Carrot Raisin Salad Recipe (Quick & Delicious)

Name: Carrot Raisin Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 cups carrots (, shredded (about 4 large)); 1 cup raisins; 1 cup celery (, finely chopped); 1 cup walnut pieces; ½ tsp ground nutmeg; ¼ tsp black pepper; 1 cup mayonnaise

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This carrot raisin salad recipe is so quick and delicious! Creamy and lightly sweet and nutty with crispy bits throughout. A hearty, flavorful, refreshing salad that uses only 7 ingredients and takes only 15 minutes to prepare. Great for your potluck, cookout, or holiday side dish.

The raisins offer a light sweetness while the celery and nuts add distinct crisp and complementary flavors. A small amount of nutmeg is all you need to escalate this salad from ho-hum to fabulous!

Pairs well with most anything you're fixing for lunch or dinner like my Baked Mahi Mahi or Rice and Beef Tips.

Great as a Thanksgiving side dish along with my Potato Salad with Bacon. Also, consider serving this easy Cheese Ball Recipe to your hungry crowd while they're waiting for the main course to be done.

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💖 Why You'll Love This Salad
🥘 Ingredients
📖 Substitutions / Additions
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
💭 Expert Preparation Tips
🧐 Recipe FAQs
🥗 More Salads & Vegetable Side Dishes
📋 Recipe

💖 Why You'll Love This Salad

Quick: Takes just 15 minutes to prepare from start to finish, quicker if you have extra helpers or use your food processor to shred and chop.
Few Ingredients: Only 7 readily-available ingredients needed.
Kid Friendly: Most kids love carrots and raisins and are sure to love this delicious, lightly sweet salad. Browse through the rest of my salad recipes.

🥘 Ingredients

What You'll Need:

Ingredient Notes:

Carrots: I recommend freshly shredded carrots, as the salad will have a much fresher flavor, but if you must use pre-shredded you can do so (just keep in mind that this may compromise the flavor).
Nutmeg: This spice is crucial for leveling this salad up a notch - don't leave it out if at all possible!
Walnuts: I used walnuts in this salad, and I love the subtle nuttiness they add. If you or your family are allergic to nuts, you can certainly omit them, but they do add a nice flavor boost (so leave them in if possible).

(See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full recipe instructions)

📖 Substitutions / Additions

Nuts: I have only used walnuts for this salad, so I don't know how other nuts would taste. If you want to experiment, I suggest trying pecans, slivered almonds, or pumpkin seeds. Let me know in the comments if you tried something new - I always love to hear of variations people come up with!
Salt: You can add a bit of salt if you feel it needs it. I would add only a slight amount and taste. In my opinion, this salad needs very little or no salt - that's why I didn't include it.

🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Grate or shred carrots with a hand grater. You can also use your food processor to shred / grate.

Step 2: Finely chop the celery by hand or with your food processor.

Step 3: Add all ingredients except mayonnaise to a large bowl, and use a large spoon to mix together.

Step 4: Add mayonnaise and gently mix all ingredients to incorporate. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.

(Scroll down for full recipe and print capabilities)

💭 Expert Preparation Tips

You can hand shred or grate (like I did), or feel free to use your food processor if you have a shredding feature in order to save some time.
I peel the carrots before shredding unless they are super fresh from my garden, as sometimes the outer layer can be a bit bitter.
Alternately, you could purchase pre-shredded carrots or matchstick carrots. The salad won't be quite as fresh, but this would be a time saver. With matchstick, the salad would turn out a bit more crunchy and bulky, but probably still just as delicious.
I like to use a bowl that's bigger than needed for the end product, so I use an extra-large bowl to mix in, then transfer to a smaller bowl for storage. This allows you room to mix all the ingredients thoroughly without struggle and mess.

🧐 Recipe FAQs

What is carrot salad made of?

This carrot salad with raisins only needs 7 ingredients, including carrots, raisins, walnuts, celery, mayonnaise, ground nutmeg, and black pepper. There are other variations, but I think this one is the best and most simple.

Are carrots and raisins good for you?

Both carrots and raisins are healthy, containing many vitamins and minerals like beta carotene and iron that equip your body to function optimally. Don't let the health benefits fool you, as they are both delicious ingredients in this carrot & raisin salad recipe.

How do you keep grated carrots from turning brown?

To keep freshly grated or shredded carrots from turning brown, simply cover and refrigerate for up to three days. It's best to shred the carrots just before using in your recipe. After preparing, this carrot raisin salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Do carrots need to be peeled before shredding?

If I have fresh carrots from my garden, I usually don't peel them. However, if they are from the grocery store, especially if they are not super fresh, I will usually peel them before shredding, chopping, or eating in any form.

What is the difference between grated carrots and shredded carrots?

Grated carrots are shorter, fatter pieces, while shredded carrots are longer and more slender. Both methods are ideal for this carrot salad whichever you prefer.

🥗 More Salads & Vegetable Side Dishes

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