For a fun and delicious salad, perfect for adults and kids alike, try this carrot cucumber salad. Carrots and cucumbers are tossed with golden raisins, feta cheese, and a lemon honey salad dressing for a fresh and bright dish perfect for summertime.
The best part about this salad is the spiralized vegetables that are just so fun to eat! And this salad can be made up to two days in advance, and even improves as the carrots and cucumber spend time soaking up the dressing. Make a batch for a big gathering or make a bigger batch so you can count on leftovers later in the week.
This is a refreshing, crisp and crunchy salad that pairs well with many other foods. I like this salad best as part of a brunch meal and would pair it with an egg salad sandwich or a BLT and a cold drink. This dish is naturally sweet and crisp, so you can complement those flavors with a cucumber gin and tonic or other semi-dry bubbly drink if you are looking for a boozier brunch.
This recipe is delicious after it has a little bit of time to sit, so I recommend making it the night before you plan to serve it. You may also want to cut up the lengths of your spiralized veggies to make them easier to eat. Also, this salad dressing makes a little bit more than you will likely need. Reserve this to put on another salad or grilled vegetables.
What You Need To Make Carrot Cucumber Salad
To make a delightfully crisp carrot cucumber salad, you need: carrots (whole not baby carrots), English cucumbers, lemon, salt, pepper, honey, olive oil, golden raisins, and feta. For your feta, I recommend going with a mild-flavored feta, preferably made with cow’s milk.
For a vegan option, you can omit the feta or use a vegan cheese alternative. If you want an additional crunchy element, try adding some pistachios. Just make sure to add them right before you plan to serve them because the nuts will soften.
If you don’t want to make your own salad dressing, try using a lemon dijon or lemon herb vinaigrette. If you use one that has been premade, add a little bit of ground ginger or grated fresh ginger to your vegetables before you toss them.
Ingredients:
- Carrot
- Cucumber
- Lemon
- Salt
- Ground pepper
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Ginger
- Golden raisins
Equipment:
This carrot cucumber salad requires a cutting board, a peeler, a knife, a jar with a tight-fitting lid, and a spiralizer. I also recommend using a large salad bowl to toss the salad and salad tongs, but you can also use forks.
To make the spirals of vegetables, I used a spiralizer attachment with my stand mixer, but you can find dedicated tools online or at the grocery store. If you don’t want another kitchen gadget, you can often find spiralized vegetables in the produce section of the grocery store, or you can simply thinly slice the carrots or cucumber with a knife or mandolin.
How To Make Carrot Cucumber Salad
Spiralize the vegetables: Wash and peel your cucumbers and carrots. Because I am using English cucumbers, I like to leave little strips of peel in the cucumbers to add a little extra color to the final dish and structure to the thin spiralized vegetables.
Remove the tops and bottoms of the cucumbers and carrots with a knife. Place your vegetables in a spiralizer using the thin setting, if available. Spiralize and set aside.
Make the dressing: Add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, a pinch of salt, ginger, and a pinch of pepper to a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously until emulsified.
Prepare the feta: Drain and cube the feta, creating ½ -inch cubes.
Assemble the salad: Add the vegetables to a salad bowl. Add in the golden raisins and feta. Add the lemon-honey dressing. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss well.
Serve: Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
What kinds of greens can I add to this dish?
If you want this to be a green salad, use the greens sparingly and stick with something that stands up to the stiffer vegetables, like romaine. Avoid baby lettuces because they will be compressed by the vegetables.
Can I add herbs to this recipe?
Yes. Fresh, flat-leaf parsley or mint would be a delicious addition to this dish.
Can I use regular raisins?
I do not recommend using regular raisins in this recipe. They have a deeper flavor that is out of place in this dish. Instead, try chopping up some dried apricots or using craisins for a bright, tart addition to the dish.
Carrot Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium carrots
- 1 1/2 English cucumber
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- A pinch of salt plus more to taste
- A pinch of ground pepper plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2/3 cup golden raisins
- 4 oz feta
Instructions
- Wash and peel 1 1/2 cucumbers and 2-3 carrots.
- Remove the tops and bottoms of the cucumbers and carrots with a knife.
- Place your vegetables in a spiralizer. Use the thin setting to spiralize.
- Add ½ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of honey, a pinch of salt, ½ teaspoon of ground ginger, and a pinch of pepper to a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Shake vigorously until emulsified.
- Drain and cube 4 oz feta into ½ -inch cubes.
- Place the carrot and cucumber in a salad bowl
- Add in ⅔ cup golden raisins and feta.
- Add lemon-honey dressing.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss well.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy!
- Easter Egg Salad
- Julienne Salad
- Santa Fe Salad
- Kale Cucumber Salad
- Vegan Croissant Sandwich
- Carrot Waffles
Arielle is a food and drink photographer based in Washington, D.C. She was previously a social science researcher before she fell in love with photography.