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This simple Carrot Salad is fresh, flavorful, and made with just a few kitchen staples. Sweet, crunchy carrots are tossed with a tangy Dijon and herb vinaigrette. Ready in 10 minutes and perfect for meal prep or potlucks!
For more easy veggie salads, try my Creamy Cucumber Salad and Simple Cabbage Salad.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Just 10 Minutes to Make – No cooking required. Just shred, whisk, and toss!
- Great Make-Ahead Option – This salad holds up beautifully in the fridge for a couple days. In fact, it gets even better as it sits.
- Simple Ingredients – You probably already have everything you need: carrots, green onions, oil, vinegar, maple syrup, and a few seasonings.
- Healthy and Flavor-Packed – Naturally sweet carrots, paired with tangy Dijon and herbs, give this salad a perfect sweet-savory balance.
- Kid-Friendly & Potluck-Approved – It’s mild enough for picky eaters but sophisticated enough for guests.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
Ingredients
- Carrots – You’ll need about 2 pounds of carrots to get about 5 cups of shredded or grated carrots.
- Green Onions – 1 bunch, or about 8-10 stems, thinly sliced. I like to use both the white and green parts.
- Dressing – Olive oil, white wine (or red) vinegar, maple syrup (or honey), dijon mustard, kosher salt, black pepper, and Herbes de Provence. You can swap lemon juice for the vinegar if you like.
How To Make Carrot Salad
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Mix Vegetables – Add the shredded carrots and green onions to a medium-sized bowl. I like to grate the carrots myself using a box grater, but when I want a quick shortcut I buy the pre-shredded.
Mix The Vinaigrette – Whisk together some olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence until well combined.
Toss and Taste – Toss salad in half the dressing and give it a taste. You can adjust the salt level and add more dressing as desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I shred my own carrots?
Sure! The easiest way to do this is using your food processor. You could also grate them by hand, but the shreds with be thinner.
How do you soften carrots for salad?
Especially if you are using pre-shredded carrots, you might need to soften them a bit to avoid a difficult to chew texture. The simple solution is SALT! Place the carrots in a bowl and sprinkle and toss with ¼ teaspoon of salt per cup of carrots. Let them sit for 15 minutes and they should be softer, but not mushy. Perfect for this salad!
What is Herbes de Provence?
Herbes de Provence is a classic French blend of herbs like thyme, basil, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, etc. The exact spices in this blend can vary from brand to brand, so keep that in mind. If you don’t have it on hand, you can make the blend yourself with this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
Serve it alongside your favorite protein like grilled chicken, burgers, or baked salmon. It also holds up well on a buffet table or picnic spread, since there’s no mayo to worry about.
Storage Tips
Storage and Make Ahead
Storage: Cover and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezing this recipe is not recommended.
Make Ahead: You can easily make this salad ahead of time. I recommend saving half the dressing and adding more before serving. This gives the flavors time to get to know each other, while also ensuring that the salad is not overdressed.
Recipe Tips
- Use a grater or a food processor to shred the carrots. Don’t try slicing into matchsticks; they’ll be too big.
- Feel free to add other ingredients, like parsley, pineapple, or almonds.
- You can swap the maple syrup for honey.
More Cold Salads
Simple Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 5 cups Shredded carrots (a little less than 2 pounds, depending on thickness)
- 1 bunch Green onions, sliced (around ¾ cup)
- 1/3 cup Olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons White wine vinegar (you can also use red wine vinegar)
- 1 Tablespoon Maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
Instructions
- Place shredded carrots and sliced green onions into a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence until well combined.
- Toss salad in half the dressing. If making in advance cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, toss with remaining dressing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
