The perfect springtime side dish, this Spring Carrot Salad is light and refreshing but bursting with flavor. Shredded carrots, thinly sliced red onion, garlic and dill are dressed with a bright and tangy, yet slightly sweet dressing. This salad is fresh and crunchy; the perfect addition to grilled fish or chicken, or a changeup to your usual side salad.
All about this salad
This salad is extremely easy to prepare, with no cooking required. The only work involved here is chopping some veggies and preparing the delicious dressing. By using pre-shredded carrots, you will only have a few minutes of prep time. The rest of the magic happens in the refrigerator. The longer it sits, the more flavor it has!
This salad is crispy, crunchy, and vibrant. It is packed with flavor, including delicious shredded carrots red onion and fresh dill. It is the perfect accompaniment to any spring or summer meal or meal prep. My favorite suggestion for serving this salad is alongside a grilled protein. The best part: this salad is served cold, no reheating required!
What you’ll need to make this Spring Carrot Salad
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. This short ingredient list is big on flavor!
- carrots
- I use the bags of shredded carrots to make for quick prep.
- red onion
- garlic
- fresh dill
- honey
- This is a great natural way to add sweetness to a dish.
- olive oil
- white vinegar
- kosher salt
- paprika
- coriander
How I lighten up a vinaigrette
Traditionally, a vinaigrette is one part acid (vinegar, citrus) to multiple parts oil. When you are trying to eat lower calorie or low fat, oil can be tricky to work with. But, really good olive oil is a key ingredient in flavoring this salad, so I couldn’t omit it.
Instead, I decided to use equal parts olive oil and vinegar in this dressing. Since I used honey to add sweetness that helps add to the volume of this dressing as well. I promise you won’t miss any of that extra oil!
How to make this salad
Start by making the dressing in a large mixing bowl. Add the honey, olive oil, vinegar, salt, paprika, and coriander together and whisk to combine.
To the mixing bowl, add in the shredded carrots, thinly sliced red onion, minced garlic, and fresh dill.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours for the flavors to combine before serving. The longer this sits, the better the flavors combine.
Try these other Spring/Summer-inspired sides
- Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus
- Fresh asparagus spears are wrapped in prosciutto slices and grilled until tender; topped with a creamy lemony honey mustard dressing, this asparagus recipe offers a salty and savory bite. These are pretty enough to serve to guests, but simple enough to make mid-week for the family.
- Summer Peach Salad with Burrata
- Crisp, fresh peaches, crunchy pecans, decadent melty burrata cheese, and a tangy vinaigrette all come together to create this dish.
- Quinoa and Vegetable Salad with Peanut Dressing
- This salad boasts flavors of crisp cabbage, peppers and edamame, wrapped in an delicious sweet and savory peanut dressing and finished with vibrant fresh herbs.
Spring Carrot Salad
Equipment
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 20 oz shredded carrots, two 10-oz bags shredded carrots
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ c fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- ½ tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp coriander
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, prepare the dressing ingredients: add the honey, olive oil, vinegar, salt, paprika, and coriander together and whisk to combine.
- Next, add the shredded carrots, thinly sliced red onion, minced garlic, and fresh dill.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours for the flavors to combine before serving; the longer it sits, the better the flavors combine.
Weight Watchers
Nutrition
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Just made this to “marinate” so I can share it with the family at dinner … I’ll serve it on tops of greens and it will be beautiful, colorful and so delicious. Thank you, Steph, for this creative way to put more “vive” into my kids’ salads!