Carrot Salad
Carrot Salad features juicy pineapple chunks, sweet mandarin oranges, dried cherries, crunchy pistachios and of course plenty of shredded carrots! Holding it all together is a bright and tangy orange vinaigrette. This quick and easy salad recipe is perfect for Easter Sunday!
Carrot Salad
Carrot salad is one of my favorite salads to make all year round, but it’s especially wonderful to serve on Easter! It highlights all of the bright, vibrant, sweet flavors that we crave when the weather starts warming up. Pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, crunchy pistachios and dried cherries create the best combination of varying textures that perfectly compliment the crisp carrots.
The orange vinaigrette might just be my favorite element of this entire recipe. It features freshly squeezed orange juice, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil and just a little salt and pepper. It’s sweet, tangy, and delightfully fresh! On an Easter plate filled with delicious dishes, this dressing makes carrot salad stand out among the crowd. Even picky eaters might just love it!
Easter isn’t the only time this salad shines. Serve it up with your regular weeknight dinner, present it next to the potato salad at a backyard bbq or enjoy it as a light lunch while you’re lounging by the pool. With all of the fresh and fruity ingredients deliciously coated in that zesty dressing, it’s fit for all of your sunny occasions!
How to Make Carrot Salad
This carrot salad recipe is so easy to toss together! For more detailed step by step instructions, just scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Make the vinaigrette. Add all of the ingredients for the orange vinaigrette to a bowl then whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Shred the carrots. You can use a cheese grater to grate the carrots by hand. Or, to save some time, use a food processor fitted with a shredding blade. Once the carrots are grated, toss them into a bowl.
- Toss it all together. Add the pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, dried cherries, pistachios and parsley to the bowl with the carrots. Pour the dressing all over the salad and toss to fully coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and either serve right away or put it in the fridge and serve chilled later.
Storing
Once it’s all tossed together with the vinaigrette, you’ll want to serve carrot salad within a few hours. The acid in the apple cider vinegar will soften the carrots and fruits over time. However, you can store the vinaigrette and salad ingredients in two separate containers in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days.
I do not recommend freezing carrot salad or orange vinaigrette.
Ingredient Notes
Here are just a few notes about some of the ingredients you’ll need. For a full list of ingredients in the salad and vinaigrette with exact measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Orange Juice – For the very best flavor, squeeze this directly from the fruit!
- Apple Cider Vinegar – I don’t recommend swapping this with any other vinegar. It’s got the tangy flavor that the vinaigrette needs while also having a complimentary sweetness for the fruits.
- Dijon Mustard – Do not swap this with regular yellow mustard. They are not the same thing at all!
- Carrots – Make sure to peel them before grating them!
- Pineapple Chunks – Drain the chunks well before tossing them with the other ingredients.
- Mandarin Oranges – These will also need to be drained well. You can feel free to use freshly peeled mandarin oranges, but the orange pith (the white part inside the orange) will still be present.
- Dried Cherries – You can swap these with raisins if preferred.
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Get the Recipe: Carrot Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Citrus Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Salad
- 1 pound carrots, peeled
- 1 can diced pineapple, drained
- 1 can mandarin oranges, drained
- 1/2 cup dried cherries or raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
Instructions
- Whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette and set aside.
- Using a food processor fitted with a shredding blade (or grate by hand), shred the carrots and then transfer to a bowl.
- Add the pineapple, orange, dried cherries, pistachios and parsley.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve chilled or room temperature.
2 Comments on “Carrot Salad”
Rating is not relevant since I have not made this recipe. I am posting this comment to ask why the pistachios are not listed as an ingredient in the recipe. What quantity do you use?
That’s a great question, Delores! I used 1/2 cup chopped pistachios and I forgot to add it to the written recipe because it was a last minute addition when we tested the recipe. Thanks for pointing it out!