This is a super simple Sweet Carrot Salad Recipe. Quick and easy to make, and loaded with nutrients!
Whenever I invite one of my friends over to our house for dinner, she makes sure to ask that I make this salad. Of all the fancy salads, this simple carrot one is her favorite. What's even funnier is when we are invited to their house and I ask her what to bring, she tells me......yes, you guessed it - the Sweet Carrot Salad. So, I make the salad and we bring it over to their house. True story! So cute. 🙂
It really is a great salad. Just like in our Citrus Avocado Salad Recipe or our Asparagus and Mango Salad Recipe, there is no need for fancy dressings or many ingredients - just combine a few simple ingredients and mix in mayonnaise, and you're done.
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The Ingredients for the Sweet Carrot Salad:
- Carrot: one large carrot, grated using a box grater or a vegetable shredder.
- Lettuce: I used Romaine lettuce, but any lettuce will work. Make sure to finely dice the lettuce, so it blends well with the shredded carrot.
- Apple: one apple, seeded, skin removed, grated (using a box grater or vegetable shredder)
- Craisins: 1 cup of dried cranberries. They may be substituted for raisins, but I find that craisins work better in the salad. They add that little bit of extra sourness/tartness.
- Pineapple: one cup of diced pineapples.
- Mayo: one tablespoon is plenty
What are the best apples to use in recipe?
Choose sweeter apples, such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious. The pineapple adds more tartness to the salad, so the sweeter the apple, the better!
How to core the apple:
- Place the apple on a cutting board, with the stem side facing up.
- Slice the apple in half, lengthwise. Then slice each apple half lengthwise again to create quarters.
- Using a small knife, carefully cut off the core on each quarter. Peel each apple slice - careful not to slice off too much of the apple when peeling.
Or, you can also use an apple corer to core the apple, then cut the apple into quarters and peel.
Fresh vs. canned vs. frozen pineapple:
In short? The choice is yours!
I used fresh pineapple in the recipe, but if you happen to have a can of pineapple chunks in your pantry or a bag of frozen pineapple chunks in the freezer, then great, use it! Just make sure to drain the juice from the canned pineapples or thaw the frozen pineapple completely and drain any excess liquid.
I prefer using fresh pineapples personally because I feel fresh is always better than frozen or canned. Canned pineapples have more sugar, and frozen pineapples just don't taste the same.
How much mayonnaise should I use in the salad?
It's best to add no more than one tablespoon of mayo to the salad because the pineapple releases its juice and the salad may become too watery.
Idealy, add the mayonnaise at least 30 minutes before serving so the salad can set. If you feel the salad needs more mayonnaise once it sets and the pineapple releases the juice, add a little more mayo, to taste.
Serving suggestions:
The salad will go great with:
- Oven Roasted Potato Cubes
- 3-Ingredient Baked Potato Wedges
- Super Easy Sauteed Chicken Thighs
- Baked Seafood-Stuffed Salmon
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Recipe
Sweet Carrot Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large carrot peeled and coarsley grated
- 1 apple peeled, cored and grated - choose a sweet apple (see notes)
- 1 cup about 6 oz. or 170 gm. fresh or canned pineapple, diced
- 1 cup Romaine lettuce diced (see notes)
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Instructions
- Peel the carrot. Peel and core the apple (see notes below for how to core an apple). Coarsely grate the carrot and apple, using a box grater or a vegetable shredder. Transfer the grated carrot and apple to a large mixing bowl.
- Dice pineapple into bite-size pieces and finely dice the Romaine lettuce. Transfer the pineapple and lettuce to the mixing bowl.
- Add the dried cranberries and mayo to the mixing bowl and stir all ingredients together to combine. Add more mayo if desired - the pineapple does release juice, so be careful not to add too much mayo.
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