Name: Raw Carrot Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 pound carrots (peeled); 2 green onions (thinly sliced); 1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds (toasted); 1 Tablespoon shallot (minced); 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 Tablespoons champagne vinegar (or rice vinegar); 1 Tablespoon fresh tarragon (chopped); 1 teaspoon honey; 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1/3 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

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This French raw carrot salad is fresh, flavorful, and ready in just 5 minutes. Crunchy grated carrots are combined with a sweet and tangy tarragon vinaigrette for a delicious side dish!

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This French-inspired salad comes with a fresh, aromatic tarragon vinaigrette dressing that's just bursting with flavor. If you want to switch it up, orange ginger dressing, poppy seed dressing, or a classic balsamic vinaigrette will work deliciously well, too!

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📖Why My Recipe Works
🧾Ingredient Notes
⏲️How to Make French Carrot Salad
🥗What to Serve with Raw Carrot Salad
Expert Tip
More Salad Recipes
🌡️Storing Leftovers
📖 Recipe Card
⭐Reviews

📖Why My Recipe Works

A great way to eat carrots during spring and summer. Enjoy it as a side dish with your grilled meals without having to cook. Plus, it's healthy, flavorful, and filling!

🧾Ingredient Notes

Carrots- Use any type of fresh carrot, orange, or rainbow carrots.
Green Onions- Use fresh chives or leeks as a substitute.
Almonds- Toast the almonds until golden for more flavor. If you're avoiding nuts, you can try pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
Shallot- Use a small red onion or sweet onion as a substitute.
Olive Oil- I recommend extra virgin olive oil since its flavors will shine through in the dressing.
Champagne Vinegar- Use rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar as a substitute.
Tarragon- I recommend using fresh tarragon for a fresh, herby flavor, but you can also use dried tarragon.
Honey- To make this recipe vegan, use maple syrup, plain simple syrup, or skip the sugar entirely in the dressing.
Dijon Mustard- Use dijon to help emulsify the dressing.

⏲️How to Make French Carrot Salad

Place the grated carrots into a medium-sized bowl, then add the thinly sliced scallions and almonds. Then, combine the tarragon dressing ingredients until emulsified. Pour the dressing over the carrot bowl. Toss to coat and serve while fresh!

🥗What to Serve with Raw Carrot Salad

Serve this carrot salad recipe as a side dish at cookouts or brunch parties. You can serve it alongside grilled dishes like BBQ chicken thighs or grilled pork with lemongrass. Other sides, like blue cheese potato salad or roasted zucchini and squash, work well, too.

For brunch serve it alongside a crustless quiche or this broccolini frittata recipe. Before serving, garnish the salad with fresh herbs like fresh parsley or cilantro.

Expert Tip

To cut the carrots properly, you can use a box grater, the grating disc of a food processor, or a vegetable peeler to shred or make ribbons with the carrots.
Let the carrots sit in the dressing for at least 30 minutes before serving to soak them and combine the flavors.

More Salad Recipes

🌡️Storing Leftovers

This salad is great for meal prep! You can make the tarragon dressing up to 1 week in advance. Store it in an airtight jar in the fridge. If it solidifies, simply put the jar in warm water for a few minutes.

Make sure to store the salad and tarragon dressing separately. The raw carrot salad can be stored fresh for 2-3 days in the fridge. Toss the dressing over the salad right before serving.

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