Carrot Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Golden Raisins
Finely grated carrots and thinly sliced red onion bring vibrant color and crunch to this hearty salad that’s earthy, tangy, and perfectly sweet.
Lately, my go-to lunch during the week is often less of an actual composed meal and more of a smattering of salads and leftovers arranged in a bowl – most likely alongside a dollop of hummus and some Trader Joe’s pita chips.
This carrot salad is one of those perfect deli style salads that’s so nice to have in the fridge as a simple, healthy addition to a quick lunch or dinner. It’s already perfectly seasoned and tossed with a sweet and tangy vinaigrette. It holds up really well to refrigeration and only gets better as it marinates.
It’s super-versatile too. Sometimes I do 50/50 grated carrots to beets. Walnuts can be swapped out for pecans, almonds or pistachios. Chopped dates or currants are just as nice as golden raisins. Feel free to mix it up – there are no hard rules with this salad.
Looking for the perfect pairing? Serve this hearty salad alongside dishes like; Pan-Seared Salmon with Basil Butter Sauce, Grilled Lamb Chops with Herb Salad or Roasted Chicken Thighs with Citrus and Fennel.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Scroll to the bottom of the recipe card for ingredient notes and substitutions.
Recipe Step by Step:
Step 1. Make the Dressing
Whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard and olive oil then add in the onion and raisins and let marinated for about 5 minutes. This step softens the onions (and tones down their sharpness) as well as hydrates and plumps up the raisins.
Step 2. Toss and Serve
Toss the grated carrots along with the rest of the salad ingredients together with the dressing, onion and raisins. Taste and season with salt. Refrigerate for at least 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve chilled or room temperature.
Tips & Tricks
Grating carrots can be a bit of a chore but I do think the end result is worth the effort. That being said, a bag of pre-shredded bagged carrots from the grocery store will suffice in a pinch.
- Dainty, delicate carrots aren’t the best for grating. Instead, look for large, sturdy carrots.
- Grating Carrots on a Box Grater: First wash and peel the carrots. Next, place a box grater on a cutting board. Pick up a carrot by its thick end, and run its tip down the large holes of the grater. Continue this downward shredding motion until about 2 inches of the carrot remain intact. Stop here to avoid cutting your fingers on the holes of the box grater.
- Grating Carrots in a Food Processor: First wash and peel your carrots, cut off the ends and chop the carrots into chunks a few inches long. Fit your food processor with the grater disk (this comes in the box of most major food processor models). With the motor running, feed the carrots one by one into the shoot until they are all nicely grated. You may need to use the pusher provided with your food processor to push down any carrots that are not making contact with the shredding disc.
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Our Favorite
Salad Recipes
Carrot Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Golden Raisins
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2 tbsp vinegar apple cider, champagne, white wine, etc.
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Salad
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion or shallot
- 1/2 cup golden raisins regular raisins (or currants/chopped dates) work well too
- 3 cups grated carrots about 9 medium-sized carrots or 1-pound
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley or cilantro
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts see note
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard and olive oil. Next add the onion and raisins. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow the onions to soften and the raisins to absorb some of the dressing.
- Next, add the shredded carrots, parsley, and walnuts to the dressing – toss to coat. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate before serving (I recommend making this 30 minutes to 1 hour ahead, then tossing again.) Serve chilled or room temperature.
Notes
- Carrots: Dainty, delicate carrots aren’t the best for grating. Instead, look for large, sturdy carrots. Grating carrots can be a bit of a chore but I do think the end result is worth the effort. That being said, the pre-shredded bagged carrots commonly found in most supermarkets will work in a pinch.
- Golden Raisins: I specify golden raisins in the recipe because of the color. That being said, regular raisins, or even currants, or chopped dates would be just as nice.
- Walnuts: To toast walnuts place them on a baking tray in a 350F oven for 8-10 minutes. Note, even when I’ve bought pre-toasted nuts or have some on hand from a previous recipes; I like to toast them again just before using. It refreshes them and intensifies the natural nuttiness.
- First wash and peel the carrots. Next, place a box grater on a cutting board. Pick up a carrot by its thick end, and run its tip down the large holes of the grater. Continue this downward shredding motion until about 2 inches of the carrot remain intact. Stop here to avoid cutting your fingers on the holes of the box grater.
- How-To Grate Carrots in a Food Processor: First wash and peel your carrots, cut off the ends and chop the carrots into chunks a few inches long. Fit your food processor with the grater disk (this comes in the box of most major food processor models). With the motor running, feed the carrots one by one into the shoot until they are all nicely grated. You may need to use the pusher provided with your food processor to push down any carrots that are not making contact with the shredding disc.
- Leftover carrot salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
