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Get It NowI first tried a carrot salad like this on our honeymoon in Paris. It was so different from the mayo-based carrot raisin salads that my mom makes, but I loved the lighter balance of sweet and tangy flavors of the French version more. Years later, as I often do, I decided to try to recreate that experience at home… because food is one of the best ways to bring back memories. Whether you’ve been to France and have your own memories to recreate, or you just want a new refreshing way to use carrots, make my easy carrot salad recipe with me to do just that!
Why You Need My Carrot Salad Recipe
- Lightly sweet, lemony, and crisp – It’s a fresh balance of sweet and tangy flavors from the lemon and quick grated veggies. And instead of heavier mayonnaise dressing, the one I use is a lot like my cucumber tomato avocado salad or three bean salad… except it tastes totally different with the sweet carrots and crunchy pine nuts.
- Simple ingredients – My carrot salad recipe feels a little fancy (it’s French-inspired and all), but it’s not so fancy that you need a trip to the specialty grocery store.
- Perfect for any occasion – Since it only takes about 20 minutes but also stores really well, this salad is great for so many scenarios. Whether you’re heading to a potluck, hosting a cookout, meal prepping for the week, or just need a tasty last-minute side for dinner, it’s got your back.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my carrot salad, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Salad:
- Carrots – I highly recommend fresh carrots here rather than pre-shredded ones, which are more dry and coarse. If you’ve got extra carrots, throw together my honey roasted carrots with the rest.
- Pine Nuts – For extra texture and crunch. You can swap them with sunflower seeds, pecans, almonds, or pistachios if you like.
- Fresh Parsley – For an herby flavor.
- Green Onions – These are optional, but I like the contrast with the other flavors here. You can substitute chives if you want your carrot salad more mild, or red onions if you want more bite.
Dressing:
- Olive Oil – This is the base of the dressing. I like this extra virgin olive oil here, but lighter olive oil or even avocado oil also works. You’ll also use the oil to toast the pine nuts.
- Lemon Juice – For tang. The closest substitutes would be white or red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lime juice.
- Whole Grain Mustard – I distinctly remember seeing this in the carrot salads I had in France, and it adds so much flavor. I really like this French brand. Some brands label it old-style mustard. If you prefer a smoother dressing, Dijon mustard would work well instead.
- Honey – Although optional, I highly recommend adding a tablespoon for a touch of sweetness, and to balance the tangy lemon and mustard. I prefer to use my natural sugar-free honey.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – I have coarse ones below, but you’ll want to either grind those or use fine ones. Sometimes I also add a dash of garlic powder.
How To Make Carrot Salad
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, honey and garlic powder (if you want to add them), salt, and pepper.
- Toast the pine nuts. Heat more olive oil in a pan on low heat. Toast the pine nuts until golden and fragrant.
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, mix shredded carrots, pine nuts, chopped parsley, and green onions.
- Toss it all together. Add the dressing to your raw carrot salad and mix to combine. You can adjust salt and pepper to your taste if needed.
My Recipe Tips
- You’ve got options for grating. I prefer to use my food processor with the grating attachment, which makes this super fast. But you can also use a simple box grater. When I don’t want to clean the food processor, I really love this grater because it’s so sturdy.
- Watch pine nuts closely when toasting. They can burn easily, so keep a close watch over the pan while they toast.
- You can serve it right away, but it tastes better after 30 minutes in the fridge. I usually prep this side dish first and then refrigerate it while I make my main dish.
- Prefer your carrot salad with raisins? Even though this doesn’t have that American or Eastern European mayo-based dressing, I’ve tossed raisins in this French carrot salad before and they work quite well.
Storage & Meal Prep
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Like most salads, I don’t recommend freezing this one.
- Meal prep: I love this salad for meal prep because it stores really well. I just keep the pine nuts separate until 30 minutes before serving (or right before serving), to keep them crunchy. You can also prep the dressing, toas tthe nuts, and shred the carrots in advance, but assemble fresh.
Serving Ideas
My carrot salad is actually versatile enough to go with almost anything, but I particularly love it with French-inspired main dishes to bring back those memories of Paris. Here’s a little of both options:
- Chicken – For a classic French bistro vibe, make my coq au vin. You can also keep it simple with grilled chicken legs or baked chicken breast.
- Fish – My Chilean sea bass with beurre blanc makes the perfect classy French main, but lately I’ve been really loving my steelhead trout recipe.
- Steak – This salad is already elegant, so serve it with a filet mignon for a fancy feast. And if you want something a little more budget-friendly, you can’t go wrong with my sirloin steak recipe.
- Brunch – Carrot salad isn’t just for lunch or dinner! It also makes a delicious addition to a brunch spread. I love it alongside spinach quiche or even almond flour crepes.
Carrot Salad (Easy Recipe)
My French carrot salad recipe with olive oil, lemon, and fresh herbs adds elegance to any meal. It's easy to make in only 20 minutes!
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil with the lemon juice, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper.
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In a small skillet over low heat, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the pine nuts and cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant.
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In a large bowl, combine the grated carrots, toasted pine nuts, green onions (if using), and parsley.
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Pour the dressing over the carrot salad and mix to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.
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If you have time, refrigerate the salad for 20-30 minutes to let the flavors develop.
Did You Make My Recipe?
Leave a rating to help other readers, tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram (I’d love to see!), or save the recipe to your email.
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition info does not include the optional ingredients (honey and green onions).
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Carrot Salad
Gratitude Moment
Here’s my husband and me on our honeymoon in France, in 2013. So original in front of the Eiffel tower, right?
This was before the blog, and I didn’t take many pictures of food back then, so I don’t have photos of the carrot salad I tried there.
We had a really packed itinerary (like I always do), but our favorite part of Paris was the nights we spent sitting on the lawn in front of the Eiffel tower, as cliche as that sounds. We got a bottle of champagne after dinner and had a glass as we watched the twinkling lights. The plan was to experience this just once, but we loved it so much that we ended up doing it almost every night.
Have you been to Paris before? What’s your favorite thing to do there? Let me know in the comments below!
6 Comments
Joanna Mitchell
0I made this carrot salad for a potluck, and it was a hit! The tangy dressing paired wonderfully with the sweetness of the carrots and the crunch of the pine nuts. It brought back memories of a similar dish my mom used to make for family gatherings. Adding the green onions and fresh parsley gave it a fresh, vibrant taste. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Grampah Pete’s Ipad
0Followup: the recipe that popped up when I opened it this time seems to have fixed things nicely…
Grampah Pete’s Ipad
0Food delish, but recipe hard to follow: how to measure 1 1/8th tbsp lemon juice, for example… I’m not very experienced yet – find “pinch” or grams easier to get on track with.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Pete, My recipe calls for 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice, not 1 1/8 tablespoon. Most measuring spoon sets have both full and half tablespoons. 1/2 a tablespoon is also the same as 1 1/2 teaspoons, so if you have a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, you can measure that way too. Hope this helps!
Benton
0Made this tonight for dinner and, yeah, will serve it again. Added a bit of par-boiled broccoli. Next time might add some feta cheese.
Kennedy
0My family loved this carrot salad. It goes great with so many dishes and we will definitely make it again.