Carrot Raisin Salad
on May 03, 2021, Updated Apr 22, 2025
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Pretty, inexpensive, satisfying, colorful, and portable — we all need a perfect carrot salad recipe in our repertoire!
This is a substantial salad that truly will fill you up, unlike some of those leafy green salads, which, while delicious (at least I think so), don’t exactly give you that sated feeling. Carrot raisin salad is perfect for a picnic, a potluck, or just to make and stash in the fridge for a quick side dish. It adds a nice color to the table and the plate. And it’s darn cheap.
Serve this salad alongside Chipotle Beef Burgers, Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Loin, or Dijon and Honey-Crusted Pork Tenderloins. It can even be lunch on its own!
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What's In This Post?
Carrot Raisin Salad: Pretty, inexpensive, satisfying, colorful, and portable – we all need a perfect carrot salad recipe in our repertoire!
Raisin and Carrot Salad Ingredients
- Mayonnaise – Adds a bit of creaminess and body.
- Olive oil – Use a high-quality olive oil.
- Honey – Offers a hint of sweetness.
- Lemon juice – A bit of acidity to balance out the earthiness of the carrots and the sweetness of the raisins.
- Dijon mustard – Offers a subtle spiciness.
- Salt and pepper – To taste.
- Carrots – Carrots are the main attraction in this salad. Make sure to grate them; see below for tips.
- Raisins – Provides sweet bursts of flavor.
How to Make Carrot Salad With Raisins
- Make the dressing: Combine the mayonnaise, olive oil, honey, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Mix and serve: Add the carrots and raisins, toss, and enjoy!
Tips and Substitutions for Carrot Raisin Salad
- Try other dried fruit in place of the raisins, which isn’t traditional but allows you to keep changing things up. Golden raisins are particularly nice.
- Some people like to add chopped pineapple to their carrot salads for a bit of sweetness.
- You can mix this right in the serving bowl and wipe down the sides with a damp paper towel if you want it to look neat and tidy when you serve.
- If you want a mayo-free salad, just leave it out and add another tablespoon or so of oil.
- You can use smooth Dijon mustard or coarse; it is your call. And if you don’t have Dijon, spicy brown mustard works just fine.
- If you like celeriac, it makes a great addition to this salad. Just peel the celeriac well with a paring knife (the skin is very thick and rough), and sub in about 8 ounces for half of the carrots.
- Adding a julienned apple is also a nice idea, providing another layer of sweetness in addition to the raisins.
How to Grate Carrots
You can grate carrots for carrot salad in a number of ways. If you have a box grater or handheld grater, that’s perfect – just make sure to use the side with the largest holes. Don’t use a microplane for this task; the holes are too fine.
You can also use the grating blade in a food processor, which is the easiest and fastest way to go – this is a very underutilized food processor blade, I think.
If you prefer to cut the carrots into matchsticks with a knife instead of grating them, that’s fine, too.
Make-Ahead and Storage
This salad will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days. The carrots may lose a bit of their structure, but they will marinate and become more flavorful.
What to Serve With Carrot Raisin Salad
More Sturdy Non-Lettuce Salad Recipes
- Chickpea Salad
- Brussels Sprouts, Apple, and Pomegranate Slaw Salad
- Green Bean Nicoise Salad
- Hearts of Palm Salad
- Chickpea and Fava Bean Salad
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Carrot Raisin Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 10 medium carrots (about 1 pound: orange or multicolored; peeled and grated)
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, olive oil, honey, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Add the carrots and the raisins. Toss until everything is well combined. Serve.
Notes
- Try other dried fruit in place of the raisins, which isn’t traditional but allows you to keep changing things up. Golden raisins are particularly nice.
- Some people like to add chopped pineapple to their carrot salads for a bit of sweetness.
- You can mix this right in the serving bowl and wipe down the sides with a damp paper towel if you want it to look neat and tidy when you serve.
- If you want a mayo-free salad, just leave it out and add another tablespoon or so of oil.
- You can use smooth Dijon mustard or coarse, your call. And if you don’t have Dijon, spicy brown mustard works just fine.
- If you like celeriac, it makes a great addition to this salad. Just peel the celeriac well with a paring knife (the skin is very thick and rough), and sub in about 8 ounces for half of the carrots.
- Adding a julienned apple is also a nice idea, providing another layer of sweetness in addition to the raisins.
