This Carrot and Coriander Side Salad is a light and sweet salad that is delicious with a curry or noodle dish. A great way to add some extra vegetables to your meal and bursting with flavour from all the herbs and an incredible soy and sesame dressing. This carrot salad has it all!
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This is a very simple side salad and that's the way they should be. If you love our Asian Slaw, then you are going to love this carrot salad! Something you can make in under 5 minutes whilst the main meal is cooking away.
You wouldn't usually think to put a salad with a curry, but this isn't your normal lettuce salad, but instead it is packed full of carrots and herbs.
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Why You Will Love It
- Ready in less than 5 minutes
- A great way to enjoy carrots
- Perfect with a curry or noodle dish
- Good for batch making
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Carrots - the star of this salad, and a really cheap ingredient to buy making it a budget side dish. We just used standard supermarket orange carrots, however you could use some yellow and purple carrots too.
- Shallots - these add some extra sweetness to the carrot salad, as well as some extra crunch. You could use a yellow onion instead.
- Coriander (cilantro) - this adds SO much flavour to the salad. I know that not everyone is a fan of coriander, so you could swap it for parsley.
- Lime - an easy way to add some freshness to the salad and lime and coriander go so well together. You could use lemon instead.
- Sesame oil - the base of the Asian style dressing. You could use olive oil instead, but sesame oil has such a great flavour.
- Sesame seeds
- Soy sauce - the saltiness from the soy sauce helps to balance out the sweetness of the carrots. Use a reduced salt soy sauce if you want to lower the salt levels.
- Cumin
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
One: Put the grated carrots into a large bowl.
Two: Add the shallots.
Three: Add the chopped coriander (cilantro).
Four: Mix together the lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, cumin and salt and pepper and pour over the carrot mixture. Add the sesame seeds.
Five: Mix together and serve.
What is a Carrot Salad?
Salads aren't just about lettuce! Sweet and crunchy carrots make up the base of this salad, making is a side salad that you can serve with a curry or noodle dish. Whilst a carrot salad is something you would usually find on the menu at a French restaurant, this is our Asian twist on it.
A base of shredded carrot mixed with chunky shallots, loads of fresh lime and coriander and an incredibly simple soy and sesame dressing.
What Carrots to Use
We used just standard supermarket orange carrots. However, you could add a variety of colour to this carrot salad with some yellow and purple carrots too.
We have grated the carrots, but you could finely dice them instead. If you want even more flavour from the carrots, roast them first and keep this as a diced carrot salad.
You don't even just have to use carrots. Why not change this recipe up a bit and add grated parsnip, beetroot and squash too - they will add lots of colour.
Salad dressing
This is a really simple dressing of sesame oil, soy sauce, lime and cumin mixed with some fresh coriander.
I know this is going to divide people, as not everyone is a fan of of coriander. But we LOVE it and think it pairs beautifully with carrots. If you don't love it and think it tastes like soap (a common opinion it seems), then swap it for some fresh parsley instead.
You could even use chives or some basil. But give the coriander a go, as it really works.
Dannii's Top Tips
- I know not everyone is a fan of coriander, so you could swap it for fresh chopped parsley instead.
- Try not to over dress the salad, as it will make it soggy. You still want a little bit of crunch from the carrots.
- Let the salad rest for 30 minutes before serving.
- If you want to make this more of a filling salad, then add some cooked brown rice or some quinoa.
- Make this side salad in to a full meal by following the above and then topping it with some grilled chicken breast or some cooked halloumi.
- Add a little bit of spice by sprinkling some red chilli flakes on top before serving.
- This salad is already fairly sweet from the carrots (even more so if they are freshly grown), but you could make it even sweeter by adding a drizzle of honey.
- Carrot salad with raisins - raisins are a great addition to this and it then goes really well with a chicken korma.
Frequently Asked Questions
We just used a box grater to grate up the carrots for this carrot salad, however you could throw them in a food processor that has a grater attachment to save your a few minutes.
Unlike a green garden salad which can go limp and soggy in the fridge, this salad actually tastes even better the next day as it has time to take on all the flavour of the dressing. Store it in an air tight container in the fridge and it will be fine for 48 hours.
More Salad Recipes
If you've tried this carrot salad recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Carrot and Coriander Salad
Ingredients
- 8 Carrot - peeled and grated
- 3 Shallots - diced
- 30 g (2 cups) of Fresh coriander (cilantro) - chopped
- 1 Lime - (juice only)
- 1 tablespoon of Sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon of Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon of Sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon of Cumin
- 1 pinch of Sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Put 8 Carrot (grated) into a large bowl.
- Add 3 Shallots and 30 g of Fresh coriander (cilantro).
- Mix together the juice of 1 Lime, 1 tbsp of Sesame oil, 1 tbsp of Soy sauce, 1 tsp of Cumin and 1 pinch of Sea salt and ground black pepperour over the carrot mixture.
- Add 2 tbsp of Sesame seeds. Mix together and serve.
Recipe Video
Recipe Tips
- If you're not a fan of coriander, you could swap it for fresh chopped parsley instead.
- If you want to make this more of a filling salad, then add some cooked brown rice or some quinoa.
- Make this side salad in to a full meal by following the above and then topping it with some grilled chicken breast or some cooked halloumi.
- Add a little bit of spice by sprinkling some red chilli flakes on top before serving.
- This salad is already fairly sweet from the carrots (even more so if they are freshly grown), but you could make it even sweeter by adding a drizzle of honey.
- Carrot salad with raisins - raisins (or even sultanas) are a great addition to this and it then goes really well with a chicken korma.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Gabi says
As I have always carrots in my pantry I can't wait to try your amazing salad version with coriander, spices and sesame seeds.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
This looks like such a tasty side salad - colourful and with a bit of a crunch too! I definitely need to give making it a try!
Laura @ KneadWhine says
This features three of my favourite ingredients - lime, coriander and carrot - fantastic! I'm getting through a bag of raw carrots every few days at the kiment - this would make a welcome change to just eating them whole.
marcie says
I love salads like this that are so full of texture with lots of crunch, and super fresh. This looks delicious!
Brittany says
Talk about refreshing. I love the simple recipes like this.
Ashley says
This simple salad looks just so good. I have been all about carrots lately so I know I would love this!!