Carrot Raisin Salad

This fresh and crunchy classic Carrot Raisin Salad with a honey mayo dressing with a hint of vinegar brings out the flavors of the carrots and raisins, accompanied by bites of sweet and juicy pineapple pieces.

Carrot raisin salad with pineapples is a simple no cook veggie side dish ready under 10 minutes! It’s a yummy and healthy side dish popular for cookouts and dinner during the spring and summertime.

Carrot Raisin Pineapple Salad

I just love this classic carrot raisin salad and its pure simplicity. It’s not very often you can whip together a yummy and easy side dish in under 10 minutes, while delivering big flavors and amazing textures.

Our carrot raisin salad is crunchy, creamy, tangy, juicy, savory with hints of sweetness from the carrots, raisins and pineapple. So much going on, and so very yummy!

Some carrots raisin salad doesn’t have pineapples in them but I love pineapples because it adds a touch of sweetness and citrus to our carrot raisin salad, bringing an extra dimension of flavor.

As the weather gets warmer, that’s something I crave for…raw, fresh, delicious veggies and minimal cooking in the kitchen. We love making carrots and raisins salad to accompany burgers and grilled meats from the grill.

My husband grills outside, and I bring this together in the kitchen without switching on the stove or oven! I don’t know about you, but I call this a WIN!

Here are a few awesome things you need to know about this carrot raisin salad recipe:

• 7 ingredients only – calls for a short list of pantry-friendly ingredients
• no cooking – everything is fresh and raw, and there’s no need to heat up the kitchen!
• 10 minutes prep time – can be reduced if you use pre-shredded carrots!
• make ahead friendly – make this ahead to save time! See make ahead instructions below.
• serve cold or room temperature – it tastes good even after sitting out for a few hours, which is way it makes such a good party and potluck dish.

Ingredients

These are the ingredients you will need for making this carrot raisin salad recipe:

• Carrots – you can purchase whole carrots and shred them. Or you can save some time and energy by buying pre-shredded carrots.
• Raisins – feel free to use regular raisins or golden raisins. They add a nice flavor to the overall salad. And they soak up the dressing for a nice plump surprise.
• Pineapple tidbits – pineapple pieces bring added texture and sweetness to carrot raisin salad and frankly, it is not to be missed!
• Mayo – the dressing for this salad is mayonnaise based. Hellmenn’s is always my preferred brand. Avoid using miracle whip.
• Honey – Honey brings a additional touch of sweetness without being overpowering – adds a nice touch to the dressing.
• Apple cider vinegar – this helps to balance out all of the other flavors. White vinegar can be used as well.
• Salt – feel free to lessen or add salt as needed.

How to make it

This carrot raisin salad will be one of the easiest and yummiest recipe you’d ever make!

Make the dressing: Start by making the sweet and tangy mayo based dressing for our Carrot Raisin Salad

Add all the dressing ingredients – mayo, honey, apple cider vinegar and, salt – into a small bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside.

Add Ingredients to the Bowl: Combine shredded carrots, raisins, pineapples in a bowl.

Add Dressing: Pour dressing into the bowl

Mix to combine: Use a spatula to mix the Carrot Raisin Salad to combine the carrots, raisins and pineapple with that yummy dressing.

Serve: Carrot raisin salad can be served cold or in room temperature.

It is so good you can often find me eating off this carrot raisin salad from the mixing bowl with a spoon standing by my countertop!/

Variations and Substitution

As much as I love Carrot Raisin Salad this way, here are other ways I like to jazz my salad up!

• Other dried fruits:
  • Dried cherries
  • Craisins
  • Dates
• Nuts
  • Walnuts
  • Pecan

As for substitutions, feel free to use the below instead:

• Instead of apple cider vinegar, use white vinegar or lemon juice
• Instead of honey, use agave or maple syrup

Make Ahead and Storage

Make Ahead: Dress salads dressing and shredded carrots whenever you’re ready to eat your carrot raisin pineapple salad. You can also dress it as early as 24-48 hours and keep in the refrigerator if you prefer to let the flavors sit and meld together.

Our carrots raisin salad recipe isn’t heavy in dressing so carrots shouldn’t get soggy from sitting for up to 48 hours.

Storage: For leftovers that has already been mixed together, store in air tight container in refrigerator and consume within 48 hours for best taste.

Tips and tricks

• Remove access liquid: Pat dry carrots and drain liquid from canned pineapple tidbits before adding to the mixing bowl. This helps prevent carrots from getting soggy.
• Grate the carrots: If you are not using pre-shredded carrots, use a grater to grate your carrots instead of chopping them to thin strips. The finer your carrot pieces are (without being mushy), the better they absorb the dressing and develop flavors.
• Sweetening options: Depending on your preference for sweetness, you can either increase or decrease the quantity of honey in the recipe. Other options could include maple syrup, molasses or agave nectar.
• Chill before serving: Chilling the salad for 30-60 minutes ahead of time can help the flavors to develop and meld together, resulting in a more flavorful salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

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