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    Make It Skinny Please » Recipes » Salads » French Carrot Salad

    Published: May 15, 2022 by Toni Dash · 9 Comments

    French Carrot Salad

    Weight Watchers Points1
    Calories: 86kcal
    Carbs: 13g
    Protein: 1g
    Fats: 4g
    Jump to Recipe

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    French Carrot Salad on blue plate.

    French Carrot Salad is a fresh, delicious salad with just a kiss of lemony mustard dressing. Fresh carrots, parsley and green onions combine for a light delicious salad you can make in about 15 minutes.

    French Carrot Salad on blue plate.
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    French Carrot Salad on blue plate.

    Imagine yourself dining al fresco in a French bistro. This gorgeous salad (salade de carottes râpées en Francaise) would be a star dish. And what's not to love?

    It's a simple carrot salad recipe with everything you need at the grocery store. The sweet flavor of fresh carrots, herby parsley, just a touch of scallion tossed in, just the right amount of fresh tangy lemon juice and whole grain mustard dressing.

    Using just a light dressing gives the French carrot salad recipe enough of the simple vinaigrette to add flavor without being heavy, either in flavor or volume so the carrots are not soggy. And of course this keeps the oil calories 'light' too.

    The fresh taste of this delicious carrot salad makes a wonderful side salad for any main dish. This French dish is an easy salad to make and a nice change up from regular green salad.

    Jump to:
    • What makes this skinny?
    • Recipe Ingredients Notes
    • How to make French Carrot Salad - Step-by-Step
    • Variations
    • Expert Tips
    • How to Store
    • More recipes you'll love!
    • Recipe

    What makes this skinny?

    The simple salad only has three ingredients which are all vegetables. The vinaigrette recipe uses only 1 tablespoons of olive oil divided between 4 serving along with fresh lemon juice, whole grain Dijon mustard, one teaspoon of honey. 

    Raw carrots are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that support everything from great vision to immune function and digestive health. Guess what they don't do? Load you up with tons of calories (yay).

    Recipe Ingredients Notes

    French carrot salad labelled ingredients.

    Carrots. You'll need 1 pound of large carrots, peeled and grated with the grating disc of a food processor or a box grated (on medium holes). You can also use a julienne peeler as long as it doesn't made the carrot pieces too small.

    Parsley. Use fresh parsley, either Italian flat-leaf parsley or curly parsley.

    Old Style Mustard. You'll want to use a whole grain mustard. It's sometimes called Country Mustard too. My favorite version is made by Maille and is a French recipe called 'Old Style Whole Grain Dijon Mustard'.  You can find it in most grocery stores. 

    Lemon juice. Freshly squeeze the lemon juice for the best flavor. You'll need about half a medium lemon.

    Salt. Use kosher salt or sea salt.

    Black pepper. Always use freshly ground black pepper if possible. It makes a wonderful addition to any recipe.

    french carrot salad in blue bowl.

    How to make French Carrot Salad - Step-by-Step

    STEP 1. Make the dressing

    In a small bowl or jar (with lid) combine the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk together or if using a jar, seal the lid and shake to combine (photo 1).

    french carrot salad recipe steps 1-3.

    STEP 2. Make the Salad

    In a large bowl combine the grated carrots, chopped parsley and sliced scallions (photo 2). Drizzle on the dressing; toss to fully coat the ingredients (photo 3). Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

    Cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving. 

    Variations

    Use different color carrots. If you visit a Farmers Market you'll find a colorful assortment of carrots. Mix them up! Bright orange, pale yellow or dragon carrots if you are lucky (purple on the outside and yellow in the middle).

    Swap in vinegar for the lemon juice. To change up the flavor try red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

    Expert Tips

    Grate the carrots yourself. I love a good shortcut but do not use store bought shredded carrots for this recipe. There are a few reasons why. 1) pre-shredded carrots are often dry and hard. 2) they are not the best shape for this recipe. 3) they taste weird. I think there is some type of preservative added that gives them a very distinct and not fresh flavor.

    If using a box grater: use the medium size holes and grate in short strokes for the perfect length piece of carrot.

    Allow the salad to sit before serving. Giving the salad about 30 minutes before serving really lets the flavors blend well.

    Best served at room temperature. The French carrot salad has the most flavor when served at room temperature.

    french carrot salad in blue plate overhead .

    How to Store

    The salad is best eaten the day it's made or the next day. It can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. The carrots may soften but will still taste great.

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    Recipe

    french carrot salad in blue plate with fork.

    French Carrot Salad

    Weight Watchers Points1
    Click to track Weight Watchers Points
    This well loved French Carrot Salad is simple and full of great flavor. It's a refreshing side salad for any main dish especially in the hotter months of the year. The light lemon mustard vinaigrette is just enough to add to the fresh flavor keeping the salad low calorie and low fat.
    5 from 40 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: French
    Diet: Low Calorie, Low Fat, Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 1-cup side salads (total yield: 4 cups)
    Calories: 86kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
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    Equipment

    box grater
    Food processor

    Ingredients

    Salad

    • 1 pound carrots peeled and grated
    • ½ cup parsley (Italian or curly) rough chopped
    • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

    Dressing

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
    • ½ teaspoon honey
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    Instructions

    • Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar with lid: olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk or if using a jar, seal and shake to fully combine.
    • In a large bowl combine the grated carrots, parsley and green onion. Drizzle on the dressing and toss to fully coat the salad ingredients.
    • Allow to chill, covered or in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

    Notes

    Expert Tips:
    Grate the carrots yourself. Store bought shredded carrots aren't as moist and have an odd flavor.
    If using a box grater: use the medium size holes and grate in short strokes for the perfect length piece of carrot.
    Allow the salad to sit before serving. Giving the salad about 30 minutes before serving really lets the flavors blend well.
    Best served at room temperature. The French carrot salad has the most flavor when served at room temperature.
    How to Store
    The salad is best eaten the day it's made or the next day. It can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. The carrots may soften but will still taste great.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 421mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 19608IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
    French Carrot Salad on blue plate.
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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutritional Coach and certified Weight Loss Specialist, writer/blogger, photographer, chief recipe developer and creator of Make It Skinny Please. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her slimmed down recipes using real food ingredients bring excitement to the dining table and never taste like 'diet food'. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 40 votes (31 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Pat Jenner says

      May 17, 2022 at 11:02 am

      5 stars
      So simple, light and delicious. My new favorite summer salad!

      Reply
    2. Kristyn says

      May 17, 2022 at 9:38 am

      5 stars
      Wow, this salad was so good! I had no idea what I've been missing. The dressing adds great flavor!

      Reply
    3. Eden says

      May 17, 2022 at 8:53 am

      5 stars
      This salad was perfect! So flavorful and colorful. We all loved it and it was a great side dish for us!

      Reply
    4. Patricia @ Grab a Plate says

      May 16, 2022 at 8:13 pm

      5 stars
      I absolutely love this salad! The mustardy dressing is the perfect partner - the salad is so bright (and colorful) and fresh!

      Reply
    5. Tayler Ross says

      May 16, 2022 at 11:00 am

      5 stars
      We had this carrot salad with dinner last night and it was prefect! So easy to whip up too!

      Reply
    6. Cathy Burke says

      May 16, 2022 at 9:54 am

      5 stars
      This is such a delicious salad, everyone loved it. It's such a great way to mix up my salad routine!

      Reply
    7. Dana Sandonato says

      May 16, 2022 at 9:34 am

      5 stars
      Grated or julienned is my favorite way to eat veggies—I find they just get more flavorsome that way and have a way better mouthfeel. So this salad is right up my alley! The dressing is so so good! Making this regularly 🙂

      Reply
    8. Natalie says

      May 16, 2022 at 8:52 am

      5 stars
      Simple and refreshing salad recipe! Great for these hot days, I enjoyed it!

      Reply
    9. Kate says

      May 16, 2022 at 7:12 am

      5 stars
      Wow, so many flavours in this gorgeous carrot salad - I had no idea it could be so delicious!

      Reply

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I'm a Certified Nutrition Coach and NASM certified Weight Loss Specialist. I'm excited to share Classic Recipes made more calorie friendly using real food!

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