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Carrot Slaw with Cranberries, Toasted Walnuts & Citrus Vinaigrette

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An autumn spin on the classic grated carrot salad, this carrot slaw is dotted with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts.

Bowl of carrot slaw with cranberries, toasted walnuts, and citrus vinaigrette.

I’ve always loved the classic French grated carrot salad, and this carrot slaw is a delicious spin on it. With dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and scallions in a citrus vinaigrette, it’s crunchy, tart and sweet — perfect with a warm crusty baguette for lunch or as a healthy side to sandwiches or burgers.

What you’ll need to make carrot slaw with Citrus Vinaigrette

Slaw ingredients including walnut oil, honey, and lemon.

If you have carrots in your vegetable bin to use up, you can quickly shred them in your food processor. Otherwise, just buy the bagged pre-shredded carrots from the produce department — they work just as well.

Also, as you can see, I used walnut oil for the dressing. If you have some in your pantry already, great, but definitely don’t go out and buy it just for this recipe. It’s expensive and extra virgin olive oil works just as well.

Lemon zest with a lemon and a microplane grater.

How to make carrot slaw with Citrus Vinaigrette

To begin, toast the walnuts in the oven until fragrant to enhance their flavor.

Walnuts on a lined baking sheet.

Next, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.

Bowl of unmixed slaw ingredients.

Toss to combine. If possible, let the salad sit for at least 15 minutes to give the carrots a chance to soak up the dressing.

Bowl of carrot slaw with cranberries, toasted walnuts, and citrus vinaigrette.

That’s all there is to it — simple and satisfying. Enjoy!

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Carrot Slaw with Cranberries, Toasted Walnuts & Citrus Vinaigrette

An autumn spin on the classic grated carrot salad, this carrot slaw is dotted with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

  • ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1 pound shredded carrots, or 1⅓ pounds carrots, peeled and shredded
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from 1 lemon
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, from 1 orange
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • 3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Set oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place walnuts on baking sheet and bake until toasted and fragrant, 7-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  2. Combine all remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Season to taste with salt, pepper, honey or more citrus. Toss in walnuts and serve.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (5 servings)
  • Calories: 184
  • Fat: 9 g
  • Saturated fat: 1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 28 g
  • Sugar: 20 g
  • Fiber: 4 g
  • Protein: 1 g
  • Sodium: 183 mg
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

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Comments

  • Made this so many times and never had a single person not like it. Like someone else said in the comments, I did substitute the raisins for craisins and used pine nuts along with walnuts, a little less honey and i only had green onions the first time I made it, but it’s wonderful. I’m not a carrot fan, never have been, but this salad is to die for! Great recipe to say the least.

    • — Melinda on November 19, 2023
    • Reply
  • This was a simply great, simple salad. It was so fresh – love the pop of citrus with the sweet cranberries – and so colourful alongside our (Canadian : ) Thanksgiving Dinner. Everyone loved it! Thanks Chef!

    • — -kim on October 10, 2022
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn,

    I was wondering if this could be made a day or two ahead of time and the best way to store if so? Thank you!

    • Hi Rachel, I wouldn’t push it more than 1 day ahead. And if you do make it ahead, I suggest using coarsely grated carrots (as shown in the pics); otherwise it will get a bit soggy. (And I’d store it in the fridge.)

  • As we can’t travel from NZ to France to enjoy Salade de Carottes Rapées, I made this recipe to remind me of past happy holidays. It did just that! It was super delicious with a fresh, zingy taste. It was also a quick and easy to make. The only changes I made was that I couldn’t be bothered going out in the dark to hunt for parsley, so substituted coriander instead. Also, I didn’t have any spring onions, so used shallots instead.

    • — Elizabeth Berry
    • Reply
  • We made this when all that was in the fridge was a two pound bag of carrots and I had company coming, with all stores were closed. This was a hit with everyone, although I would probably decrease the honey to 1 1/2 Tbsp. Although I made a double batch, I think this salad server 3-4 people not 4-6…in retrospect perhaps it’s because everyone had a second helping 😉

  • I had some carrots and wanted to make something. When I saw the walnut oil, I was delighted. I have some and had no idea what to do with it. I substituted a bit based on what I had on hand – so toasted pecans for the walnuts, golden raisins for the dried cranberries, very finely chopped red onions for the scallions. It was delicious. Next time I’ll make it as printed.

  • This is a recipe I return to over and over again. I love the the contrast in textures of the chewy dried fruit and nuts and fresh, crispy carrots. I love that this is a slaw without mayonnaise and is truly seasonless, so delicious!

  • This makes for a great side dish beside your ordinary slaw or potato salad. The crunch from the matchstick carrots and walnuts gives it a nice crunch and the citrus gives it a light bright taste. Also, everything is better with craisins!

  • I made this as a Thanksgiving side dish a few years ago and it became the crowd favorite for holidays. But why wait for the holidays? So now treat myself to more carrot days!

  • Very delicious and colorful. Love the zestiness of it. Perfect summer salad!

  • A very tasty and refreshing salad! Everyone enjoyed it and it looked beautiful when served. My only addition was to add some orange slices to the salad. Highly recommended!

  • Every one of the Once Upon a Chef recipes that I’ve tried have been a success with my family. I always turn to your website when I am looking for inspiration or an ingredient to use. The recipes, including this one, are appetizing and down-to-earth for all our palettes. Once again, this salad was a delight and it was a zesty accompaniment to simply roasted salmon fillets.

  • Excellent, light, flavorful, delicious! I used thinly sliced cabbage, red, orange, yellow and green peppers, radishes, red onions and peels of carrots. I followed the dressing recipe and even my husband loved it!

  • Do you roast walnuts before or after coarsely chopping them?

    • Hi Staci, You can go either way, but I’d roast them first. Enjoy! 🙂

      • Hmm, this is what I’m doing wrong roasting them after chopping. That’s why most of the time they are over roasted 🤦‍♀️

  • Another great recipe from Jenn! The orange/lemon dressing is light and fresh and the walnuts and cranberries add a festive touch. Going to add it to my already full thanksgiving menu for a touch of summer!

  • Can this carrot slaw with citrus vinegarette recipe be made the day before Thanksgiving, refrigerated, then serve cold on Thanksgiving day? Thank you! -Pat

    • Sure, Pat, that will work. Hope you enjoy! 🙂

  • This has become a regular side dish in our house. My husband and I fight over who gets the last bit! Perfect combination of flavors and so refreshing.

  • This is a crunchy, flavourful salad that kept well for days. On the 3rd day, I added feta cheese and it was delicious.

    • — Jennifer Thomas
    • Reply
  • I have made this for years but I also add currants and pecans instead of walnuts. Love it!

  • I made this for today’s dinner of cooked turkey which was then cold smoked and tested until the next day. This salad was excellent! It was sweet but not overbearing like whole berry cranberry sauce can be. I think I’ll make it for our Christmas dinner also!
    Easy to make, easy clean up and the taste was outstanding! Thanks so much!!

  • How far in advance can I prep this meal?

    • Hi Kc, I’d say one day ahead. Enjoy!

  • I have made this several times, adding the walnuts or pecans just before serving. Easy and delicious!!

    • — Elizabeth Broomer
    • Reply
  • I made this for lunch today. I used rainbow carrots for some additional visual interest, and the dish was just right along with some crackers. Carrots are probably my favorite main-ingredient veg (except for maybe potatoes…maybe), so it’s nice having another way to feature them.

  • Why does the recipe call for grated carrot while the photos show carrot batons? I can get both, so which should I use?

    • Hi Clancy, I just peeked back the pictures and they do look a little larger than grated carrots there! Those are store-bought grated carrots – that’s just the size my market makes them. Enjoy!

  • How could I forget my star rating?!!

  • This carrot salad is amazing…a welcome change from the heavy mayo based carrot/raisin standby. Love the fresh citrus flavor and toasted walnut crunch. My better half actually requests it! Thanks, Jenn!

  • This salad was a crowd pleaser at home and at a party! I used olive oil instead of walnut oil. But as a note the salad definitely does not keep more than 24 hours. Delicious!

  • This salad was so delicious…we couldn’t stop eating it!! I doubled the recipe but reduced the amount of scallions, to suit our tastes….Next time I think I will also reduce the amount of honey….too sweet for me…This salad lasts for days!

    • — Wendy G Schoenburg
    • Reply
  • Can I substitute the walnuts with toasted almonds or pecans?

    • — ISABEL AZZALIN
    • Reply
    • Absolutely, Isabel – I think either would be good.

      • Thanks! I used the pecans and they were perfect. We loved the salad

  • Excellent recipie!! I used orange flavored cranberries from Trader Joe’s.

  • Do you think your cranberry Dijon vinaigrette would be good here?? I have been planning on making it and on seeing this recipe thought it might work well. I will try it out and let you know.

    • Yes, I think that could work. Would love to hear how it turns out!

  • So yummy!!! Took to a potluck dinner and everyone enjoyed it. We toasted pecans on the stovetop instead of walnuts which we prefered. This salad looks lovely and even more flavorful the next day so next time I will let the flavour mix for a few hours before serving. Its a winner!!!

  • This slaw was really nice! Loved the flavours! Made it with the Moroccan chicken and couscous, they all went amazing together.

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