By Millie Peartree
- Total Time
- 15 minutes, plus 1 hour’s chilling
- Rating
- 4(541)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Maybe your family has made carrot salad forever, or maybe you’ve seen it at potlucks, but if you’re not familiar with this Southern classic, your inner voice might be screaming, “Raisins don’t belong in salad!” But relax: This just might be the only time they do. The soft, sweet raisins complement the crunchy carrots, which are finished with a tangy dressing. Soak the raisins in hot water to give them a different, more plump texture. If you aren’t a fan of mayonnaise or yogurt, use 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice, and add some chopped fresh parsley. Let the crunchy-sweet flavors roll over your tastebuds as you realize you’ve made a simple, and delicious, dish in less than 15 minutes.
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Ingredients
Yield:2 to 4 servings (about 4 cups)
- 1(8-ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained (about 1 cup)
- ½cup golden or brown raisins
- ¼cup mayonnaise or plain yogurt
- 1tablespoon honey (optional)
- 1tablespoon fresh orange zest, (optional)
- 6medium carrots, peeled and grated (about 4 cups), or 1 (10-ounce) bag of carrot matchsticks
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
146 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 26 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 87 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
In a large bowl, add pineapple, raisins, mayonnaise, honey and orange zest (if using). Mix until combined.
Step
2
Add carrots to dressing and fold together all the ingredients using a rubber spatula or tongs.
Step
3
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, then serve chilled.
Ratings
4
out of 5
541
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Cooking Notes
Andrew
I love grated carrot salads! Will try this method, but also wanted to suggest one of my fave variations uses dried cherries or dried cranberries instead of raisins - either is particularly good presoaked in lime juice.
dimmerswitch
As my pantry is my witness, I keep juice-packed pineapple tidbits stored there just so I can make this kind of carrot salad. (Well...on occasion when making pizza I add them to peppers and onions on "a pie". But I will deny that in public.) I choose brown raisins here and yogurt over mayo. Seems plenty sweet to me without optional honey but your taste may vary. I prefer lemon zest to orange. And you'd be amazed what a difference fresh Farmer's Market carrots make grated for this.
UESlit
A classic Israeli version,beloved by generations, omits the mayo or yogurt and honey, and instead adds a cup of orange juice, a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice and a few tablespoons of sugar. Refrigerate for a few hours and the juices combine into a delicious sauce. All measurements are, of course, approximate.
PDXer
IMHO, you can’t beat David Liebovitz’s carrot salad. No mayo, raisins, or pineapple. Just EVOO, lemon, mustard, salt & herbs.
Steve
This salad improves with age. The raisins will plump up on their own after refrigerating overnight. A good addition is shredded coconut.
Kaspian
This is the best base recipe for carrot salad/ slaw EVER. White carrots looked beautiful with orange zest. fa*ge full fat yogurt. Followed another’s suggestion of craisins soaked in lime juice in lieu of raisins, but didn’t have enough limes so added juice of half an orange. Added other half orange juice to carrots. Omitted pineapple bc I had none. Simmered craisins in juices, cooled a bit then added to carrots while warm and refrigerated it all for an hour. Amazeballs 10/10
Suzanne
I love finely grated carrots and make carrot salad often. Lately, I have used Vidalia onion bottled salad dressing in place of mayonnaise and honey. It is a more complex flavor than mayonnaise and works very well with the natural sweetness of carrots. .
louise mccormick
My version of this--not to criticize this one--is to use some sweet onion, omit the mayo, and dress simply with oil and vinegar or lemon juice. In addition to the raisins, I also add almonds or whatever nuts I have on hand.
Melanie
Soak the raisins for 10 to 20 minutes before adding them to the salad. They plump up and add moisture and sweetness.
Colleen
My mother, who managed restaurants/cafeterias from the 1950s-1980s, made carrot-raisin salads (along with many others) for the cafeteria line, mostly. She used mayo and applesauce for the dressing. I still make it to this day from her recipe on an index card.
Kim
Thank you fellow Times reader. Made this with some orange zest and lime soaked cranberries. Everyone raved about it! Definitely a keeper!
Mindy Olson
I second using orange juice in place of mayo/yogurt.
LoriShaw
My mother's version of this salad added shredded coconut but no raisins. It was delicious.
Eileen
A squeeze of lemon or lime juice, or a few tablespoons of (unsweetened) pineapple juice, gives this a little punch. My grandmother also added 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Pecans would work.
Connie
Our family adds flaked coconut to this salad. It makes for a nice addition.
so good
Did add lemon zest
jolee
Plump raisins in juice or water. Follow the rest yum
Pilar
Awesome salad, used mint and garlic yogurt from Costco instead of plain yogurt.
Lauri
I add a tablespoon (or more to taste) of prepared horseradish. It balances out the sweetness of the pineapple.
vesperada
I made this dish exactly as written, using yogurt instead of mayonnaise. It was terrible. Completely boring and tasteless. What a disappointment.
dimmerswitch
Is it that Millie Peartree's recipes take us back to childhood home-cookin' that many commenting haven't tried this but offer memories and opinions? With thanks to cooks who tried it and posted comments, I'll add mine from making this twice. Didn't need opt. honey as other ingredients are sweet. Currants or golden raisins are our choices to use here but wee bit less. Love the orange zest opt. in this and had not used it before in a gazillion carrot salads made across the years. Good stuff!
me
No honey1 Tbls dried orange peel1/2 cup roasted and salted pistachiosUnsweetened vanilla coconut yogurt
Lakshmi Kapoor Willis
I used presoaked goji berries instead of raisins, and eggless mayo. It looked and tasted quite refreshing
Kim
Thank you fellow Times reader. Made this with some orange zest and lime soaked cranberries. Everyone raved about it! Definitely a keeper!
LeeLee
I still make my mother's carrot salad, especially for bbq's! We love nuts in our family, and always add chopped walnuts or pecans. Over the years, I've modified the all-mayo dressing to half-yogurt/half-mayo, plus a little pineapple juice from the tidbits. Always a crowd favorite! Tip: grate the carrots a day ahead, and keep refrigerated in a ziplock baggie.
JoanC
While I will gladly eat any carrot salad that is put in front of me, my favorite to make, especially mid-winter when meals tend to be heavy, is simple: grated carrots, finely chopped parsley (lots of it!), lemon, olive oil, salt and garlic. Simple, clean, refreshing and a satisfying balance to heartier foods.
Mary Beth
Orange juice instead of mayo or yogurt. Raisins - soak in the orange juice. Add ginger - grated fresh or crystalized pieces with sugar. No pineapple in this one.
JAN
I like to add a little grated fresh ginger to counteract the sweetness
louise mccormick
My version of this--not to criticize this one--is to use some sweet onion, omit the mayo, and dress simply with oil and vinegar or lemon juice. In addition to the raisins, I also add almonds or whatever nuts I have on hand.
Mary Alford
This is also great with lemon and lime zest instead of orange - especially with the pineapple. Other dried fruit bits (I used papaya once) also are delicious.
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