will be especially good during the summer months.
Wow!! I really wondered how this salad would be as I was making it, and it was surprisingly delicious!!
I made this for the autumn challenge and loved it. Tonight I added almonds and grated ginger which were a nice addition with the citrus dressing.
Grated ginger for the win! YUM!
Light and refreshing. A great side dish. And it’s quick and easy to make.
Enjoy any salad with carrots – this one was so easy and tasted great with dinner. I like the combination of lemon and orange juice for the dressing but may cut back a bit on the lemon the next time.
This salad is definitely a keeper!
I was a little skeptical of this salad but I was pleasantly surprised! I really liked it. And it was easy to put together:)
Lots of carrots which I was surprised that I liked it. For the dressing I had to add maple syrup because the dressing was too bitter/tangy for me. I did like the crunch from the sunflower seeds.
I hate to say it but I was not a fan of this Salad. It just didn’t have some pizzas for my taste buds. I did top it with some hot honey to help it out .
The orange in the orange/lemon/olive oil dressing on the Crunchy Carrot Salad is what makes this a really terrific salad for me!
I waited an hour before eating, and it seems that the citrus slightly “cooks” the carrots, and also makes the thin shavings hold extra flavor.
I love that this beautiful orange colored meal is simple with only a few ingredients!
I had fun making my salad into the shape of a heart ❤️!
Pleasantly surprised !! Super easy and very enjoyable. Great in a pinch !!
I hate to say it but I was not a fan of this Salad. It just didn’t have some pizzas for my taste buds. I did top it with some hot honey to help it out .
The salad is good and I actually added it to a green salad as a topping
I’m a fan! We actually took this salad and added it to our tacos with ground beef. Delicious.
So tasty! Going to make as a side for our family Easter meal.
I am not a big carrot eater. So I didn’t make the salad. However, I did eat leftover pasta salad which was so delicious. I could taste every ingredient in it. Feta added a nice touch.
Just a bowl of carrots. My least favorite salad. I like to add carrots to salads but not a fan of this salad. But to be truthful, I don’t like a bowl of cooked carrots either.
This was a great side dish to veggie bean burgers we had with dinner. The textures and were light and flavorful.
Sounds like a delicious meal!
This will be a great side salad for this summer! Very yummy!