This vibrant and flavorful Crunchy Carrot-Raisin Salad features Pineapple, walnuts, celery, and plump raisins drizzled with a Creamy Honey-Lemon Dressing. Shredding the carrots in a food processor makes this 20-minute salad a snap to put together. The variety of textures and flavors makes it a delicious side dish that pairs easily with spring and summer mains. This recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, and easily vegan.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review: “I have made two different recipes for carrot-raisin salad recently. First one was a more traditional version which was good, but then I tried this one with the fresh pineapple, raisins, pecans, and the honey-lemon dressing, and wow! This is my go-to from now on.” ~ Judy
Table of Contents
A Light and Flavorful Shredded Carrot Salad Recipe
Living in the Pacific Northwest means picnics are a regular event come summer. This salad is one we keep on rotation because it’s simple to make and is so refreshing.
Carrot raisin salad is chock full of good-for-us ingredients and makes a delicious side to pair with your favorite spring and summer mains. It’s a welcome addition to picnics, cookouts, potlucks or, alfresco evenings on the porch. It’s got crunch, a little sweet and the plump rehydrated raisins and pineapple make it juicy! It also retains its crunch even after a few days.
This Recipe Is:
- fresh
- versatile
- make ahead ready
- not *too* sweet
You’ll enjoy this crunchy pineapple carrot raisin salad if you love flavorful side salads.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Salad:
- Fresh Carrots – the bulk of this salad, they provide sweetness, color and crunch! Look for carrots with the tops attached. This way you can see how fresh the carrots are. Also, the tops are delicious as a garnish on this salad, or added to smoothies where they’ll add extra fiber. Use rainbow carrots or orange carrots. You can purchase pre-shredded carrots, however I find they’re often drier than fresh.
- Walnuts – add crunch, healthy fats, and nourishment. Pecans make a fine substitute.
- Pineapple – add sweetness, color and juicy pineapple texture. Look for fresh pineapple if possible, otherwise, purchase canned chunk pineapple. I like Native Forest brand.
- Raisins – add sweetness, texture, and interest. Look for sweet Thompson (regular raisins) or golden raisins in the bulk bins for best value. For a more delicate raisin, you can use smaller currants instead. We’ll rehydrate them to make them plump and juicy!
- Celery – adds crunch and color! Look for celery with its leaves attached. The leaves add a unique flavor that complements this carrot raisin salad.
- Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley – for flavor, garnish and color!
For the Dressing:
- Mayonnaise – adds a creamy texture with a touch of tangy flavor. Use your favorite brand or homemade here. I like Vegenese.
- Honey – adds natural sweetness to the salad. You can add more or less to taste, also depending on the sweetness of your carrots and pineapple since this can vary widely. Maple syrup is a fine substitution.
- Lemon Juice and Zest – loosens the dressing while also adding a hint of sour to the dressing.
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How to Make Carrot Raisin Salad with Pineapple –
Step by Step
After mixing the salad, taste for sweetness adjustment. The sweetness of pineapple and carrots can vary widely, so if more sweetness is desired, drizzle a little more honey over the top, toss and taste again.
Pro Tips
- Make ahead? Yes please! The dressing can be made up to three days in advance. For the carrot pineapple salad, make one day ahead of when needed. Sprinkle fresh herbs over the top, dress and toss about an hour before serving. The veggies tend to release their juices pretty quickly, so you’ll notice a shallow pool at the bottom of the bowl. Be sure to toss before sharing – there’s a lot of flavor in that juice! Dressed, this carrot salad with pineapple holds up well in the fridge, for several days, retaining its crunch.
- Shredded Carrots: To shred the carrots, I use the coarse shredder blade of a food processor. Grated carrots may also be created using a julienne peeler or box grater. However, the carrot shred will be a bit thinner. Use fresh carrots for best flavor and texture.
- Pineapple Juice: If using canned pineapple, save the pineapple juice. You can freeze it, use it in this Homemade Pina Colada, or add it to smoothies.
- Make it Vegan! Leave out the honey in the dressing and use maple instead. It’s an easy and delicious swap! Also, make sure your mayo is vegan (egg free).
More Side Salads for Sharing
- Broccoli Slaw with Golden Raisins and Walnuts
- Texas Potato Salad
- Orzo Asparagus Salad
- Lemon-Dijon Asparagus and Pea Macaroni Salad
Crunchy Carrot Raisin Salad with Pineapple and Creamy Honey Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 2/3 cups (70 grams) Walnuts or pecans
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) Raisins Thompson, golden or currants
- 4 cups (425 grams) Shreded Carrots from about 8 medium carrots, reserve leaves for garnish if desired, *see note.
- 1 1/2 cups (255 grams) Pineapple if fresh, cut into small chunks. If canned, drain (reserve the juice for drinking!)
- 1 cup (105 grams) Celery chopped small, about 2 stalks, reserve leaves if available.
- a fist-full Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley leaves finely chopped
For the Dressing:
- 1/3 C cup (100 grams) Mayonnaise I like Vegenaise
- 1 tablespoon Raw Honey or maple syrup
- 1 Lemon zested and juiced, about 2 tablespoons juice
- 1/8 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
Instructions
For the Salad:
- Preheat oven to 350F and toast walnuts for 7-8 minutes or until fragrant and slightly golden. Set aside to cool. Rough chop.
- If the raisins are stiff and/or dry, place them into a small bowl and pour hot water over them. This will plump them up. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the shredded carrots, pineapple, celery, walnuts, raisins and parsley. If celery leaves were reserved, chop fine and add them to the bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. If more sweetness is desired, drizzle a teaspoon or so more of honey over the salad and toss again ( pineapple and carrots can vary in their sweetness ). If you have time, rest in the fridge for at least one hour so the flavors can marry. Store in a lidded container for up to three days. Toss again before serving.
For the Dressing:
- In a small mixing bowl, add the mayo, honey, lemon juice and zest and salt. Whisk to incorporate.
Lucky girl
This carrot salad was delicious. Had it with a piece of my sourdough multigrain bread (also your recipe). 😋
Traci York
Best news ever! Thank you for your note and star rating Lucky!! Day made 😀
Leslie Stansfield
Exactly what I wanted. I get home and don’t want to cook. I am sick of plain old salads. I loved this.
Traci
Hooray for a tasty, not plain salad! SO happy to hear, Leslie. Thank you for your note and star rating!
Judy L.
I have made two different recipes for carrot-raisin salad recently. First one was a more traditional version which was good, but then I tried this one with the fresh pineapple, raisins, pecans, and the honey-lemon dressing, and wow! This is my go-to from now on. Thanks, Traci.
Traci
Hiii Judy! Thank you for sharing with us and giving the recipe a go! So excited about your go-to :D
Rebecca
For the carrot pineapple salad you noted we can make it one day ahead. I was curious – you dress it and then store it correct so that all the flavors can meld together or do you wait to add dressing along with herbs right before serving?
Traci
Hi Rebecca! Either will work. However, I tend to dress the salad, then if preparing it for the following day simply rest it in the fridge overnight, then sprinkle it with fresh herbs before serving. I hope this helps, and that you enjoy the salad!
Thomas M
This was delicious. My SO made it for Easter and I loved it. Very nice combination of flavors, and the lemon juice and pineapple added a nice acidity. I will ask for this one again. Thank you, Traci.
Traci
Hi Thomas! I usually hear back from the cook/maker, so it’s nice to read your note! Thank you for coming back and leaving a review.
Rachel Ponton
Easy & fun recipe for a Summer night! I ended up doubling this recipe to make sure there was enough to go around. I also used pecans instead of walnuts which were just as tasty! To save some cutting time, I bought pineapple strips from Trader Joes which worked out well. I loved how easy this recipe was to throw together at home — I ended up incorporating the dressing once I reached my destination. The citrus-y & sweet flavors were the perfect combination with the creamy lemon dressing. Will definitely make this again!
Traci
Hi Rachel! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a comment! SO happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe… !
2pots2cook
Perfect for brunches in the open air while the heat is on ! Thank you Tracy !
Traci
You’re welcome my dear!
Jean
Oh…this reminds me of a salad I used to make years ago I think from one of the Moosewood cookbooks but yours has the addition of pineapple and walnuts. I’ll have to put this in the rotation. Love the rainbow carrots!
Traci
Ahhhh, Moosewood! I love Mollie’s books. I just had to muck a carrot salad up.. you know, with even more goodness! Aren’t rainbow carrots so pretty? I hope you enjoy the recipe, Jean!