This bright, fresh, zingy carrot salad is perfect in a Buddha bowl, as a quick side dish or stuffed in a baguette with lashings of creamy hummus for lunch. 

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Fresh carrot salad is served in half baguettes on a flowery plate. A bowl of carrot salad and one of hummus are in the background.

Carrot Season

Did you know that carrots are the UK’s major root veg crop and that they are harvested for almost 12 months of the year?

This means that I make this salad one way or another once a week or so, all year round.

I love the fresh flavour, the crisp crunch and the vibrance of it.

Carrots bring colour to every seasonal plate, shining their light on even the darkest of winter days. 

They are packed full of fibre, vitamins and the supernutrient beta carotene. For more carrot facts check out Great British Carrots – I spent more time than is seemly reading about this delicious root once I found them! 

Close up of the filling in a carrot salad and hummus baguette.

Ingredients

For this recipe you will need:

  • 4 medium carrots – I used three orange carrots and one purple because I had one in my veg drawer and it looks so pretty! 
  • 1 small red onion
  • cider vinegar
  • olive oil
  • pumpkin seeds
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Variations

You might also like to add one or more of these extras:

  • raisins, sultanas or dried cranberries 
  • chopped herbs – parsley, thyme, coriander (cilantro) or mint
  • nuts – almonds, cashews. raw peanuts and walnuts all work well
  • a drizzle of maple syrup or tahini
  • grated raw beetroot

How To Make Carrot Salad – Tips

This carrot salad is super easy to make. These tips should make it even simpler!

Simply peel the onion, cut it in half and slice very thinly into half moons. 

Peel and grate the carrots. A food mixer with a grater attachment will achieve this in a matter of seconds but a box grater will work just as well. 

Gently fry the pumpkin seeds in the olive oil to crisp them up a bit. Turn the heat off as soon as they start popping. Let them cool.

If you want to make this salad oil free simply toast the seeds for a minute or two in a dry frying pan. 

Combine all the ingredients and any extras in a large bowl and season to taste. 

A bowl of carrot salad topped with fried pumpkin seeds.

Serving Suggestions

A simple carrot salad complements so many dishes and is a useful addition to so many meals. It is fabulous with my Leek Tart or: 

Or just stuff it in a baguette with lashings of store-bought or homemade hummus!

A bolw of homemade hummus, one of fresh carrot salad and a plate with two sliced baguettes filled with the hummus and salad.

Storage

Store leftover salad in an airtight container.

It will keep for 2 or 3 days in the fridge. 

If you make my recipe I’d love to hear how it turns out for you. Please leave a comment and a star rating below and share your pictures with me on social media. Tag me @thinlyspread and include the hashtag #thinlyspread so I can see them!

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Fresh carrot salad is served in half baguettes on a flowery plate. A bowl of carrot salad and one of hummus are in the background.

Quick Carrot Salad

A bright, fresh carrot salad. Perfect in sandwiches or as a side. On the table in 10 minutes at most!
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Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, English
Diet: Vegan
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 49kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 medium carrots
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tsp cider vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Peel and grate the carrots using the grater attachment in your food processor or a handheld box grater.
  • Peel and halve the onion. Slice thinly.
  • Heat the oil in a small pan and gently fry the seeds for a minute or two. Remove from heat.
  • Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Check seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Notes

Nutritional information is only an approximate guideline. Calculations will vary according to the ingredients you use and your cooking methods.
Do read my post for additional tips, suggestions and tricks to ensure a successful make!

Nutrition

Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 29mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 6795IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.5mg
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