This healthy carrot raisin salad ditches Miracle Whip/Mayo for a lighter, sweet and tangy vinaigrette finish, uses 7 ingredients (plus salt and pepper), and is ready in just 10 minutes! The resulting gluten-free, dairy-free, shredded carrot salad is perfect for picnics, potlucks, gatherings, or even a simple side dish for any day of the week.
Wash and optionally peel the carrots.Save the carrot peels in the freezer to make homemade vegetable stock.
Grate (using a box grater or food processor grating disk) or thinly slice (using a mandoline on the julienne setting) the carrots. Transfer them to a large serving bowl.You could also prepare this as a shaved carrot salad, using a vegetable slicer or mandoline to slice paper-thin carrot ribbons.
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and gently toss. Give the raisin and carrot salad a taste and adjust (seasonings, lemon, honey/maple, etc.) to taste.You can also whisk the salad dressing in a separate bowl if you’d prefer to adjust the flavors separately before adding it to the shredded carrot salad.
You can then technically serve the shredded raisin carrot salad at once. Though I recommend allowing it to sit for at least 30-60 minutes to allow all the flavors to meld and marinate.
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Make ahead: I actually recommend making this raisin carrot salad recipe a few hours (or even a night) in advance to give all the flavors time to meld.Store: this shredded carrot salad with raisins is best consumed within 2-3 days. It will start to release water the longer it sits in the refrigerator. Store it wrapped tightly or in an airtight container.
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Notes
Optionally soak the raisins: this can really help soften and plump them up, which some people definitely prefer. To do so, soak the raisins in hot liquid (water or juice - like apple juice) until plump.
It’s best to let it marinate: even for just 30 minutes, though up to overnight even works well to allow all the flavors to meld.
For quick prep: use a food processor to shred the carrots in seconds.
Sweeten to taste: I’ve made the honey optional in this recipe, but feel free to sweeten to taste (starting with 1 tsp).
Do you have to peel the carrots? Not at all, especially when well-scrubbed or using no-peel varieties. However, some people prefer the flavor and look without the peel, so do whichever you prefer.
Can I use pre-prepared carrots? I don’t recommend it as they tend to have a different texture (and often flavor) and may not meld as well with the dressing. However, you can in a pinch.
Other Seasonings & Recipe Variations:
Pineapple: carrot raisin pineapple salad is a popular combination. I recommend using 1/3-1/2 cup of fresh finely chopped pineapple. Very well-drained crushed pineapple/tidbits should also work.
Apple: a shredded or diced tart apple like Granny Smith will add tang and balance against the sweetness, for a delicious carrot apple salad.
Ginger: inspired by a German carrot salad add, a small amount of grated ginger/ginger paste (start with 1/2 tsp and increase to taste) to the dressing.
Parsley: I like the added freshness of 2-3 Tbsp of chopped parsley either instead of or alongside the mint in this raisin carrot salad recipe.
Other dry fruit: instead of, or alongside, the raisins, you could add chopped dates, craisins (dried cranberries).
Carrot orange salad: add 1-2 oranges (peeled and halved orange segments). You can also make an orange dressing. Omit the pepper and add a tablespoon or two of orange juice, some honey/maple, and an optional dash of cinnamon.
Carrot slaw with raisins: use half shredded cabbage and half carrot for a simple carrot raisin slaw. I also like to use half vinegar, half lemon juice in the dressing.
Orange blossom water: add around 2 Tbsp orange blossom water and a pinch of cinnamon to the salad. A small amount of ginger would also work well in this version.
Spices: a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg works well.
Mayonnaise: I specifically made this carrot raisin salad with a lighter dressing, but use mayonnaise (or vegan mayo) if preferred.
Yogurt: if you want a creamy dressing without all the fat in mayonnaise, you could use plain/Greek yogurt (about ¼ cup) instead (optionally with a bit of vanilla extract).